Now Showing…

Paths & Journeys by Leslie Karpinski

A mixed media exploration representing paths traveled from one place to another during life’s journey.

On display in the Welborn Gallery September 7th thru October 27th, 2023

Join us for the opening reception on September 7, 2023 (5-7pm) to celebrate this exhibit. Refreshments will be served. FREE Admission, all are welcome to attend.  

Exploring with mixed media, Leslie creates many visuals on the canvas which represent traveling from one place to another. She celebrates life through the dance with the process of creating. Color, line, shapes, texture and much more spill-out onto the surface and remind us, of how truly special living in the moment everyday is, in life’s journey. From a seed discovered, or, perhaps a distant tree along her path, she connects to nature and feels she is not separated. Her love for trees, water, and geometry have always played a roll in her art. Not knowing what lies ahead, gives her freedom as an artist to explore and have adventure in the process of creating. She hopes to convey that life has many journeys along the path and through her art, she aligns herself with Hope, Unconditional Love, Peacefulness, Empowerment for Others, Wisdom and Beauty.  She states: “The world is a place for a universal consciousness to help one another. With growth, constant changes, great celebrations,and lots of LOVE, more seeds will be discovered.

Artist Bio: Leslie Karpinski is a North Carolina artist with an MFA from East Carolina University. When she was a child, one could find her climbing up big oak trees whistling to her favorite birds and finding rocks from a nearby creek, to make garden beds in her family’s yard. At age nine, she remembers the moment coloring a giant red, violet and blue flower at school, and a love for art! Her current work is a reflection of her love of the earth, geometric designs, and finding that inner child while creating. Leslie explores with a variety of materials while painting and works mostly on paper and canvas. Her energy, spontaneity, and love for nature are found in her work and many unexpected surprises. When she paints, her goal is to keep that child alive and produce art that will bring a celebration of life.

Artist Statement: As I continue to evolve as an artist, I pay close attention to where I have traveled and where I am in the current moment. On this journey, I have discovered my love and respect for the outdoors. It stimulates the mind, warms the heart, and touches my soul in a deep way. The sounds, colors, smells, and gifts from nature, provide a visual memory which energizes my soul to create paintings that speak from my heart. When I was a kid, I loved climbing high in trees, painting large flowers while at school and designing little garden beds in the back of our family home. Rocks from the nearby creek surrounded my gardens and I loved learning about various plant materials and seeing their color, textures and shapes. When I paint, the same joy of that child is felt when I let the paint flow with spontaneity, energy and hopefully, some unexpected surprises appear in the process. As an artist, it is my goal to treasure and respect our earth and universe and if I can convey through my artwork this message, there is great meaning to what I do in life and the art I produce.

The Gallery is open for visitors Monday-Friday 9:30am-4:30pm (Free Admission).

Please email info@yadkinarts.org if you are interested in purchasing a piece from one of our gallery exhibits.

On the Schedule for 2023…

History of the Gallery

The Welborn Gallery was named after Marion and Jewell Welborn of Boonville for the generous lead gift they made to the Center’s capital campaign. The Welborns gifted the final funds needed to close the campaign and make possible the opening of the center.  

About The Gallery

Our Welborn Gallery warmly greets every visitor to the Yadkin Cultural Arts Center as soon as you walk in the building. Our Welborn Gallery is designed to expose residents and visitors to continual and varied 2-dimensional and 3-dimensional pieces of art. You can always find something to inspire and challenge you with every visit. The Welborn Gallery operates on the same business hours as the Yadkin Cultural Arts Center: Monday thru Friday (9am-5pm) & during special events. We are closed on major federal holidays.

Guidelines For The Welborn Gallery

Portfolio Submission Guidelines for Exhibitions (2023/2024):

Please send 5 – 7 good quality .jpeg digital images of your work. These images should be a fair representation of the work you wish to exhibit at the Yadkin Cultural Arts Center, or similar to work you intend to create for the exhibit. Each image should be labeled with the size of the piece, medium, and title.

In addition to providing examples of your work, we request that you provide us with your website with specific instructions to guide us to the selections of art you wish to exhibit.

Other information we require includes a brief description of your exhibition idea. How many art objects? Is there a theme? You’ll also be required to provide information about yourself, your exhibition experience, and your training, if any.

If you are accepted to exhibit with us, you will need approximately 25 to 30 pieces of art at various sizes. All work must be wired for hanging.

For questions about submitting artwork to exhibit in our gallery please email info@yadkinart.org.