'Norman Rockwell Of Appalachia'

On the road from Floyd, make sure to stop at Woodlawn, a blink-or-you'll-miss-it spot between Hillsville and Galax. Off Route 58, take a right on Coulson Church Road and, just a little ways in, you'll find the Front Porch Gallery and Frame Shop (99 Coulson Church Rd.; 276-236-3034) and Willard Gayheart. A famed pencil artist known for his intricate, ornately detailed portraits of traditional musicians, mountain folk and rural life, he has been called the Norman Rockwell of Appalachia.

Gayheart's evocative works are highly sought after in these parts, particularly at the many festivals where he also performs, both solo and with the Highlanders, which also features mandolinist Bobby Patterson, a walking encyclopedia of traditional music who began the locally focused Heritage Records in 1972. Patterson operates the Heritage Shoppe (276-236-9249), offering cards, wedding supplies and party favors as well as instruments, tapes and CDs. The two shops are about 75 feet apart, making rehearsals pretty convenient.

Gayheart, a native of eastern Kentucky, is self-taught as a musician and artist. "I started playing guitar at 12 [bought with a year's wages from lighting the morning fire in his school's potbelly stoves -- $3!], and I've loved to draw since I can remember," he recalls, adding, "I've done both all my life as a hobby." But he didn't start playing publicly until 1961, when his job managing a small chain clothing store brought him to Galax. "There's all kinds of music all over these mountains," Gayheart says, "and it wasn't long until I was in a band." Several, actually.

Gayheart began drawing portraits in the '70s -- he calls them "nostalgic glimpses of the Appalachians" -- and in 1974, he donated several to the Lord's Acre Sale, an annual event in which area churches sell canned and baked goods and handmade crafts. (This year's is Sept. 30 from 8:30 to 5 at Felts Park in Galax, where the Old Fiddler's Convention is held.) The drawings proved popular, and Gayheart did well with them, though he didn't quit his regular job until he turned 65. He'd started Front Porch a few years earlier to frame and sell his artworks, and he can often be found working there. Limited-run prints are available for $25 to $35, individually signed and numbered, as well as the richly illustrated book "Willard Gayheart: Appalachian Artist." You can also visit http://www.willardgayheart.com/ .

FIDDLIN' ON THE LOT Sept. 30 from 10 to 4. Parking lot of Harmon's, Heritage Shoppe and Front Porch Gallery and Frame Shop. A free mountain music celebration. Besides traditional, bluegrass and gospel performances by local musicians -- including Gayheart and Patterson, there will be clogging, arts and craft displays and food.