HIKE
Opening Reception: December 8th 6 to 9 PM
Exhibit Duration: December 8 to January 3, 2024
Trails & Scenic Places
Take an artistic journey with Wil as he hikes and sketches the scenery of North Carolina. The month-long exhibit at the Charlotte Art League Gallery features watercolor paintings and drawing in graphite and colored pencils. The exhibit will feature scenery in the North Carolina and north Georgia mountains:
- Carolina Thread Trail
- Mountain to Sea Trail
- Blue Ridge Parkway
- Sugar Creek Greenway
- Crowders Mountain
- Grandfather Mountain
- Mt. Yonah, Georgia Elkin & Waynesville,
- NC Great Smokey Mountain National Park Blowing Rock, NC
- Doughton State Park
- Thistle Meadow Winery
- Grassy Creek Winery
- The Sautee Inn
- Hardman State Park, GA
- Ribbonwalk
Wil combines his love for hiking with his passion for art, both of which he has nurtured throughout his life. His first experience hiking the NC mountains was on a family trip to Mt. LeConte. As a middle schooler, he was thrilled by encounters with bears and wild horses and the sudden storm at the top. His parents were not as thrilled, and to this day, have not returned. Growing up, as a Scout, he hiked trails in North Carolina, North Georgia, and Florida on his way to becoming an Eagle Scout and later, a Scoutmaster, leading his son’s troop.
Wil’s father particularly liked hiking Grandfather Mountain. “One of the best hikes in North Carolina is the Grandfather Mountain profile trail. Its challenging and loads of fun,” says Wil. Unlike Mt. LeConte, he and his father returned to hike Grandfather Mountain several more times.
Similarly, as an art major and Army ROTC cadet at University of Georgia, Wil hiked and rappelled Mt. Yonah in the north Georgia Mountains. He recently had the opportunity to return to Mt. Yonah for hiking and sketching this time.
He hikes solo, with his wife, his son, friends, or with a Scout troop. Wil is often inspired to sketch on site as he hikes. He may finish drawing on location while munching on a granola bar; or he may return to his studio for the final touches. Certain sketches go on to become one of serve as a basis for his larger Climate Conversation drawings, which are large scale true studies in pencil.
The exhibit features over 50 drawings and paintings both framed and unframed.
