Click to see current work:  PEG BACHENHEIMER    PAUL HRUSOVSKY
RONAN PETERSON

PEG BACHENHEIMER: LAYERED
New Encaustic Paintings

PAUL HRUSOVSKY:  EMBELLISHED
New Paintings

 RONAN KYLE PETERSON:  FECUNDITY
Red Earthenware

Durham —Paul Hrusovsky, Peg Bachenheimer, and Ronan Peterson combine elements of nature with pure abstraction for their new shows at Craven Allen Gallery.  The artists will be present at the opening reception, Saturday, July 21, from 5 to 7 pm, featuring snacks by Watts Grocery.

For “Layered”, Peg Bachenheimer creates landscapes and abstract paintings using the time-honored —and challenging—techniques of oil with cold wax, and encaustic hot wax.  “This ancient and durable medium has a mystery, luminosity and organic quality that give the final pieces a spiritual feeling.  My process involves discovery; not knowing all that will emerge is an act of faith.”   Bachenheimer hales from a family steeped in the art and museum world; she brings a discerning eye to her work which has found a wide audience.

With his modern, edgy take on traditional North Carolina functional pottery, the work of Ronan Kyle Peterson stands out as singularly imaginative. For “Fecundity”, Peterson combines nature imagery with bold shapes and striking colors, seeking ” … to create a comic book interpretation of the natural world with a focus on rocks and trees and their role in the perpetual organic comedy of growth and decay.”   A native of Poplar, NC, Peterson’s work is popular with collectors interested in the future of our state’s most iconic medium.

Longtime Craven Allen Gallery director Paul Hrusovsky returns home, exploring new territory with “Embellished”, a vibrant collection of canvases based on organic shapes, rich with movement.  The luscious surface textures have a visceral, tactile quality, enhanced by stencils and silk-screens.   A Triangle gallery staple for over 30 years and outspoken arts advocate, Hrusovsky’s work is in major public and private collections.

The shows continue through September 8.

Craven Allen Gallery is located at 1106 ½ Broad Street in Durham.  Gallery hours are from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday, and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday.  For more information, please call the gallery at 286-4837 or visit www.CravenAllenGallery.com.