New Artwork in the Gallery! Hendersonville Painter Josefa Mandarino is showing her work in our gallery this May and June. Josefa has wons awards in our Annual Juried Art Show and is an accomplished painter. She just opened a new studio with the Henderson County Art League Art Place Studios on Hwy 25.

by on May 15, 2023

Artist Statement:

I started painting in 2016. I moved to NC 16 years ago, giving up a small business (Out of the Woods) refinishing and hand- painting discarded wooden furniture in exchange for working exclusively with gourds. The work was exhibited and sold at the Wickwire Gallery on Main St. in Hendersonville for several years. After a shoulder issue side lined the hand carving, I decided to dedicate my time to painting.

I paint for connection and discovery. Each canvas begins a relationship, and from process to final painting, it’s like getting to know something or someone new, both on the canvas and in myself.

I love the feminine form and face, the natural world, and color itself. I started painting women because that’s what I felt a need to express. Over time, I was drawn to more abstract art, which feels like painting in another language, though I go wherever the process takes me. My work is predominantly in acrylic, but sometimes includes other materials or mediums as well.

I am a member of both the Hendersonville Art League, and Tryon Painters and Sculptors. My work has been exhibited at both galleries, in local studio tours, at Grace Art Center juried exhibitions, and ArtScape Hendersonville 2022 & 2023.

I can be reached at