The Upstairs Artspace presents “The New Portraiture,” a panel discussion about contemporary portrait art ,on Tuesday, Nov. 1 at 7 p.m. This is in conjunction with the current exhibit at the Upstairs, “Lines and Lives of the Face.”
The conversation will center on the renaissance of portraiture in the late 20th and 21st centuries and cover topics such as: traditional vs. contemporary portraits, the human face as subject matter, self portraits, collectibility of portrait art, famous portrait artists and more. Margaret Curtis, co-curator of the exhibit, moderates the dialogue, which encourages audience participation.

Five of the 14 artists in the exhibit are taking part in the discussion. Taiyo La Paix, Brian Mashburn and Phillip McGuire are from Asheville. La Paix has recently exhibited at the Asheville Art Museum, Blue Spiral 1 and Southeastern Center for Contemporary Art (SECCA). In 2009 he was in a three-person exhibit, “Seduction,” at the Upstairs. Mashburn draws portraits of famous and unknown personalities. He also paints images of modern society. McGuire uses negative space in his graphite portraits.
David Slone and Tim Speaker are members of the ArtBomb cooperative in Greenville. Though emerging, both artists have already exhibited widely and garnered critical awards and respect. Slone’s work features a wall of 36 portraits of kindergarten children. Speaker’s art is informed by the fact he was blind for two years. His work features oversized portraits of facial parts.
The program is free and open to the public. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. For information, call 828-859-2828.
– article submitted
by Nancy Holmes