Rail Walk Studios & Gallery is welcoming two new artists, Keyth Kahrs and Julie Pontell, with a festive reception.
The reception will showcase the Small Works Exhibit featuring art by eight Rail Walk artists.
The artists have selected small pieces which are suitable for gift giving.
The meet and greet reception will be held from 1 to 4 p.m. Saturday. Light refreshments will be served.
The reception is free and open to the public. There will be some musical interludes with harmonica tunes played by Kahrs.
Kahrs and Pontell have both come to Salisbury from other states.
Kahrs is from Paducah, Ky., where he owned and operated Leaping Trout Studio for nine years.
He is a representational painter who works in acrylics and watercolor primarily of landscapes.
It is dramatic, sharp-edged with attention to highlights and shadows: this is consistent with his graphic arts background.
After working for years in the graphic arts and multi-media industries, Kahrs moved to Kentucky to pursue his passion for fine arts.
He is excited to begin anew here in Salisbury and will be focusing on North Carolina landscapes throughout the state.
Pontell comes to Salisbury from southeast Wisconsin where she has worked in mixed media assemblage.
When asked what brought her to Rail Walk Studios & Gallery, she described it as a chance meeting.
“I was going to look for a storefront space and I found a gallery with studio,” she said. “It was a pleasant surprise to be able to work along-side other artists.”
Pontell had been card-making for 13 years when she attended a class in mixed-media and immediately knew she wanted to pursue that medium. Her studio is already cheerfully displayed with charming pieces of her art.
The Small Works Exhibit will be on display in the front galleries of Rail Walk through Dec. 21. It is open to the public from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Thursdays through Saturdays.
After Christmas and the month of January the gallery will operate on a “by-appointment” basis while the gallery is being painted and refreshed.
Rail Walk Studios & Gallery is located at 409-413 N. Lee St. More information can be found at railwalkgallery.com or by calling 704-431-8964.