The Union County Arts Council will open the new show, “A Celebration of Watercolor; Original Works by J. Ashley Kirby” with an opening reception Sunday, August 19 from 2-4 p.m. at the UCAC Gallery on Main Street in Union. The show will run through Sept. 22.
“We’re calling the reception ‘Iced Tea With Ashley’ and it will be a nice way to spend Sunday afternoon with a little tea and dessert,” said UCAC Coordinator Jackie Senn.
Kirby, whose father was an artist and travelling salesman and left his paints where his son could always get to them, began his formal art education studying with Heinrich Kreutzfeldt, a well-known German artist. While in Germany, he taught children’s art classes, photography classes and designed and built sets for a theater group at the U.S. Air Force base in Sembach.
After spending time in France, Greece and Teheran, Iran; he was forced to return to the United States when the six-day Arab-Israeli War erupted in 1967.
“After I moved back to Greenville (SC) all of my father’s art ‘stuff’ was passed on to me,” said Kirby. “I attended a watercolor class at Furman University and took workshops with several professionals including Carl Blair, Jeanette Dreskin, Sterling Edwards and Mary Whyte. Then, my art found a new beginning in watercolors.”
Kirby, the juror for UCAC’s 2012 Juried Art Show, will be giving demonstrations at the reception showing some of his watercolor techniques. He is also teaching a two-day watercolor workshop at UCAC September 21-22.
For more information about the reception, or to sign up for the workshop, call 864-429-2817 or email ucac@bellsouth.net.
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