The Glencoe Mansion, Museum & Gallery has announced the opening of its newest gallery show, featuring the works of Karen Sewell.
The Gallery will celebrate the opening with a reception for Karen Sewell on Tuesday, Nov. 14, from 5-7 p.m. All are welcome to attend the art opening, and there is no admission charge. Sewell’s works will be on display through the end of January 2018.
Karen Phillips Sewell was raised in Floyd, Virginia, surrounded by the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains. She has had a passion to create all her life. The natural beauty of the region provided ample material for her early artistic works as she filled her sketchbooks with images of animals and nature.
Sewell also loved to listen to her elders relate the stories of their childhoods and a past long gone. Over time, the beauty of her surroundings and the stories of old-time traditions have greatly influenced her artwork.
According to Sewell her work reflects her life, her values and is her passion. Inspiration comes from observing the small vignettes of everyday life. These stories are nostalgic reminders of where we come from and hints of where we are going. Karen Sewell is a founding member of the Floyd Artists Association LLC and instructs students in pastels, oils, and color theory.
“I have diligently developed my own style of painting, which I feel is still evolving and growing. As I have grown artistically through the years, my goal is now to convey the feeling of what I paint to the viewer,” Sewell said. “If I paint a tree, my hope is that the viewer will feel the roughness, sense the wind and movement within the scene. I often incorporate some of the Blue Ridge tradition and culture into my work.”
The Glencoe Mansion is the historic home of General Gabriel C. Wharton and his wife Nannie Radford Wharton, individuals who helped develop Southwest Virginia in the post-Civil War period. The site is three museums in one: House Museum, History Exhibits and Art Gallery and also includes the Radford Visitor’s Center.
For more information about the museum, visit www.glencoemuseum.org.