ASHEVILLE, N.C. (WLOS) — An Asheville artist who lost his studio space and 10s of thousands of dollars’ worth of watercolor paintings was left to live in his van reflecting on life nearly a year since Hurricane Helene took nearly everything from him.
Spencer Beals said after the storm last September, he went in a kayak to Foundation Studios in the River Arts District (RAD) to recover some of his pieces.
Something few artists in RAD were fortunate enough to do.
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Beals was willing to risk his life to save his livelihood.
“The kayak was a bad idea in hindsight. I saw the roof collapse, and I was like oh my god, it was, that’s like my whole livelihood. I live in my van that was my home, all my art supplies, painting supplies, laptop, all that,” Beals said. “It was like the moment I saw I could physically enter the space, I was like, oh my gosh. You’re talking about 10s of thousands of dollars.”
Beals was able to recover several damaged pieces and clean them up.
Those pieces are now for sale at Pink Dog Creative on Depot Street with special markings documenting their journey.
Reflecting nearly a year later, Beals is hopeful.
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“It feels like 40 years and a month at the same time, you know it’s a milestone and it’s great to see the River Arts District bouncing back the way that it has,” Beals said. “When I think about everything, I’m left with an overwhelming sense of optimism.”
Beals said he’s getting good traffic and can be an artist full-time.
Pink Dog Creative houses more than a dozen displaced artists, giving them a fresh start.