Frescoes

from Winter Times 2022-23

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“The Last Supper” painted by North Carolina artist Ben Long is inside the Holy Trinity Episcopal Church. FILE PHOTO

Frescoes of the High Country

BY CHANDA RICHARDSON

For more than 2,000 years, the breathtaking art known as frescoes have illuminated the art scene and become a staple in the High Country. With works such as “The Last Supper,” “The Mystery of Faith” and paintings from the area’s very own artist, Ben Long, the creative passion of art isn’t hard to see through the pieces.

Long grew up in Statesville and became passionate about fresco painting at an early stage in his life. He is the grandson of noted artist McKendree Robbins Long. He has spent time overseas for both military duty and art. In the late 1960s to early 1970s, he worked as an apprentice and completed several frescoes during his time in Europe.

Frescoes take a considerate amount of time and concentration as the artist presses pigment into wet plaster, rather than painting normally onto a white canvas. The art then becomes bonded with the plaster and produces a surface that is then resistant to time when it hardens, making these beautiful paintings last a lifetime. Since 1978, Long has completed over 30 frescoes in the United States.

Ashe County is home to St. Mary’s Episcopal Church, located at 400 Beaver Creek School Rd. in West Jefferson. It showcases Long’s fresco piece titled “The Mystery of Faith,” which he completed in 1977.

Holy Trinity Episcopal Church in Glendale Springs houses “The Last Supper.” Prints are available to purchase at the church or online. Holy Trinity Episcopal Church continues to host the annual

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Festival of the Frescoes in the fall, which raises money for various outreach programs.

Long also painted a fresco entitled “Suffer the Little Children” in Avery County’s Sloop Chapel, located at the Crossnore Communities for Children.

Long outstretched from the High Country and became a well-decorated artist, completing works for Bank of America in Charlotte and a handful of schools. To see more of his works, visit his website at www. benlongfineart.com.

For more information on the Ashe County Frescoes and the foundation, visit www.ashefrescoes.org.

St. Mary’s Episcopal Church and Holy Trinity Episcopal Church continue to open their doors to anyone who would like to take in the Ben Long Frescoes.