"The Process of Change" is made of four, 42-inch by 12-inch, vertical panels that form a quadriptych to underscore the passage of time and seasons. (In-Town Gallery Contributed Image)Jaime Barks, who grew up roaming the foothills of the Smoky Mountains, creates paintings characterized by a strong sense of design, line and color that seek to capture that wild, earthy magic she felt during those hours in woods.
"My goal," she says, "is to make artwork that connects people to nature and to each other."
To that end, Barks has assembled a collection of work, "Poems for the Sky," that will be on display in In-Town Gallery for the month of February. An opening reception will be held Friday, Feb. 1, from 5 to 8 p.m. at the gallery, 26-A Frazier Ave., to meet the artist and see her work.
Though Barks chose to get her degree in communications at Lee University, she took as many art and photography classes as she could.
"I've drawn and made art all my life, but it never occurred to me that I could do it for a living," she says.
However, after her children were born she embarked on an ambitious project in which she made drawings every day for more than two years. During this time, she developed her distinctive technique using pen and watercolor before switching to acrylics, the medium she most often uses today.
In-Town Gallery is an artist co-op gallery that is open seven days a week, offering a wide range of art and fine craft from 32 artists. Gallery hours are 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Monday-Saturday, 1-5 p.m. Sunday.
For more information: 423-267-9214 or www.intowngallery.com.