the 16 Patton Show in Asheville

Patron checking out Forgotten Dreams

This past Saturday evening we attended the opening night reception for Karen's group show at the 16 Patton Gallery in Asheville, NC. Her work was presented along with that of Karin Jurick and Suzy Schultz. We headed up mid-morning which, entirely by chance, coincided with the departure of Karin Jurick, and we wound up playing an impromptu game of tag as we passed each other periodically on the drive up.

Standing by Stand Off

The weather was absolutely perfect that day, and the city was saturated with tourists. We were all staying in the Haywood Park Hotel in the center of town, and arrived there simultaneously. Our room wasn't quite ready, so we dumped our bags in Karin's room, and headed out to find a place for lunch. Our first two choices had long waits, which was fortuitous because we discovered a wonderful mediterranean restaurant called Jerusalem Garden Cafe. We lingered there as long as we could, but the show was to begin at 5 pm, and we needed to return to the hotel and prepare for the show.

Karen talking with Douglas Hoover

Receptions usually take a little while to heat up, and there were only a few visitors present when we arrived. One of the first people to walk in was Douglas Hoover, an artist and graphic designer from North Carolina. Doug was a really nice guy, and we all had great time talking with him. As the evening progressed the gallery began to fill, and soon it was buzzing. Suzy was in Los Angeles, but the two Kare(i)n's were busy most of the night discussing their work with enthusiastic patrons, while I recorded the event on film.

Gallery goer admiring a portion of Karin Jurick's wall

Early the next morning we shared a wonderful breakfast with Karin at Restaurant Solace, then packed up and headed back to Atlanta. The weather was great, the mountains were beautiful and we had a collection of Richard Matheson short stories playing on the iPod. It made for a delightful ride home.