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Plein Air Painting and Woodcarving

30 Jul 2016
20 Aug 2016
17 Sep 2016

ARTISTS & CRAFTERS OFFER WEEKEND DEMONSTRATIONS AT MUSEUM

OLD FORT, NC – On the second and third Saturdays of July, August, and September, area artists and crafters will bring their private studio practices to a live audience at Mountain Gateway Museum & Heritage Center in Old Fort.
Beginning this coming Saturday (July 9) and continuing on the second Saturdays in August and September, artists from the Arrowhead Artists and Artisans League (A3L) in Old Fort will set up their easels on the museum’s grounds to demonstrate plein air painting. Other artists are invited to bring their own supplies and join in the fun. In case of rain, several sheltered locations are available.
On the third Saturdays of July, August, and September, Todd Schetter and other local wood carvers will demonstrate their hand-carving skills at the museum.
Each of these free demonstrations will be held from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Some completed works may be available for sale. On the third Saturdays, children are invited to bring a bar of soap from home to learn simple carving techniques.
A French phrase meaning to paint outdoors or in “open air,” plein air painting focuses on capturing on canvas the objects and conditions in nature the artist observes at that particular time.
During the mid-19th century, working in natural light became particularly important to the Barbizon and Hudson River schools, as well as the Impressionists. The popularity of painting en plein air increased in the 1840s with the introduction of paints in tubes and the invention of the easily portable box, or field, easel. French impressionist painters Claude Monet, Camille Pissarro, and Pierre-Auguste Renoir all advocated plein air painting.
Schetter began carving wood as a way to relax. He later learned wood burning to help highlight areas of his carvings, which include figures and caricatures. Schetter and his wife, Sandi, who is skilled in embroidery, are full-time campers who travel the continental United States. They recently parked their camper at Catawba Falls Campground in Old Fort.
For more information about these events, please contact Mountain Gateway Museum at 828-668-9259 or visit the museum’s Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/MtnGatewayMuseum/. For more information about the artists, please contact Arrowhead Artists and Artisans League (A3L) at 828-668-1100. And for more information about the wood carvers, please contact Todd Schetter at (843) 250-0280.
Mountain Gateway Museum is the westernmost facility in the North Carolina Department of Natural & Cultural Resources’ Division of State History Museums. Nestled at the foot of the Blue Ridge Mountains along the banks of historic Mill Creek in downtown Old Fort (McDowell County), MGM uses artifacts, exhibitions, educational programs, living history demonstrations, and special events to teach people about the rich history and cultural heritage of the state’s mountain region, from its original inhabitants through early settlement and into the 20th century.

As part of its education outreach mission, MGM also assists non-profit museums and historic sites in 39 western NC counties with exhibit development & fabrication, genealogical research, photography archives, traveling exhibitions, and consultations.

Mountain Gateway Museum is open year round, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday, noon to 5 p.m. on Monday, and 2 to 5 p.m. on Sunday. Admission is free.