Asheville Gallery of Art’s June show, “Surrendering to Mystery,” will feature the work of Reda Kay. The artist is best known as an abstract painter who creates works that are textural, colorful, and filled with light. On the name of her show, Kay says, “I take my inspiration from my travels and from nature. Since my work has often been described as ‘mysterious landscapes,’ I wanted to show work that has been inspired by my travels to the Middle East.”
Kay uses layers of watercolor and acrylic paint, along with various mixed media to create the texture in her paintings. She says, “Each painting takes me through a
process of experimentation that leads to a series of discoveries.” Regardless of
mediums, Kay says of her work, “I seek to depict the emotional response to people and places uniting our human spirit and the natural environment.”
As an already accomplished photographer, Kay desired to expand her means of expression, which led her to study art. In 1998 she took a workshop from Mary Todd Beam. According to Kay, her art experience completely changed when the instructor gave her, “permission to paint anything with passion, forgetting all the rules.”
Kay moved to Asheville in 1993 from her hometown of Miami. She was part owner of Journey’s Travel Center in Asheville from 1996-2001. The artist considers art as her “third career,” after having been a social worker for 20 years and a travel consultant for 31 years. In addition to Asheville Gallery of Art, the award-winning artist’s work can be seen at Miya Gallery in Weaverville, NC. Her work is also found in private collections in the USA and internationally.
“Surrendering to Mystery” runs from June 1 through 30. The public is cordially invited to a reception on Friday, June 3, from 5 to 8 p.m. Reda’s work and that of the other 29 gallery members will be on display and for sale through the month during regular hours, Monday through Saturday, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Sunday 1 to 4 p.m. The gallery is located at 82 Patton Avenue in Asheville, across from Pritchard Park.