An upcoming exhibit, “Art Through the Lenses of Time and Nature,” featuring Kitty Ray Brown and Patty Young, will be featured in the Apple Gallery, according to a release from the Stokes County Arts Council.
A virtual opening will be held on Friday, Nov. 13, at 5:30 p.m. on the Stokes Arts Facebook page, live from the Apple Gallery. You may visit the exhibit other times at the 500 N. Main Street, Danbury, N.C.
Brown is a local archival photographer and an oil painter. Her exhibit features Impressionist Landscape Paintings, Oils and Archival Photography.
She worked in the Art Department at Pembroke University, which originally sparked her interest, and spent decades designing fine jewelry using precious stones and metals. After retirement, she became a professional photographer, taught by Jesse Moore. More recently, Brown has studied Impressionist Landscape Art under Craig Richards, and has even tried her hand at painting on rocks.
Brown has won several awards, from contests in North Carolina and Virginia, and had her flower photographs made into woven tapestries for hotels and resorts around the world. She manages the Stokes Future Farmers’ Market at Hanging Rock.
“I have owned and used a camera since my early teens. I carry it constantly and make pictures every day. Now that I create Impressionist Landscape Paintings, I use my photographs as inspiration,” said Brown.
“A cup of coffee and a camera – the two things I need to start my day,” said Young, who has been taking photographs since middle school, but recently has worked on improving her skills since retirement from the computer industry in 2019.
Young grew up in Garner, N.C. and attended both UNC Chapel Hill and North Carolina State University. Most of her career was spent working for Dell as both a Senior Systems Engineer and an Enterprise Technologist, during which time she traveled nationally and internationally.
Young studied under two local artists, Brown and Jesse H. Moore VII. She is inspired by flowers, birds, butterflies, deer, and turkeys seen on her property.
“I love being outside enjoying nature. I often feel my heart beat a little faster when I see a butterfly land in a perfect light, a doe and fawn outside my kitchen window, or a bluebird flying back with nesting material. Sometimes you just know when you have gotten a great shot as soon as you hear the shutter click,” Young said.
The exhibit runs through Nov. 30 in the Apple Gallery. The Stokes County Arts Council is open Monday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sunday 1 to 5 p.m. For additional information, contact the council at (336) 593-8159 or visit www.stokesarts.org.
