Hello my dear friends, and happy holidays to those who celebrate!

About this time of the year last year, I was one of the winners of The Next Originals competition by The Kessler Collection. Since then, my painting was shown on a billboard in Times Square on New Year’s Eve, and throughout the year, you could see my paintings in all of the Grand Bohemian galleries. You can read more and watch the video about the competition and my interview HERE, if you haven’t already.

For the holiday season, I was invited to come down to Asheville, North Carolina, for five days to stay for an artist residence and a show. I was super excited to go, as not only was I able to stay in a luxurious hotel that is the Grand Bohemian Hotel in Asheville, but it was also my first solo show and I was very grateful to have such an opportunity.

Instead of flying, as I did last time when I came with my daughter, my husband and I chose to make it a roadtrip. This way we were able to take our pup, Leo, with us.

As we arrived, everyone was so sweet and welcoming, we felt so at-home.

The artsy town of Asheville is known for its goregous views of the Blue Ridge Mountains and dedication to the arts. It’s a touristy town filled with galleries, restaurants, boutiques, and the famous Biltmore estate, which is America’s largest mansion and was the shooting location of the movie ‘A Biltmore Christmas’.

Here are a few pictures of the show before and during. I was so excited about everything that I kept forgetting to take pictures, especially the paintings that were sold right away.

During the show, I met a lot of people, including collectors of my paintings. It was such a surreal experience for me to connect with them, take pictures together, and writing personalized messages on the back of my paintings. I was also delated to meet a few friends I knew from social media, and am very grateful they took the time to visit me. It’s always exciting to meet online friends in real life.

I also did some demos:

Seven paintings were Sold Out from the show, I’m so greatful to the collectors and to the gallery staff. I was very impressed by fact that the everybody in the gallery took the time to learn about the symbolism and meaning behind my paintings. It made me so happy that my work was appreciated and valued.

There are a few paintings that are still available at the gallery in Asheville (and in the other GB galleries in different locations).
If you are a local, I hope you stop by to see the show in person, but the gallery can also ship the painting if you are interested in giving it a home.
The best part is that when you purchase through the gallery, you can get points, and can earn a FREE night(s) at the gorgeous Grand Bohemian hotel (I think you can choose from all six of them! 🙂 )

Olga Furman | Grand Bohemian Gallery– CLICK HERE

Even after all this, the cherry on top was a guided tour of the best parts of Asheville with the gallery director, Constance Richards. Last time, she give us a tour and an indepth explanation of everything in the hotel, which itself a piece of art. The special wood and handcrafted forniture, as well as sculptures and paintings, are carefully selected and brought to the hotel from all over the world.

This time, Mrs. Richards gave us a tour of the Biltmore Estate where we visited an arboretum, as well as a famous Christmas light show. She also showed us different historical locations which beautiful by itself, let alone with the festive holiday decorations. It was wonderful, we had such a great time!

That’s all for now. This year is almost over, and I would like to wish you a happy holiday season, and a happy, healthy, and adventerous New Year!

Yours truly,

Olga xx