By Marietta Smith

 for Rail Walk Studios & Gallery

Rail Walk Studios & Gallery is introducing art by its newest and youngest artist, Ashley Hinceman.

The show will be on view July 23 – Aug. 29, with an opening reception Sunday July 26, from 3-6 p.m. The exhibit and reception are free and open to the public.

The exhibit, entitled “look,” promises to be original, intriguing and even delicious. Subject matter of the show includes larger than life apple pie, bundt cake and lemon meringue pie painted on cut-out wood panels along with figurative works and imaginative compositions. There will most likely be some pie at the opening reception. The artist will be painting one of her large works directly onto the wall of the gallery as she has done in her Rail Walk studio.

Hinceman attended the University of North Carolina at Asheville where she received a BFA in printmaking and art history. She says of her art,

“Coffee, baking, and an everlasting itch for adventure fan my creative embers. The materials I use allow for direct contact to the surface giving me a linear advantage, symbolizing the aggressive nature of my personality and past. The figure is a catalyst for exploring the depths of my internal struggles marked by different elements of my southern rural identity. Obsessive mark making that dominates the figure echoes movement and builds tension, mimicking an unsettled chaos from within. The compositions I create not only celebrate my ideas but also act as a shrine where I confront, tame and house challenges in my own life. I am a painter, drawer, printmaker and writer currently residing in Salisbury with my family where I continue to draw and bake until life’s next set of excursions presents itself.”

Hinceman began working in her studio at Rail Walk in March of this year. She joins seven other artists who work individually in their studios and come together to present events and art exhibits in the shared large galleries in the open front section of the 6,000 square foot converted warehouse building on North Lee Street.

Parking and admission are free. The artists take turns greeting guests and enjoy answering questions about their art and art process. Several of the artists teach small classes and private lessons.

For more information visit www.railwalkgallery.com or call 704-431-8964.

Regular public hours are Thursday-Saturday 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Rail Walk Studios & Gallery is located at 409 N Lee St.