Art
Connie McNees
Connie McNees was born and raised in a cradle of art in North Carolina, between the campus of the world famous Black Mountain School of Art and Asheville, know as the ‘Paris of the South’. From childhood, Connie was an artist. As a teenager, she attended the Plonk School of Creative Arts, and later, the Charlotte College of Design, the University of North Carolina Asheville, the Memphis Academy, and Tulane University in New Orleans. After a decade as Chief Designer and Art Director for Reynolds International in NY City. She settling back in Asheville, where she open McNees Graphics Inc. and became an award-winning designer. She later began exhibiting her art and co founded The League of Carolina with Ben Long.
Bob Travers
A Master of detail, Travers endeavors to create the illusion of absolute realism. Creating a very detailed pencil sketch enables him to work out potential design problems before laying in the paint. Working one on one with the animals he paints, he can often be found in enclosures with such predators as wolves and cougar. This along with his photographing, video taping and life studies gives the artist a sense of perspective and understanding of the various movements and moods of his subjects. Travers painting is a building process, working layer over layer of paint to create a sense of depth and realism he is most noted for. As a rule, he does not paint in the animal until the surrounding environment is nearly complete. “ A successful painting depends on its believability to act as a whole, as if one were viewing a moment in time. It should tell a story and draw the viewer into that moment as though they are experiencing it first hand.”From his studio nestled in the heart of the Blue Ridge Mountains , award winning landscape and wildlife artist Bob Travers brings to life images of our breathtaking mountain scenery and the wildlife that surround us.
Marilyn Place
Art has been a part of Marilyn’s life as long as she can remember. Experimenting with many forms of art making, she describes herself as “loving the creative process from the first spark of an idea to the completed project.” Oil painting is her favorite form of expression and she has studied with nationally recognized artists to hone her skills. An award winning artist, Marilyn is inspired by the beauty of Western North Carolina and is intrigued with the idea “that we are all connected, that we are a part of and not separate from all things.“
