You're invited to a retrospective of work by Western North
Carolina landscape artist Richard Baker on Friday and Saturday,
August 8th and 9th, at Folkmoot Studios
Colors of the Blue Ridge | The Mountainscapes of Richard Baker
Let's join together to honor Richard's
devotion to capturing the beauty of the southern Appalachian
mountains, fields, rivers, and waterfalls
Join friends, family, patrons and fellow artists on
Friday, August 8th, and Saturday, August 9th, for an exhibition of artist Richard Baker’s landscapes
in oil created over a lifetime. A display in SOAR Academy’s cafeteria, adjacent to the Folkmoot
Studios and just down the hall from Richard's working studio, will be open from 10:00AM to 5:00PM
both days. Volunteers will be on hand for sales and questions about Baker’s work. Richard's
studio, Room A-4, will also be open during the event, with more of his work on display. A
closing reception with light refreshments, music, and a chance to talk to Baker about his work
will be held on August 9 from 5:00PM to 7:00PM.
Richard is the featured artist during August at Twigs and Leaves Gallery.
It’s an honor to showcase artwork that so intimately reflects the landscape just beyond our doors.
A demonstration by Richard will be held at the gallery on
Friday, August 1, from 6:00PM to 9:00PM during Art After Dark.
A Tennessee native and full-time artist, Baker has devoted the last 15 years to his passion:
exploring and studying the Blue Ridge Mountains, and capturing on canvas the magnificent
views he discovers. In prior decades, he painted in Tampa, Florida, where he worked as
curator of mammals at Busch Gardens. In Florida he always looked forward to
returning back home to WNC and Haywood County for fly fishing and cycling trips.
Baker has painted in studios in Tryon, Saluda, Asheville, and Waynesville.
“My mother gave me toxic chemicals (paints) at age three and I’ve been painting ever since,”
says Baker. “I’m the happiest when I’m painting these mountains. There’s something about
standing in these mountains and painting these vistas that touches me. Hopefully, my paintings
touch others in the same way.”
A prolific artist, Baker paints in his studio and in plein air outings with the Smoky Mountain
Plein Air Painters, a group he established in 2018. The exhibition will include more than 200
paintings. Some of his favorite scenes to paint include the West Fork of the Pigeon River;
Woolyback, Double Top and Roy Taylor overlooks, all views from the Blue Ridge Parkway;
Heintooga Ridge; Lake Junaluska, and Eaglenest Mountain as viewed from the back porch of his
home in Waynesville.
Regular hours for Baker’s studio are by chance or by appointment. Contact him at
richardbakersstudio@gmail.com or 828-234-1616. Folkmoot is located at 112 Virginia Avenue,
and Twigs & Leaves Gallery is located at 98 North Main Street, both in Waynesville, North Carolina.
