First Fridays in Raleigh offer a great opportunity to check out some of the great things Raleigh has to offer, among them being the local art studios where you can see the raw art rather than the gallery art. Here you can see the space where the creativity happens but also meet the artists.
Located in Glenwood South, Local Color Gallery is an artist owned gallery with at least ten different studios. There's no way you'll leave here without seeing something from nearly every artistic genre. There are studios all over this building: upstairs, downstairs, around corners, everywhere you look. It may look a bit drab from the outside, but when you walk in you'll see a checkered hallway, white walls and colorful paintings. If you stop by expecting to see only paintings, you'll be missing out on the glasswork, jewelry, small ornaments, some clothing, and wall hangings.
It might be odd, but the interesting introduction to each of the studios seems to be the business card. Business cards -- those normally plain, unadorned general information introductions, are anything but for the artists here. Each card was a tiny little piece of art by itself but represented its owner's style. They were very eye-catching.
As part of the First Friday experience, nearly all studios are open with the artists excited to display their craft or chat with you about their inspirations while they ply you with wine. It can't get much better than that. read more