Gregory Smith Exhibition
Red Roof
Architecture is a popular subject of interest for artists around the world. Countless photos and paintings have captured New York City skyscrapers, San Francisco row houses and Paris’ Eiffel Tower. Each town and city has a defining architectural style. Some are a bit more modern and bold than others, but cities aren’t the only area’s that celebrate their unique forms of building. In the high country, barns and farmhouses (some dating back to the early 1900s) grace every hillside. These structures are reminiscent of the rural agricultural society that dominated the area for hundreds of years. The humble buildings are often abandoned and unkempt, leaving them to decay and rot untouched until eventually transcending into a pile of wood.
The Art Cellar Gallery is located in the heart of the high country and seeks to commemorate the landscape, architecture and people that make up the area. One artist that is deeply familiar with the culture of the area is Gregory Smith.
Gregory Smith was born and raised in the small town of Matney, outside Valle Crucis, and attended college at Appalachian State University. He has watched many of the historic buildings that now lay to waste around Appalachia transition from homes to abandoned landmarks. He often knows the history of the barns and farmhouses or has grown up with stories of the families that used to live and work within the walls. Gregory memorializes these buildings by capturing their practical beauty and the land they sit on before they eventually fall.
Gregory paints with a bold and confident palette, highlighting the rough exteriors of the abandoned buildings he paints as well as the often moody skies that are all too common in the mountains. He is a lifelong student and has recently begun a teaching career at his alma mater, Appalachian State. He has branched into many different subjects and styles including richly detailed trompe l’oeil paintings (French for “to fool the eye”). While he has a wide range of expertise, capturing the world he grew up in has always been what he is best known for.
An exhibition for Gregory Smith will be held at The Art Cellar Gallery Monday, July 26 through Saturday, August 7. Join us for a chance to interact with Gregory and his artwork at an open house on Saturday, July 31 from 4 to 6pm. We have prepared a very exciting line-up for this summer season which will feature other artists including Noyes Capehart and Raymond Chorneau. Visit www.artcellargallery.com for a full season schedule!