The Upstairs Artspace announces three new exhibits opening Saturday, Aug. 11.

An informal Walk & Talk with the artists will be at 5 p.m., followed by a reception from 6-7:30 p.m. with refreshments, cash bar and live music.

Local equine photographer Monica Stevenson will present a solo show, “HORSEscapes,” with images that include portraiture, landscapes, still life, abstract and conceptual styles.

Dividing time between studios in Tryon and New York City, Stevenson is an official photographer at the World Equestrian Games in Tryon this September.

A second exhibit is “Spontaneous Intention,” featuring paintings by Asheville artists Barbara Fisher, Kenn Kotara and Rand Kramer. Fisher, who is the curator, says each artist’s work is about the conceptual tension between spontaneity and intention, chaos and order, risk and excess.

Fisher and Kotara exhibit in the South, and are in many public and private collections; both have shown often at Upstairs Artspace.

Kramer recently moved to Asheville to be a full-time artist. His former career as graphic designer now influences and inspires his abstract painting.

In “Bronze Constructs,” Flat Rock artist Fred McMullen displays his one-of-a-kind bronze sculpture that is usually figurative — working men, animals, birds and flowers. Most pieces incorporate wood as an integral part or platform.

Exhibits run through Sept. 21. Business hours are from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday.

For more information, contact Upstairs Artspace at upstairsartspace.org or by phone at 828-859-2828.

– Submitted by

John Walters