Editor’s note: This is part of “Four of a Kind,” a recurring Arts & Culture feature. Each month, four new artists share their takes on the local art scene. In addition to individual online posts, you can find all four features as a single spread in this week’s print edition.
Denise Markbreit is an Asheville-based printmaker and mixed-media artist.
Xpress: Is there an upcoming printmaking event happening in Asheville that you’re looking forward to seeing?
Markbreit: At Asheville Print Studio + Gallery, I am looking forward to the show Urban Horizons. This show will have six participants, and all work will reflect the mostly urban environment and spaces we as humans inhabit, build, destroy and reclaim. All the work is analog printmaking in some form, ranging from etching, screen printing, lino block and woodblock, mono print, mixed media and sculpture. The artist reception will be on Saturday, Jan. 13, 3-6 p.m. The show will be up through the end of February. Our winter gallery hours to see the exhibition are Thursday-Saturday, 10 a.m.-4:30 p.m., or by appointment.
Outside of printmaking, what other upcoming local arts happening intrigues you?
The art event I’m most looking forward to seeing this winter is American Art in the Atomic Age at the Asheville Art Museum. It showcases art made between 1940-60. This era is of special interest to me. I am very drawn to the midcentury design aesthetic, art, furniture, architecture, etc. While at the museum, I am also looking forward to seeing the current Romare Bearden exhibit of his wonderful prints. His spirit of experimentation has always inspired me.
What current project are you working on that you’re especially excited about?
The work I created for the Urban Horizons show is especially exciting for me. As the founder of Asheville Print Studio + Gallery, I don’t get a lot of creative time to work solely on personal projects. A lot of my time is spent with administrative tasks, teaching, curating and representing over 40 printmakers.
To have time and space to create this new body of work has been a blessing. I’ve combined printmaking with my love of sculptural forms. The resulting work reflects the gritty urban environment that is the River Arts District or any of the spaces that are on the edges of cities that were once manufacturing hubs.
