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Asheville Artist Passes Away
Artist John Payne died unexpectedly in mid-July at age 58. Mark Forester, vice president of Visual Content at Journal Communications Inc., wrote this remembrance.
I first met John Payne while we were shooting his portrait for a profile in the Asheville Visitors Guide. We were immediately blown away by his creations, and I realized that still photography didn’t do them justice. To fully appreciate his unique mastery of artistry and engineering, you had to see them in motion.
I grabbed a small video camera we had in the bag, and began shooting John as he described his work. We later returned with more equipment and completed the feature seen here. He was a willing and fascinating subject … describing his amazing art form in a laid-back, self-effacing style.
As we were shooting we had to keep him on subject, as he seemed more interested in talking about the Wedge and the River Arts District. We made plans to return and do a video on that. I wish we had accomplished that sooner.
