Alicia Armstrong (Asheville, NC) paints memories, longings, dreams, inconsistencies. A single work often incorporates the questions posed by contrasts - both literal and conceptual - and captures the inescapable and dichotomous realities of life: joy and suffering, closeness and distance. At the same time she offers viewers relief via temporary respite rather than finite solutions. Armstrong’s parents, both artists in their own rights, fostered her artistic nature and art was an important part of her childhood world. She holds a BFA with a concentration in Oil Painting from the University of North Carolina at Asheville and stood out early on as the winner of the Fine Art department‘s academic leadership award. After a decade working in traditional painting and photographic portraiture, she began to concentrate on producing more abstract works, pieces imbued with symbolic imagery. Armstrong’s canvases pose questions, yet inject comfort into discomfort; they encompass the archetypal play between light and dark. Her work often encourages the viewer to formulate their own answers, rather than attempt “correct” interpretation. This openness is a hallmark of the artist and her work; she not only presents images and ideas, but intimates unspoken possibilities.