St. Claire Art Studio & Gallery — Attraction in Asheville

I was in Asheville on a short visit with my parents. On one of these days, we decided to check-out the art 'area'.

As I was meandering through the labyrinth that is the River Arts District, I came across a lot of what you'd expect to be there: tons of abstraction, tons of tea cups & the like. Stereotypically, this average polyglot-which, for some reason, many are in love with-was plainly said: a bore...

How lucky was I that my mode of blindly navigating the many paths led me to Stephen's studio.

I vividly remember the first piece I saw: it was a landscape-full of trees. And, yes I've seen other tree-landscapes, but this one was something much different. The light reflected from an amazing glaze finish, but there was also an inner-light emanating from what was the vanishing-point of the piece: simply breathtaking!

After perusing the other great works towards the rear of the studio, I noticed that my mother had struck up a conversation with the 'working' artist. Yes, he was in the midst of applying a modeling compound to an actual piece.

I approached apprehensively, as I am not one to normally engage into this type of situation.

Amazing fact #2: Stephen is one of the warmest-nicest guys I've met, and I was only in the studio for a mere 45 mins. He was more-than-willing to share insights as to his process, and other similar inquiries-really open&cool guy!!!

AND, what might be Stephen's 2nd-best quality (#1: the art (it's really a tie)) is he really cares about anyone and everyone who has the chance to explore his working-studio!

Following my visit, I randomly emailed Stephen with a question on glazing, and he RESPONDED!!!!

This is a rarified human-being: a master of his craft, and a lover of others.

I know this is a long "review," but I thought it necessary to opine.

Please, follow, subscribe-to, purchase, or just take in the amazing pieces he is...

We drove to Asheville specifically to visit St. Claire Art, though we also intended to browse several of the River Arts District galleries. We had seen photographs of Stephen St. Claire's paintings, and we were attracted to what we could see in those photos.

The actual paintings were far more engaging than the photographic representations. Stephen combines a cultivated talent for "seeing" his subjects with a highly unusual technique that adds color, depth, and a fresh perspective to scenes that would otherwise be the subject of conventional representational painting. Even though we had already consumed our normal annual budget for art, we happily purchased one of his brilliantly expressed landscapes.

Several months have passed since the purchase and everyday we are delighted with the painting. It adds vivacity, color, and a "bridge" among our electic collection of oils, acrylics, and watercolors that included impressionism, neoimpressionism, abstract, and expressionist works.

As if the art were not enough, Stephen and Joy are personable, friendly, and helpful. Meeting them was...

Stephen's art is incredible. Viewed online, his work is beautiful, but in person, each work just glows with life and light, movement and/or living stillness. I grew up in the mountains, so I'm particularly in love with his collection of mountain pieces. These works capture a wide spectrum of mood and scenery in a way that transports the viewer to the scenes themselves. And to top it all, he is a laid-back, friendly guy, a great listener, and so easy...