Long before he opened a gallery on Haywood Street in downtown Asheville, Elliott From was a kid in the suburbs of Chicago, working intently on a painting of a boxing kangaroo. It was the first piece he remembers finishing, and it sparked something unmistakable.
“I was born with art in me,” From says. “My dad was an amazing artist and, although he didn’t pursue art as a career, he had his art studio in one of the rooms in our house. I really enjoyed making art as a kid and would always join my father in creating paintings together.”
In the decades since conjuring up that scrappy, glove-wielding marsupial, From has built a creative career rooted in the movement and rhythm of human connection. Those sensibilities take center stage during Artbeat After Hours, a recurring Thursday-night experience where guests can watch From create original paintings in real time at his downtown studio.
“Artbeat After Hours grew from a simple desire: I wanted people to experience art the way I feel it when I create it—not just the finished product but the movement, the mess, the energy,” From says. “I kept hearing people say, ‘I wish I could see how you paint in person.’ I realized, ‘Why not open the doors and let them?’”…