“Value In Water,” an exhibit at the Wilkes Art Gallery featuring works by David Stickel, Ann Vasilik, Margret Mueller, JoAnn Pippin, Diane Seifart and William G. Hook, opens Nov. 14 with a reception from 5:30-7:30 p.m.

There is no admission fee. Light refreshments will be provided.

David Stickel, known for representational watercolors of reflections, especially windows that portray life stories and a sense of mystery–inside and outside, is fascinated by complex compositions. He loves to create paintings few artists would even consider because of their overwhelming detail. Because of their confusing imagery and complexity, he refers to some compositions as “headaches,” but loves laboring over details. His work has been published in 18 editions of “Splash” and featured in national/international watercolor magazines. It was selected for exhibitions in Canada, China, England, France, Greece, Italy, Mexico, Russia and Taiwan and is in private collections around the world. Stickel lives in North Carolina and Africa and travels extensively.

Ann Vasilik, a native of Lancaster County, Penn., has a Bachelor of Fine Art degree in illustration from the Philadelphia College of Art. When she married her career Navy husband, they traveled extensively internationally and in the United States, instilling a love of exotic and foreign subjects. For most of 30 years she painted plein air, exhibited, entered competitions and had one-woman shows. Her work is in the collection of the Honolulu Museum of Art and the Ventura County Museum of History and Art. art and cultural activities. She is a signature member of the American Watercolor Society, Watercolor Society of N.C. and Southern Watercolor Society.. In Asheville she started the Biltmore Dairy Farms Fine Art Show and was a licensed artist for the Biltmore Estate.

Margret Mueller is a long-time active member of the Guild of Natural Science Illustrators-Carolinas, and a Master Signature member of the Watercolor Society of North Carolina. She has had numerous solo exhibitions in the Piedmont. She recently retired from more than three decades as a picture framer and a decade as a small market farmer. Mueller works from photos that she has taken of natural places and things. Her strong sketching background makes possible a very accurate preliminary drawing. Using a combination of wet-in-wet and dry-brush techniques, she strives to achieve an almost photorealistic image but allow for the extra transparent glow that watercolors can deliver. Her goal is to open observers' eyes to the wonders around them.

JoAnn Pippin has been painting in watercolor since she retired from an electronic publishing career in 1992, and teaching watercolor in the High Country since 2011. Her primary art studies were at the Art League School in Alexandria, Va. She is a Signature Member of the Southern Watercolor Society and Watercolor Society of NC. She explores watercolor techniques, using natural and still life subjects. Her works have been accepted to juried art shows in North Carolina (where she lives), other Southern states and New Hampshire. Her creative process involves meticulous planning, from selecting scenes or objects to executing a wet underpainting that allows water and pigment to mix and mingle before she refines it with more color, detail and textures.

Diane Seifart, a Virginia native, lives in Charlotte. She graduated from VCU/Medical College of Virginia with a degree in physical therapy and is married with two grown children. Her painting journey began in 2011 as a hobby and turned professional as her work began to sell, primarily through commissions. She uses layering of color to build intensity, shadows and dimensionality. Her technique continues to evolve, but stays true to its detailed and realistic style. Seifart is a Signature Member of the Watercolor Society of North Carolina and has won numerous prizes at the annual juried exhibitions. Her painting, “Coleus” is part of the WSNC Permanent Collection. She loves becoming lost in watercolor painting.

William G. Hook of Davidson is internationally known for his masterful use of light and composition to explore and capture the dynamic character of industrial and urban settings. He is particularly interested in painting objects or environments when in transition, under construction or demolition and in a state that will never be seen again. His drawing and observational skills were developed during a 40-year career as a highly respected and awarded architect and architectural illustrator. He has since focused his efforts toward freeing his artwork from the constraints of illustration and now sees his art career as a process of change and development as he searches for more evocative, introspective and powerful means of capturing his interests

For more information on “Value In Water,” call the Wilkes Art Gallery at 336-667-2841. It’s open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday to Friday and from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday. The gallery is at 913 C Street | Ward Nichols Way, North Wilkesboro. Admission is free to exhibitions, openings and community programs

Success! An email has been sent to with a link to confirm list signup.