Submitted by Melissa Howsam — Correspondent
LOCAL COLOR GALLERY: "Encaustic & Glass," 6 to 9 p.m. Runs until Oct. 27.
Featuring “Encaustic” by Adrien Montoya and “Stained Glass” by Lizzie Bailey—come join us at Local Color Gallery to see the uniqueness of art in wax and glass. Meet the artists at First Friday's Gallery Walk on Glenwood.
— Adrien Montoya, manager, Local Color Gallery
ISAAC HUNTER’S OAK CITY TAVERN: First Friday with Miriam Montes, 7:30 to 9 p.m. Runs until the end of October.
Come celebrate First Friday with LIVE music, great drinks and light appetizers, while looking at original artwork by local artist Miriam Montes. Refreshingly gothic, these pieces illustrate Montes’ dreams and vision—a literal and figurative balance between light and dark.
— Ashleigh Davis, director of marketing and special events, Isaac Hunter’s Oak City Tavern
BLAKE STREET STUDIOS: "Feast Your Eyes," 6 to 10 p.m. Runs until Oct. 20.
Including new works by Jacob Dinner, the deeply introspective pieces of Dorothy Finiello, bold paintings by Keith McLaurin and delicate prints by Jamailia Pascall—all of these artists have a very fresh voice and are creating art out of deeply personal places.
— Jenn Hales, gallery manager, Blake Street Studios
TIPPING PAINT GALLERY: “Close to Heart and Home,” 6 to 9 p.m. Runs until Oct. 27.
“Close to Heart and Home” is an exploration of the places and things Linda Eddins loves best. From the wooden boats and marshlands of Harkers Island to colorful mountain overlooks, she captures the beauty that this state is known for.
Choosing the medium that best suits the mood and the subject, Eddins works in oil, acrylic, pastel and watercolor. Her confident use of light and space, bright colors, and clean composition captures the critical moment: pale morning light rising behind a sleepy harbor, vibrant yellows framing a wading heron. Eddins’ paintings take us on a journey across North Carolina.
— Susan Jones, gallery co-owner/artist, Tipping Paint Gallery
CIRQUE DE VOL STUDIOS: Cirque De Vol Art Gallery Opening and Community Dance Jam, 6 to 10 p.m. Runs until the end of October.
Ditch the gym! Join the circus! Join us at Cirque De Vol for our very first First Friday event, featuring the works of Shelley DeBlase and Jennifer Ambrose. Enjoy a cold beverage while warming up your dancing shoes with DJ Rio.
— Melinda Stike, artist representative, editor of “AU COURANT” magazine
BUSY BEE CAFE: "Blast of Energy," 6 to 10 p.m. Runs until the end of October.
Join us at the Busy Bee Cafe to celebrate the work of Tunisian-born artist Marwen El Hicheri. On display will be his brand-new series titled "Blast of Energy."
— Melinda Stike, artist representative, editor of “AU COURANT” magazine
NICOLE’S STUDIO AND ART GALLERY: "Contemporary Expressions," featuring Lisa Stroud and Catherine Martin, 6 to 8:30 p.m. Runs until Oct. 22.
Lisa Stroud's large mixed-media abstracts range from dramatic marks on canvas that evoke chaos, to subdued tones that evoke calm. Cathy Martin uses the acrylic medium to create dramatic expressionism with vivid color and bold brushstrokes, often pushing classical subjects towards the abstract.
Both Stroud's abstract mixed-media and Martin's expressionistic realism are examples of creative excellence in their respective genres.
— Nicole Kennedy, owner, Nicole’s Studio and Art Gallery
DESIGNBOX: "The Blue Hour" by Alberto Ortega Rodas, 6 to 10 p.m. Runs until Oct. 26.
“The Blue Hour” will present a set of paintings by Alberto Ortega Rodas that depicts luminous scenes of Raleigh at twilight and at night. The scenes evoke mysterious psychological narratives in which human presence is suggested but not revealed. Though executed in a realist style, these paintings are not mere descriptions of places. They expose a retrospective of the overlooked or forgotten stories behind what we’ve seen a thousand times.
Since moving here in 2008, I have spent the past four years getting to know (or perhaps, ‘trying to understand’) the Raleigh that lives and breathes underneath the landmarks and other popular representations. After several failed attempts, I began painting scenes of the city at dusk and into the night, realizing that the ghostly stillness of those images holds a very dense narrative content.
— Alberto Ortega Rodas, artist, designbox
THE MORNING TIMES: "Transient Imprint" by Kelsey Melville, 6 to 11 p.m. Runs until the end of October.
The show is about transitions through time and the span of life — from birth to death, as we age, grow and change, and the feelings of uncertainties and possibility throughout this process. This series also touches upon the connections and relationships we make throughout life, between parent and child, human and animal, and the past and present.
— Kelsey Melville, artist, The Morning Times
CONTEMPORARY ART MUSEUM: Student docents in GirlTalk exhibition, 6 to 8:30 p.m.; Creation Station, 6 to 9 p.m.; Carolina Ballet performances, 7:30 and 8:15 p.m.
CAM Raleigh's October First Friday program includes after-hours access to the galleries; student docents sharing their unique perspective of GirlTalk: Women and Text; a hands-on activity at the creation station; and music, food trucks and a cash bar. CAM Raleigh is also proud to host Carolina Ballet for a pop-up performance of “Meditations from Thais” from the famous opera of Jules Massenet during the October First Friday. This piece is choreographed by Carolina Ballet Artistic Director Robert Weiss and performed by Lara O'Brien and Marcelo Martinez. Carolina Ballet will perform the six-minute piece at 7:30 and 8:15 p.m.
— Elysia Borowy-Reeder, executive director, CAM Raleigh
Note: The Museum is open until 10 p.m. First Friday admission $5, and free to members, 10-and-unders, and NC State College of Design students, faculty and staff.
LITMUS GALLERY & STUDIOS: Photos by Rob Randall, 6 to 9 p.m. Runs until Oct. 26.
Rob Randall ramps up his photos with cutting-edge insights into human nature. In this one-of-a-kind exhibit, he explores the quirks and fetishes that are lurking in the real world and provides a visual delight for the viewer.
— Jim Fatata, director, Litmus Gallery & Studios
GALLERY C: "Paintings by George Bireline" and “A Poet’s View,” 6 to 9 p.m. George Bireline paintings run until Oct. 14.
Our show “Paintings by George Bireline” continues through Oct. 14. We will also be introducing work by our fresh new artist, Cindy Wagner, a plein-air landscape painter. This group of works is titled “A Poet’s View” and is inspired by Connemara, the home of poet Carl Sandburg in Flat Rock, N.C.
— Sharon Bell Glazener, art and framing associate, Gallery C
ADAM CAVE FINE ART: "Signs of Rebellion: New Paintings by Ed Trask," 6 to 9 p.m. Runs until Nov. 6.
As business signs age and building facades decay, what once were symbols of prosperity have come to mean different things to each of us. For Trask, these subjects are a new kind of monument, full of undeniable style and significance. His deeply saturated paintings breath life and energy into scenes we tend to overlook, tear down and build over.
— Adam Cave, gallery owner, Adam Cave Fine Art
BLOCK GALLERY: "Curio.” Normal First Friday hours, 8:30 a.m. to 5:15 p.m. The opening reception is precedes FF on Thursday from 5 to 7 p.m. Runs until Nov. 13.
Join us for the opening of “Curio” on Oct. 4, 5 to 7 p.m. at Block Gallery. Music will be provided by Tuff Love in Dub. “Curio” is an exploration of the fantastical through abstracted narrative, inventive characters, interior emotions and archetypal imagery. On display will be paintings by Chance Murray, Christina Preher and Ellie Reinhold, and glass work by Lucartha Kohler. Block2 Video Series, curated by Neill Prewitt, will air “The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse” by Marc Russo, a dynamic animation that explores our relationship with nature—one where our battle for control is ultimately futile and has far-reaching and potentially harmful repercussions.
— Hannah Costner, gallery coordinator, Block Gallery
NATURE ART GALLERY: "The Road Not Taken," an exhibit of paintings by N.C. artist Ruth Ava Lyons, 6:30 to 9 p.m. Runs until Oct. 28.
My work has sometimes been described as spiritual, but my desire is to communicate a sense of mystery and meaning that surrounds issues of loss, beauty, decay and redemption in our tenuous relationship with nature. I intuitively gather, distill and layer organic imagery recreating fusion landscape, suggesting a transformative state of birth, growth, degeneration and renewal.
— Ruth Ava Lyons, artist, Nature Art Gallery
SOLAS: Greg Gelb Jazz Trio Live on the Patio at Solas, 7 to 10 p.m.
The Gregg Gelb Jazz Trio brings their unique jazz sound to the Mediterranean-style front patio at Solas. Guests will be treated to a variety of jazz standards while enjoying a tasty First Friday menu, craft beers and cocktails.
— Eamonn O’Mahoney, restaurant manager, Solas
ORNAMENTEA: Handmade Holiday Party, 6 to 8 p.m.
We kick off the season with a trunk show of handmade beads and pendants by Elaine Ray, a Cary-based ceramic artist whose work we feature in the store. Ray’s work appears in magazines and is used by designers around the world. Her beads feature unusual shapes and glazes and are all handmade here in the Triangle.
At our Handmade Holiday party, we'll have a free make-n-take project from 6 to 8 p.m. This jewelry project is beginner-friendly and our staff is on hand to help folks make something beautiful. We'll also be showing off classes and kits to help newbie crafters make their own gifts this year. The night is full of fun, creativity, delicious locally made foods and drinks, and even (maybe) a Santa or two. Local crafters get into the spirit early; last year we had a dozen young ladies show up in glittery 'ugly' Christmas sweaters!
— Cynthia Deis, owner, Ornamentea
ARTSPACE: Open 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. First Friday reception kicks off at 6 p.m. Includes four main events:
Gallery One: “Traces” by Frank Poor. Runs until Nov. 10.
Traces presents three-dimensional basswood sculptures by Frank Poor. Poor uses the language of Southern vernacular architecture through both form and photographic imagery to explore memory and loss.
Gallery Two: “Underwater: Interpreting the Foreclosure Crisis” by Joelle Dietrick & David H. Wells. Runs until Oct. 27.
“Underwater: Interpreting the Foreclosure Crisis” features the works of Joelle Dietrick and David H. Wells. Dietrick’s two-dimensional works and projected animation and Wells’ photographs and audio collage present two different perspectives on the same theme, namely, the housing crisis. Dietrick’s works feature recognizable architectural forms frozen in various states of explosion in a literal depiction of the housing burst. Wells takes more of a documentary approach in his examination of the foreclosure crisis with a wide array of scenes he encountered from emptied homes, to the abundance of discarded objects depicting the urgent nature, at times, of such unwelcome upheavals.
Upfront Gallery: “You Are Everyone” by Casey Porn. Runs until Oct. 27.
After 14 years, artist Casey Porn said goodbye to a tiny animal with a huge spirit. Porn notes that she “still sees her face in everything. This exhibition is a tribute to my companion and muse, Breenle T. Horse (10/19/1997 - 04/02/2012).”
Porn is a self-proclaimed “small-dog enthusiast.” Her interests include, but are not limited to: the secret lives of animals, chihuahua culture, big-eyed figurines, baby animals, saggy nipples, space travel and coffee. These things may or may not influence her work.
Lobby: “Because We Can’t Go Back in Time” by Luke Miller Buchanan. Runs until Oct. 27.
In this series of paintings, Luke Miller Buchanan has continued his exploration of forgotten and abandoned spaces in an effort to further understand the link between shared spaces, shared memories and the individual.
— Mary Poole, executive director, Artspace
