An Artist Shaped by Life and Experience: Poané 47 Main Street Gallery

The Arts An Artist Shaped by Life and Experience: Poané

By John Shivers

Hindsight is an interesting phenomenon. Thanks to the failsafe perspective it provides, it’s easy to chart the experiences of an artist named Poané, who’s been shaped by all that he’s encountered. Now he’s found his niche and his element alongside Sanderstown Road in Franklin, North Carolina. Look for the new sign – Poané Art Gallery – that proclaims his presence.

His name is simply Poané, pronounced like Monet’, another artist of another century and some renown besides. Growing up in New Jersey and New York, as a teenager Poané first discovered he could create images with pen and pencil and brush. But life sometimes includes detours. It was in the midst of varied and sundried experiences in places like New York and Atlanta, where he was a celebrity photographer such as Emmy awards, Trumpet awards, red carpet, concerts and many more, that his artistic presence was shaped and honed with over-the-top creativity and magical inspiration.

He’s come full-circle, all the better for the path that brought him to this juncture. Customer feedback has convinced him that he’s where he’s supposed to be, doing what he’s supposed to do. It was portraiture that brought him back to his original creative roots, and his commissioned images of such notables as Charlie Daniels established him. He’s also a master at recreating the works of Old Masters, most particularly those of Michelangelo Caravaggio. Many of his faithful following have discovered, if you can name it, Poané can paint it! He’s always available for custom commissions.

Several years ago he substituted wood for traditional canvas, and the result has been phenomenal. His wood art has developed a definite following, especially his dog portraits that make you believe you’ll feel real fur when you run your hands over the image.

Another item that has emerged from his creative imagination is a line of charcuterie boards that you simply have to see to appreciate. If he’s not in the gallery, check the nearby Cowee Mountain Clay studio, and be prepared to be wowed there as well. Jennifer, his significant other, complements the Poané gallery offerings with her line of all natural soy and palm wax hand-poured candles. Poané Art Gallery is located at 52 Sanderstown Road in Franklin, open seven days a week. Poané is available by phone at 678-508-3421. His email address is poanepoanepoane@gmail.com. Check him out on Instagram at poane@artofpoane and on Facebook at Art of Poane.

Main Street Gallery

Featured in many publications nationwide – including The New York Times – and housed in a historic building in downtown Clayton, Georgia, Main Street Gallery was established in 1985. Representing artists primarily from the Southeastern United States, the gallery is nestled in a region fertile in folk art, as well as fine art, crafts, jewelry, and other artful expressions, all showcased in its three beautifully curated floors of historic, renovated space that are ready for you to explore. This must-see gallery specializes in contemporary folk art, which is also known as self-taught or outsider art. The most honest and interesting things can come from the most raw and vulnerable places.

While specializing in self-taught/folk art– and enjoying the relationships the gallery has curated with these unique artists for many years – Main Street Gallery also features fine contemporary art (paintings and sculpture), Southern folk pottery (both-built and wheel thrown), and hand-crafted, one-of-a-kind furniture. This is the kind of place where many have stopped in for a few minutes, only to lose themselves in their carefully curated collections, emerging a few hours later with something utterly surprising.

Feeling today that the lines that connect art and artists are far more important than the ones that divide them, Main Street Gallery is now presenting their curated collection of all represented expressions together online for the first time. Through their website, you can enjoy browsing each featured artist’s page, or do a more specialized search by category, should you be interested in a certain type of art. While nothing can replace seeing art in person, everything is there online to get a virtual view of what this incredible gallery has to offer.

A destination all its own, the onsite gift gallery offers handmade jewelry, unusual accessories, and other unique items. Visit Main Street Gallery in person at 51 N Main St, Clayton, GA, 30525, or on their website: www.mainstreetgallery.net

The Arts North Georgia Arts Guild Silke Cliatt’s Painting With Fabric

By Tricia Moore

The thing that most people notice first about Silke Cliatt’s beautiful quilted designs is the color. The vivid hues of the materials she chooses to create her quilted artwork draw the eyes of the viewer into the piece, where they discover much more than the vibrancy of the color. Intricate beadwork and embroidered embellishments add depth and interest, and the imagery portrayed often creates a unique narrative.

Silke is a retired art teacher and textile artist whose love of fiber has its roots in her childhood. She states that, “In the absence of TV during my childhood, I knitted, crocheted and embroidered.” She goes on to say that when she was growing up in Germany after WW2, her mother sewed all of her clothes for her, so as an adult she, following her mother’s example, sewed her own clothes. She collected many fabrics in the process, some of which she never used but “always loved touching and looking at them.”

As a teacher of art grades 1-6 at Pace Academy in Atlanta for 30 years, Silke “dabbled in different media.” Her favorite was working with glass seed beads from which she created jewelry and 3-D vessels. It has only been since she has retired, though, that she began quilting. She states that she “stumbled upon quilting when upon retirement I wanted a quilt for the space above my fireplace in the cabin I bought near Clayton. I cut too many strips for the border, so I felt I needed to make another quilt, and the rest is history.”

When asked where she finds her inspiration for her pieces, she explained that it comes from many sources such as a greeting card, a photograph or her own imagination. One can also see the influence of Islamic art in her work. While teaching, she was awarded “Teacher of the Year,” which included a travel stipend. She chose to use it to visit Istanbul because she had “always loved Islamic art and history.”

Silke’s work has a sense of spontaneity and playfulness about it. Even though the work is skillfully executed, Silke’s goal is not to be meticulous. “I am not good at precision piecing,” she states. “I am more of an improviser. I feel there is more energy and vitality in in-precision.” Drawn to bright colors because “they uplift,” her favorites are red and magenta.

The driving forces behind Silke’s productivity is her life-long interest in learning and the challenge that creating presents. The challenge begins when she knows that there is something new she wants to do and she asks herself, “I wonder if I am capable of this.” When she feels she has met the challenge and learned something new, she moves on to the next challenge. Among Silke’s most recent successful challenges, are her guardian-themed quilted wall hangings and her unique “negative painting” fabric cards.

Another factor is that Silke loves to share her work. She often gives pieces of her work to people she knows will appreciate and enjoy them. Examples of this are the lap quilts that she donates to the Shepherd Spinal Center in Atlanta and the 17 patriotic lap quilts she donated for local veterans. “Most recently,” she said, “a total stranger told me about a friend who was getting ready for a major operation, and I immediately gifted her a lap quilt.”

Kindness and generosity mark Silke’s life. In addition to gifting pieces of her work, she also gives of her time and energy. As an active member of NGAG, she has contributed much to the organization, including chairing the

Tricia Moore is a retired teacher, having taught both English and Art in public and private school settings. She is currently an active member of the NGAG and has held several positions on the board. With her background in both art and writing, she feels that writing the NGAG featured artist article in the Laurel of Northeast Georgia is a good fit and something that she will greatly enjoy doing.

Scholarship Committee. Pre-pandemic, she spent several weeks working with local high school students, donating supplies and providing instruction for each student to make a quilt block, which she pieced into two large quilts.

Marketing her work has not been a primary concern for Silke. She states that, “I am very happy when my quilts are purchased by someone who can appreciate the work and is willing to make the investment, but I do not spend much time or effort on selling.” She does, however, have a website - silkecliatt.com, and shows her work at the Rock House during the art tours in June and November. And you can sometimes find her at the Rabun County Market at the Pavilion on a Saturday morning. She is also a member of the Mountain Laurel Quilter’s Guild and has juried into many quilting competitions.

The Arts New Children’s ABCs Book by Local Author Julie Riggs

“Honey bees are amazing creatures created by an awesome Creator, and very, very important,” says Julie Riggs, local author of the newly published children’s book, Honey Bees ABC’s. While homeschooling her three daughters, Lori, Lisa and Leah, children’s ABC books became Julie’s fun thing to collect and she always had hopes that one day she would write one of her very own. After recently retiring from the Georgia Department of Natural Resources at Tallulah Gorge State Park, she disciplined herself to finally finish the book she had envisioned and started several years ago. Even though Riggs no longer keeps honey bees, due to developing a serious allergy to them, she is thankful that she can contribute through writing from her years of experience and knowledge as a certified beekeeper. “It’s been fun seeing the book come alive, especially seeing my two grandchildren, Cora and Reggie on the pages of the book,” says Riggs. “This educational book introduces children to some simple facts about honey bees and beekeeping. Real photographs and realistic illustrations are used on each page, with the intent to excite wonder and captivate the mind of a child, all the while teaching letters to the very young reader. Even the young at heart will benefit from the educational content of this children’s book about honey bees and beekeeping.” Honey Bees ABC’s can be purchased through Amazon, Barnes & Noble, ReaderHouse and iTunes and to check out in local libraries.

“I’m just a living witness that you can be an imperfect soldier and still be in the army fighting for God Almighty. Don’t you think you got to be perfect ’cause I ain’t.” – Steve Harvey