Community Arts Center in Gloucester, Virginia
Join Jan Finn-Duffy for an adult watercolor class for beginners! Learn basic watercolor techniques and create your own piece of art to frame. No skills or supplies needed! Bring a friend for a fun evening out!
Cost is $40 per student.
Registration deadline is Saturday, October 22 @ 5pm.
Join us for our Annual Juried Exhibition! The opening for the exhibit will take place on October 7th from 6pm-8pm. The show will be on display until October 29th.
The following artists will be featured in the
2022 Annual Juried Show Exhibit:
Gulay Berryman
Joy Black
Anne Brooks
Bob Carlson
George Cramer
Ellen DeMaria
Carolyn Thompson Dudley
Mary Ellis
Holland Wentz Etheridge
Dolores M. Flessner
Elizabeth Flint
Michele Garrigan
Karyn Gallion
Rebecca Grow
Patrice Hobbs
William Hoffman
Mary Ellen Huennekens
James Warwick Jones
Joann Sybil Lawson
Gayle Barbara Merrill
Mel Neale
Ian Pearce
Peg Poole
Juli Schuszler
Karen Schwartz
Mary-Montague Sikes
Janet Southard
E. Sue Sprague
Georgia Sprague
Theresa Wells Stifel
Brenda M. Sylvia
Sarah Wicker
Winners will be announced at the opening. The following prizes will be awarded:
Third Place: $250
Matt Lively is this year’s Juror and Judge. Lively is a sculptor, painter, and muralist living in Richmond, Virginia. He has designed installations, worked on films, and illustrated books. Lively tries to let his work be defined more by an openness to new ideas and opportunities than by working solely in one particular medium. His success over 25 years is a result of learning through mistakes combined with the collective wisdom of others. Collaborating with other passionate people always presents new avenues to explore that Lively believes he would never be able to experience working on his own. Lively makes images that suggest a story without a beginning or end. Learning to stop before the piece reveals too much is the most delicate aspect of his process. When not in his studio, Lively can be found teaching at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts Studio School.
Live music will be provided by the Clan MacCool Band.
Clan MacCool is a highly interactive band that specializes in Irish/Scottish traditional music. They offer an array of Celtic traditional (and not so traditional) songs, tunes, and reels. Pulling from old Celtic music, sea chanties and our own music over the course of nearly two decades, Clan MacCool continues to entertain, educate and enthrall!
The opening will take place on Friday, October 7th from 6:00pm-8:00pm. This event is free and open to the public. Beer and wine will be available for purchase.
Arts on Main will be celebrating women artists with an all-female exhibit, Sugar and Spice, during the month of September. The show will feature regional and local artists. Sugar and Spice will be on display from September 2- October 1. The exhibit opening will take place at First Friday on September 2 from 6:00pm-8:00pm. This event is free and open to the public.
Pam has always experienced the world through her hands as much as through her other senses. This is especially true of her artmaking, where process and experimentation are as important as the final product. Working with clay, especially raku firing, is a balance of control and chaos that appeals to Pam’s need for both order and freedom. Pam’s day job as Executive Director at the Bay School Community Arts Center provides an environment which nurtures her creativity, as she spends her days nurturing others’.
Hanah Hailey was born and raised in Richmond, Virginia and has been creating paintings ever since she could hold a paintbrush. Hanah currently lives on Gwynns Island and finds inspiration all around her; especially through the ocean and the colors of the sunrises and sunsets. She believes that art can heal people and the whole purpose in creating art is to relax and cope with life’s struggles.
Tomoko Hamada is a native Japanese anthropologist and professor emerita of the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, VA. She has been painting flowers and plants in watercolor for several decades. She received botanical art training at Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden and Royal Botanic Gardens Kews in England. Tomoko is a member of American Society of Botanical Artists, and also a Master Naturalist in the Middle Peninsula Chapter of Virginia.
In recent years, she became interested in painting ancient plants of Japan, such as Ohga Lotus, which is included in this Exhibit. While not so well known in the US, lotus has played a significant role in Asian culinary, medicinal, cultural, and religious histories. During the 1920s, Japanese botanist, Prof. Ichiro Ohga of Tokyo retrieved ancient lotus seeds from a muddy pond in Chiba, that proved to be more than 2,000 years old. He successfully germinated some seeds and distributed them. Today hundreds of nelumbo nucifera “Ohga” bloom in famous Japanese ponds. Lotus symbolizes beauty and longevity.
Japanese water iris called Kakitsubata or Iris laevigata grows in shallow waters. Kakitsubata has been cultivated in Japan for more than a thousand years and has been the subject of many famous poems and paintings. For example, Ogata Korin (1658-1716) created elegant folding screens of blue-purple irises blooming in golden pond.
Amie Oliver balances her full time studio practice with teaching and mentorship to artists of all ages. Her experience teaching painting, drawing and mixed media for the MIS Degree and Studio Arts Foundation Program of Virginia Commonwealth University School of the Arts , as a lecturer at John Tyler Community College and an Associate Professor at Longwood College and Mississippi State University has helped many artists find their way pre and post degree. She currently offers art workshops and short courses for adults and teens at the Visual Arts Center of Richmond and other non-profit art centers. Her private studio consultations for artists of every level are rewarding for both the artist and mentor. Amie’s experience teaching in higher education includes summer courses overseas for Tyler School of Art of Temple University and for Mississippi State University at The Glasgow School of Art as well as weekend courses for The Richard Bland College of William and Mary.
Kristin Polich is a fiber artist and passionate art educator living and working in Richmond, VA. She creates delicate fiber pieces that walk the line between drawing and installation. Polich studied art at Hollins University and has continued her education at Penland School of Crafts during her summers off from teaching. She is currently teaching art at Saint Gertrude High School. She has participated in multiple artist residencies and last year had her first solo exhibitions at Artspace Gallery in Richmond and The Petersburg Art League in Petersburg.
Katie Shaw was born in Asheville, NC in 1974. She began her studies at the University North Carolina School of the Arts in Winston-Salem, NC. Shaw received a B.F.A. from Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, Virginia and a M.F.A. in Sculpture from Cranbrook Academy of Art in Bloomfield Hills, MI. Over the past twenty years, she has worked as a practicing artist, educator, and curator. Her work has been exhibited regionally and nationally. She currently resides in Richmond, VA.
From a young age, Blair always knew she wanted a paintbrush in her hand and bright, bold colors in her paintings. Blair graduated from Winthrop University in South Carolina with a B.F.A. in Art with K-12 certification. She is a Coast Guard spouse and a mother of 3. Moving every few years has allowed Blair to explore different climates, terrains, and cultures across the country. Blair grew up in “the country,” surrounded by family who loved the land they lived on and the God who created it; they passed all along to her. Her work is influenced by where she grew up, the people who have influenced her life, the places she has lived, and in recent years, her role as a mother. Blair has always been fascinated with color and loves using as many as she can in her artwork.
Join us at our September First Friday for this wonderful display of floral arrangements interpreted by the students of the Sogetsu School of the Middle Peninsula.
Live music will be provided by Jerry Sowers.
Jerry Sowers is an acoustic singer-songwriter from Newport News, VA. Singing and playing music from the age of 14, he continues to sing traditional as well as original folk music. Audiences enjoy not only his music, but his ability in keeping them both engaged and entertained with song subjects that range from humorous to serious social concerns.
Throughout his career, Jerry has performed in coffee house venues as well as larger auditoriums in several states up and down the East Coast, Ohio and in Michigan. His first CD, ‘Simple and Free’, was recorded and published in 2009 with a balanced mix of original songs and covers.
Jerry’s full-time occupation is teaching music in the Hampton City Schools system, where he has worked with children of all ages to inspire music and creativity in our youth. He also leads the music program in a local Methodist Church in Hampton, VA. Jerry’s two sons and three grandchildren are the pride and joy in his life.
First Friday will be held on Friday, September 2 from 6:00pm-8:00pm. This event is free and open to the public. Beer and wine will be available for purchase.
Studio 101 was designed for our 4–6-year-old community artists. During each class, children will be introduced to different art mediums while learning about art techniques, processes, and artists. Each student must be accompanied by an adult (Mom, Dad, Grandma, Grandpa, etc.) who will stay with them during the class to help their child when needed. This program is a great way to introduce your child to art while making artwork and memories together!
In this Studio 101 class, students will look at “Starry Night” by Vincent Van Gogh. They will discuss the colors, the types of lines, the movement of lines and brushstrokes in the painting. Students will use crayons and watercolors to create their own Starry Night masterpiece. All materials will be provided by the instructor.
Registration deadline: Thursday, March 17 @ 5pm
Cost is $25 per student.
These watercolor workshops are open to artists of all skill levels, from novices to those who want to expand upon their watercolor painting experiences. The atmosphere of each workshop is that of a creative and stress-free learning environment, where students will learn the techniques and tricks of watercolor. It is a launchpad to encourage people to paint on their own after the workshop is over. For those with more watercolor experience, it is an opportunity to work through troublesome areas through thoughtful critique and discussion of ideas for technique. Watercolor, for many, is a life-long love, and the painting exercises are planned so that the skills learned will help artists pursue this beautiful medium.
Dates: as specified below for each workshop
Cost: $110 per student, per class.
Supplies: Bring your own supplies (a supply list is available from Arts on Main), or rent all supplies except watercolor brushes from the instructor for $15 per workshop (all students must bring their own set of brushes). Students who are renting supplies may pay the instructor directly the day of the workshop. The instructor will not have extra brushes to rent. Recommended brush sizes may be found on the general supply list.
Food and Beverage: Please bring your own lunch, snacks and drinks, or plan to get a fast lunch from a local establishment. A refrigerator is available to keep your things cold. There will be a 45-minute lunch break, and snacks may be eaten at your workstation throughout the day.
Reference photos: The instructor will provide photo or painting references from which to paint in each workshop, but students may bring their own theme-related references. An excellent source of copyright-free photos may be found at www.morguefile.com. Students may bring printed copies of what they want to paint, or bring an iPad from which to reference as they paint. (Neither Arts on Main nor the workshop instructor are responsible for loss or damage to electronic devices or other supplies.)
This workshop will stir excitement over small paintings, whether intended to grace the shelves around your home or to be given as gifts over the Christmas holidays. Small paintings are an excellent opportunity to work your dry-brush techniques. There will be an emphasis on the painting of still life compositions, but students may break out of still-life confines to paint whatever they want (bring your favorite photo references). Please bring a couple small frames with you to use for your final paintings. (Suggested mat opening sizes can be 5” x 7” down to 3” x 5”, or you may prefer a square opening of 8” x 8” down to 4” x 4”. Do not feel you have to mat these pieces, so any small frame (no smaller than 3” x 5”) that suits your personality will do. TJ Maxx, Home Goods, Michaels, and Hobby Lobby are excellent sources for small frames). Please make sure you have a couple small size watercolor brushes (such as No. 4 round and No. 1 round).
ABOUT THE ARTIST
In this two day workshop, you will learn how to sketch and paint everything from trees and roots to birds and flowers in this painting class of the natural world. Then watch as the instructor shows you how to mix luminous “no mud” color for glorious contrasted backgrounds for your “nature” studies! In this workshop we are going for the “wow” factor to give each simple subject an awesome punch of luminosity. Artists should bring their own favorite photos of nature including background ideas for sky and water. Demonstrations will be in watercolor.
*Supply list will be provided after registration.
Please bring your lunch and beverage or plan to purchase off site. (A refrigerator is available on site.)
Cost is $220 per student for the 2-day workshop.
“When I was twelve, I painted my bedroom purple. And at age five my butterfly drawings had rounded wings, not at all like the “triangle” wings of my first-grade classmates. I didn’t realize until I grew up that God had not only given me a gift as a “creative” who sees the world through artist eyes, but that I was meant to share my gift with others by teaching.
My journey as an artist goes both backward and forward. What has come before as I worked with pencil and paint and what will happen next as I experiment with new ideas and techniques are both my history and my future. My story continues with my new oil and cold wax and transparent watercolor paintings. I love to create an impression of luminosity in my subjects of wildlife and nature and call my style of painting “impressionistic realism”. While balancing good design concepts, my goal is always to render a likeness creatively rather than photo realistically.”
Painting is really fun for me and when I paint I am in my “happy place”! Whether working in oil or watercolor, I begin each painting with a compositional plan of lights and darks in a 2” x 3” pencil sketch. When working in oil on canvas, wood or aluminum panels, I first apply a layer of white acrylic gesso or liquid color such as acrylic transparent ink, colored gesso or watercolor straight from the tube and let it dry. In order to build texture, I mix my oil paint with cold wax medium and apply it with brushes, scrapers, brayers, and palette knives. When working with watercolor the process is similar and I apply the paint with brushes or mix the paint with water and spray or “pour” the paint onto watercolor paper. Working in both mediums, I paint many layers of transparent and opaque glazes that create a “history” of color, brush strokes and texture to create each original “deconstructed” painting.
Activities at Arts on Main are partially funded by the Virginia Commission for the Arts and the National Endowment for the Arts.
