The Avenue's Art & Wine Dinner on Sunday, April 28, will feature the colorful and imaginative work of Brad Wreyford along with a unique special five-course dinner and wine pairings from executive chef Casey Copeland.
Wreyford is a painting, modern design and craft instructor at the Arkansas School for Mathematics, Sciences, and the Arts. The blending of art and mathematics is a natural for him, said a news release from The Avenue.
"I began making art in my early 20s. My path was set to be a mathematician or an engineer, but my hands felt left out," Wreyford said. "I have a love of materials and a need to get my hands dirty. This curiosity developed into drawing, painting, welding, and woodworking."
His formal art education began at Louisiana Tech University where he received his Bachelor of Fine Arts degree. He continued his graduate studies at San Diego State University and received his Master of Fine Arts degree from Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge, La.
Represented by The Cole-Pratt Gallery in New Orleans and The Art Company in Nashville, Wreyford's work blends shapes and colors together in an abstract landscape.
"I paint like a craftsman, craft like a sculptor, and sculpt like a painter," he said in the release. "There are multiple pendulums swinging at any given time in my studio: tight to loose, two- to three-dimensional, childlike to academic, formal to metaphorical."
During the Art & Wine Dinner, Wreyford will talk briefly about his work and inspiration, which includes his children, ages 4, 6, 8 and 10.
"In their world, everything is new and unexplored, ripe for discovery. It is my goal to create with the same fearlessness and curiosity, to examine an object or place without context or intention, to grow young in my perceptions," he said.
The Avenue's executive chef, Casey Copeland, uses seasonal and locally sourced foods to create unique courses and pairs each with the perfect wines.
This month's menu is featured on The Avenue's website, http://theavenuehs.com/wp-content/uploads/the-avenue-art-wine-dinner-menu-april-2019.pdf. The courses include pickled watermelon rind, coconut shrimp with peach and lemon grass salsa, smoked beef tenderloin and blueberry buttermilk pie. The cost is $85 per person. Call The Avenue, 501-625-3850, to make reservations.
The public is welcome to view the exhibit through the rest of the month after the opening on April 28. The restaurant is available to the public during restaurant hours and during the monthly Gallery Walk on Friday, May 3.
Entertainment on 04/22/2019