Sometimes artists are driven to create what they do based solely on inspiration. Sometimes, physical limitations also factor into the process.
Jim Kransberger made figurative ceramic sculptures for years before he began to have trouble with his hands. Now 82 years old, the Asheville, N.C.-based artist figured out that he could use a straight edge and a blade to cut straight edges into the clay, so he started making buildings.
"The pieces are all ceramic, but basically they are mixed media because they might have some other things in them. They are all buildings of some sort or another."
Among the eight pieces he will have as part of his November showcase at River Gallery in the Bluff View Art District are three tobacco barns and five houses.
"They are not classic houses, but houses that came out of my mind. I'm not trying to replicate anything. "
He will be joined in the gallery showing by painter Cynthia Tollefsrud, a Knoxville resident who was born in California and grew up in the Midwest. She draws from her Scandinavian heritage to create oil paintings. Her works are influenced by old photographs and she uses layers of glaze and paint to create a rich palette of colors.
If you go
* What: Featured artists Cynthia Tollefsrud and Jim Kransberger* When: 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Saturday, 1-5 Sundays, Nov. 3-30* Where: River Gallery, 400 E. Second St.* Phone: 423-265-5033* Opening Reception: 6:30-8 p.m., Friday, Nov. 3
"I begin my paintings by going through photographs I have collected of people from the Victorian era," she said in her artist statement. "The portraits that come from my initial sketches are not of anyone in particular. As I paint, they take on a character all their own. They are often different from the original photograph. They become their own personalities."
Kransberger has previously worked in wood sculpture and papier-mache. Before that he photographed sailboats.
He designs all of his buildings and creates them according to his initial drawing.
"Some people build by letting their fingers lead the way. I draw them first and then build according to the drawing. I would say my buildings are contemporary in shape."
Contact Barry Courter at bcourter@times freepress.com or 423-757-6354.