Joy Gallery to feature two Mountain Brook High School artists

Mountain Brook High School juniors Carey Williams and Emily Bolvig will be featured in an art show at The Joy Gallery at Homewood Cumberland Presbyterian Church beginning Sunday, June 7.

The art show is organized in part by artist Maud Coirier-Belser, who, according to Bolvig, wanted the Joy Gallery to feature more young aspiring artists such as Bolvig and Williams.

Williams has been painting since he was 18 months old, when Birmingham artist Lonnie Holley encouraged his mother to get him to start painting at an early age. He has been featured in art shows for more than years.

Jackson Pollock, Mark Rothko, kaws and Jean-Michael Basquiat are among the artists that influence Williams’s abstract style. Inspired by the environment, Williams paints on canvases in his driveway. He said that guests can expect his “typical abstract style, but with a few changes,” such as the use of spray paint in his art.

Bolvig will be presenting her watercolor paintings “as well as a few odds and ends,” including photography and drawings. She said that while her technique has become much cleaner since last summer, her basic style of working towards realism remains the same.

Bolvig finds inspiration in objects that create a sense of nostalgia. For example, a watercolor painting of an old Volkwagen Beetle carrying colorful suitcases was inspired by memories of vacations and road trips. She is excited to be having her first art show at The Joy Gallery.

The opening reception for the show will take place on Sunday, June 7 from 1 p.m.-3 p.m., and the artwork will be on exhibit until June 21. The Joy Gallery is located at Homewood Cumberland Presbyterian Church at 513 Columbiana Road in Homewood. Gallery hours are 9 a.m.-2 p.m. Monday through Friday or by appointment by calling 942-3051.

To learn more about The Joy Gallery, visit their website.

To learn more about Emily Bolvig, read Village Living’s article on her artwork from last summer.