Banner Elk, NC Art Gallery

Artist Kent Paulette with his large bear painting that hangs at GFM.
Artist Kent Paulette with bear painting

Kent Paulette Art Gallery

Kent Paulette Art Gallery has showrooms located in Banner Elk, NC. You can view paintings there in person and then contact Kent Paulette to purchase with free local delivery to your home. You may also shop for paintings online in various sizes and browse by different types of subject matter.

Contact Kent Paulette to purchase paintings or giclées that you’ve seen in person at one of his showrooms. Fast shipping & free local delivery options are both available. He’s happy to answer any questions you may have, such as questions about custom sizes or discounted prices. He can send you photos and prices for his newest paintings that aren’t available in person or online yet.

Kent Paulette Art Gallery in Banner Elk, NC features paintings of Frank Sinatra, James Bond, and Taylor Swift. Three colorful paintings hanging on a white wall.

See his large bear painting in person at GFM.

You may view some paintings in person at various showrooms in Banner Elk. Sorrento’s Italian Bistro features bear paintings. Chef’s Table at Sorrento’s features mountain landscapes. Studio 140 at The Village of Banner Elk features paintings of horses. Banner Elk Winery features wildlife paintings and Prime 21 features paintings of people by artist K. Paulette.

Studio 140 at Sorrento's Art Gallery entrance with paintings for sale on the walls by artist Kent Paulette.
Studio 140 at Sorrento’s entrance
Chef's Table at Sorrento's in Banner Elk, NC features At the Speed of Love painting of horses running and Appalachia Rising mountain landscape painting. Fine Dining Restaurant with grey walls and couches. Flowers in vase and tables set.
Chef’s Table at Sorrento’s
Studio 140 at Sorrento's Art Gallery paintings on the walls. The artwork is for sale.
Sorrento’s
Live painting at Sorrento's Italian Bistro's outdoor patio in downtown Banner Elk, NC by artist K. Paulette. On his easel is 'Collisions of the Heart' painting of a deer buck with antlers. Diners at this fine dining restaurant are eating and watching Kent Paulette paint. A tree hangs over the easel. There are red umbrellas over the tables. Artist is wearing jeans and a white shirt. He has long hair.
Live painting at Sorrento’s outdoor patio prior to 2020. Paulette now paints exclusively at his home studio.

Customer Photos

Art in a home in Banner Elk, NC at Eagles Nest. This photo shows interior design in a bedroom with a bear painting hanging over the bed.
Customer photo of bedroom at Eagles Nest

Artist

Sorrento’s

When visiting Sorrento’s Italian Bistro, feel free to walk around and look at the art even if you’re not dining there. In addition to a bistro, it’s also one of Kent Paulette’s showrooms so people often come just to see the artwork. You can view paintings there in person and then contact Kent Paulette to purchase with free local delivery to your home. There are paintings located near the entrance, in the main dining room, in the Wine Room, and also outside on the back patio. Sorrento’s is located at 140 Azalea Circle, Banner Elk, NC.

Sorrento's artwork on the walls. This bistro is Banner Elk.
Wine Room

Chef’s Table

Chef’s Table at Sorrento’s is located upstairs above Sorrento’s Bistro at 140 Azalea Circle in Banner Elk, NC. It’s also one of Kent Paulette’s showrooms so feel free to walk around and look at the art even if you’re not dining there. You can view paintings there in person and then contact Kent Paulette to purchase with free local delivery to your home.

Chef's Table artwork

Banner Elk Winery

Banner Elk Winery is located at 135 Deer Run Ln, Banner Elk, NC. You can view paintings there in person and then contact Kent Paulette to purchase with free local delivery to your home.

Prime 21

Prime 21 is located next door to Sorrento’s Bistro at 140 Azalea Circle in Banner Elk, NC.

Studio 140

Studio 140 is now located in the entrance room at Sorrento’s at The Village of Banner Elk. The building in these photos below has been remodeled and is now Prime 21.

Art Gallery wall

Kettell Beerworks

Kettell Beerworks also has paintings and fine art prints for sale. It’s located at 567 Main St E, Banner Elk, NC.

SugarTop

SugarTop features art by Kent Paulette in their lobby. It’s located at 303 Sugar Top Drive in Sugar Mountain, NC.

Art in Homes

Photos of Kent Paulette’s paintings hanging in customers’ homes.

Eagles Nest

Linville Ridge

Banner Elk Customer Photos

Delivered to NC Homes

Photos of Kent Paulette’s paintings that were delivered to customers’ homes throughout North Carolina.

Shipped Out of State

Photos of Kent Paulette’s paintings that were shipped to customers’ homes in other states.

Live Painting

Live Painting by artist Kent Paulette in downtown Banner Elk, North Carolina. Prior to 2020, in the summer and warmer months, he set up his easel and painted outside in front of diners at the Sorrento’s outdoor patio. He discussed his work with onlookers and took them on tours of Kent Paulette Art Gallery’s exhibit spaces in downtown Banner Elk, NC. He often gave little impromptu art lessons to kids who were watching him paint. At night, he set up his easel and painted by firelight near Sorrento’s outdoor fire pits. In the winter and colder months, he set up his easel inside of Sorrento’s Banner Elk Italian restaurant in their reception area. Paulette now paints exclusively at his home studio surrounded by nature and beautiful mountain views.

Live painting in Banner Elk during a beautiful sunset.  Artist Kent Paulette is working on a Mountain Landscape painting outside at Sorrento's Italian Bistro.
Barra fire pit and Sorrento's outdoor patio at night with artist painting live in downtown Banner Elk, NC.  Three young adults sit around the fire.  On the artist's easel is a painting of tango dancers.

During Shane Chalke’s BE Jazz Night at Chef’s Table, Paulette set up his easel next to the jazz band and painted music and dance related subjects. He loved painting to live music. It got him to start dancing and that gave the style of the painting more movement. He painted live at the Woolly Worm Festival in Banner Elk, North Carolina. Paulette painted live at Linville Ridge during their event featuring local art galleries. He has painted at Elk River Club during their charity auction and golf events. He painted at Linville Falls Mountain Club during their opening event featuring Bob Timberlake. He painted during Avery County Wine & Beer Festival next to the live band. He painted the large winery bear and many others at Banner Elk Winery inside their tasting room and outside by their fire pit next to the live musician.

There are a large number of people collecting Kent Paulette’s work in the North Carolina High Country. His large bear paintings hang over many fireplaces in homes throughout the region. His paintings of mountain landscapes, elk, and horses are also particularity popular.

Nature plays an important role in Paulette’s artwork even when he painted in the “big city” of Banner Elk. He brought creek water with him from home to add to the paint when he stained the canvas on the first layers. When it snowed, he stuck his face in the snow before he painted just like he does in the creek when he’s painting at his home studio. When he came to town, he slept in an apartment above the Banner Elk Art Gallery. He sometimes woke up and before getting dressed, went outside to lay down in the cold snow. It woke up his spirit and got him ready for a day of making art!

He has also exhibited in the past at The Great Train Robbery, Banner Elk Olive Oil & Balsamics, and Flat Top Mountain Brewery in Banner Elk, NC. Paulette donated prints for the 2021 Runs for Buns Virtual Auction at Beech Mountain.

Video of Banner Elk Art Gallery

Tar Heel Traveler on WRAL (the NBC TV station in Raleigh) filmed this video at Kent Paulette Art Gallery in Banner Elk, NC. It features interviews and live painting.

Kent Paulette’s Taylor Swift painting is featured in the book Tar Heel Traveler’s Good Eats!. There are also several paragraphs about Paulette and his artwork. Here’s a taste:

“Frank Sinatra stares at me, another mural-sized painting rich in detail, but the detail appears curiously patchwork. It’s not art as smooth brushstrokes, but rather Frank’s image seems formed from a collage, which makes the piece particularly interesting. Sinatra’s blue eyes hold my gaze. Neither of us blink. “I experiment with each one,” Kent says while at work on another piece. He scrapes the canvas in front of him with what looks like small spatula. Scrape! Then he forms zig-zaggy lines with quick aggressive strokes. I wonder how he can be so cavalier with his work — but it works. I witness this latest creation come together; patterns emerge from the colorful abstract.” — from the book Tar Heel Traveler’s Good Eats! by Scott Mason

Kent Paulette on Google Maps

Visit Kent Paulette’s showrooms located in Banner Elk, NC featuring exhibit spaces throughout the downtown area.

Shopping Cart