FLOW

Mark Bettis Gallery announces a new art show featuring Asheville artist David Sheldon, beginning September 14th, 2024, at Bettis’ River Arts District Asheville gallery. This showcase, titled “FLOW”, speaks to the human desire for life itself to unfold with a consistent, yet dynamic range of unfolding events.

“FLOW”, exhibition will run from Sept 14th, 2024, through Sept 28th, 2024 at the Mark Bettis River Arts District Gallery located at 123 Roberts St. Asheville, NC. The gallery is hosting an opening night reception on Saturday, September 14th from 5:30 to 7:30 pm. The reception is free and open to the public; refreshments will be served. All works will be available for purchase.

David Sheldon explains, “Flow” is defined as a ‘steady, continuous stream’. Whether it’s the languorous meanderings of a lazy river, or the pulsing, thunderous cascade of a mountain waterfall, there’s an allure to the idea of ‘steady stream’. As a metaphor, it speaks to the human desire for life itself to unfold with a consistent, yet dynamic range of unfolding events. Yet, life as we all know, is anything but predictable. The one constant, as they say, is change. Flow, when it occurs as a welcome, steady stream of good fortune and well-being does wonders for the human psyche. Artist, David Sheldon sees the artistic, creative process in that light. The flow in the process of painting and sculpture, whether it’s incorporated into the depiction of a beautiful, meandering river, or the weaving of disparate elements in an abstract sculpture, can be a ‘means to an end’ allowing the artist to experience and express a full range of ideas and emotions. One aspect of the creative process is ‘removing oneself’ and allowing the process itself to flow in the way it’s meant to – so there’s an undeniable humbling aspect to letting things flow in creating. The exhibition presents the Artist’s latest works that speak to the process of “Flow”

David Sheldon received a BFA in Painting from the Rhode Island School of Design in 1984, which included a formative year spent painting in Rome, Italy, as part of RISD’s European Honors Program. As a grad student, Sheldon brought sculpture into the mix. His thesis show for his MFA in 1990, at the University of Maryland, incorporated large-scale, mixed-media paintings, as well as sculptural works.

Sheldon continues to create cutting-edge sculptural works in metal, as well as provocative public art. Modernist sculpture, with its emphasis on the dynamics of form and space, continues to be a major influence in his work. Sheldon endeavors to create what he calls “spatial music”.