The Stokes County Arts Council announced an exhibit of original art by Timothy Porter will be in the Apple Gallery through October 31. An in-person opening will be held on Friday, September 24, from 5:30 to 7 p.m. in the Apple Gallery of the Stokes County Arts Council 500 Main Street Danbury, N.C.
Growing up in beautiful Stokes County, N.C., Porter has been focusing on his art for more than 30 years. While being naturally artistically talented at an early age, he officially began his artistic education at South Stokes High School under the direction of Ann Meadows. Following graduation from South Stokes, Timothy continued to hone his skills by completing a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree at the prestigious Atlanta College of Art, which has since merged with Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD). There, he absorbed the acute attention to detail associated with sculpture, ceramics, painting, photography, and digital arts.
Fast forward to the present, and Porter is recognized throughout North Carolina and the Southeast as an exceptionally talented artist in several different art forms, including ceramics and painting.
“For the past few years, I have increasingly focused my artistic efforts on mastering the skills needed to become a master watercolor painter,” Porter said. “One of the beauties of watercolor painting is that sometimes you get pleasant surprises and there are other times not so pleasant, but I have learned that before you touch the paper with any paint, you must give it a lot of thought and you must always think about every color that you are about to use.”
His watercolors are uniquely realistic, giving the viewer the feeling that “you’ve been there as a child.” He does this by using bright colors to catch the viewer’s eye, from vivid foliage and floral, mountain scenes and farm scenes. He creates rich earth toned abstracts with a blending effect with his watercolors and the paper, allowing the watercolor paint and paper to really do what they were meant to do.
Porter’s artistic journey now continues through experimentation and self-teaching. His work has been exhibited in local and regional shows and galleries where he has won numerous awards. He has also organized one-day watercolor workshops at this home studio, and likes to alternate between painting and ceramics throughout the seasons. Visit Porter’s website www.tlpfireart.com to view more of his work.
The Stokes County Arts Council is open to the public Monday through Friday, 9 a.m.-6 p.m., Saturday, 10 a.m.-6 p.m. and Sunday 1-6 p.m. For additional information about the exhibit, contact the Stokes County Arts Council at (336) 593-8159 or visit www.stokesarts.org.