Allsbrook to highlight art workshops

Artist to lecture on ‘Christianity and Creativity in Art’

Four other workshops planned through June

Internationally acclaimed artist Luke Allsbrook will highlight an upcoming series of art workshops sponsored by Clayton Visual Arts, including a special free, open-to-the-public lecture by Allsbrook on “Christianity and Creativity in Art.”

The lecture, to be held May 30 at the Fellowship Hall of First Baptist Church, will offer images of Allsbrook’s paintings while he talks about the making of art as it relates to Christianity. Allsbrook, who lives in Asheville and whose father grew up in Clayton, will discuss how faith has been vital in his creative process, and how it has provided security amid the uncertainties of a career in painting. Much of the content of Allsbrook’s paintings is driven by Christianity
He also will conduct a “plein air” session on painting oil landscapes on May 31.
Four other area artists will teach workshops from February to June. The first will be by Marcelle Hooks of Raleigh, “Vibrant Florals in Oils,” Feb. 29-March 1. She will be followed by Janie Prete of Clayton, “Playing with Creativity,” April 12; Dan Lee of Four Oaks, “Figurative Painting in Charcoal,” May 3; and Annette Libby of Smithfield, “Making Your Own Clay Tiles,” June 14 and 21.

Clayton Visual Arts, which is funded in part by the Town of Clayton Cultural Arts Fund,offers these workshops at greatly reduced rates to encourage participation of area artists who wish to improve their skills and expand their knowledge.

Larry Strevig, chair of CVA, said the workshop fees are about $100 lower than fees for similar workshops in the area. Fees range from $30 to $70 for the CVA workshops, which will be held at The Clayton Center. “We pay the artists and provide the classroom space, so that the cost to students is minimal,” he said. “These are high-quality workshops, with experienced art teachers, offering a great opportunity for local art students – especially the opportunity to study with Luke Allsbrook.”

Allsbrook, whose grandfather was superintendent of the N.C. State University Agricultural Research Farm for years, had an art exhibit at The Clayton Center in 2006.
He received a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Painting from Indiana University (Bloomington) and a Master of Fine Arts (cum laude) from The New York Academy of Art. His work has been exhibited in galleries and museums throughout the U.S. and is included in the Forbes collection, the U.S. State Department collection, and in the collection of His Royal Highness, Charles, the Prince of Wales. Allsbrook served as official tour artist for the Prince on his 2005 state tour of the United States. He has taught drawing and painting at the New York Academy of Art, The Lyme Academy of Art, William Paterson University, UNC-Asheville, and in Italy with the University of Georgia-Cortona Program.
Workshop brochures with registration forms are available at www.johnstoncountyarts.org, from Strevig at 550-8934, from The Coffee Mill on Lombard Street and from artist Gail O’Neil’s Gallery on Main Street.

Deadline for enrolling in the first two workshops – Hooks on Feb. 29-March 1, and Prete on April 12 – is Feb. 25. Deadline for all others is March 30. Class sizes are limited, so register early.