A Most Lovely Opening to the Show! Wayne Theatre Gallery August 26, 2024

The Opening gathering was indeed a most lovely time.  Friends, family, supporters of the Wayne Theatre and those just looking to see the art,  all gathered and celebrated with me.  It was such an incredibly supportive feeling evening.

As most people were local, one fun thing was the exclaimed recognition factor of the locations or the 'Where is that??'  

Many people commented on these two collages. The one below has a contemporary photo of Main Street.    

On Main Street - Waynesboro, VA

This one is a retro photo and many people had fun pointing out the shops that are no longer there.

Retro Main Street

A truly lovely couple shared with me that they had recently gotten married right there in the gallery space.  They purchased the Wayne Theatre collage as a remembrance!  A delight!!

Welcome to the Wayne Theatre

I also had interesting chats about the Crow motif in my 'Inner Region' collages.  Apparently, many people are drawn to Crow, so much so,  that a couple of Crow works will be going to new homes.

Urban Woods

As I said in my last post, Liz Moss and her team did a fabulous job of designing the show; one of the first things people commented on.  Everything wonderfully highlighted the pieces.

Here are a pre-show panorama photo.

The Gallery, opening night!   Lovely!!

Delighted Thank Yous to Liz Moss and the Waynesboro Theatre. Thanks to my supporters who came out this Monday - Deb - who always shows up in my life and her Dad, Bruce, Piper, Rose, Kerry, Susan & Kenneth, Bill & Nancy and Perry.  Thank you to all those I got to meet for the first time and chat with that evening.  And always, to my husband Dennis, who is the one that makes all the things behind the scenes happen.  Thank you as well to all my blog friends who sent me congratulations and good vibes.

Most Happy Indeed!

The show is up through November 17th.  Come Visit!  Stop by SVAC, the Shenandoah Valley Art Center, where I am a member. Make it a two-fer!

Or join us in October for the The Waynesboro Fall Foliage Art Show, sponsored by SVAC.  This is an annual juried art and fine craft show.   October 12 & 13th

Till next time!

You're Invited! Please join me at the opening to my Wayne Theatre Gallery space show! Next Monday, 8/26/24

My exciting opportunity is almost here!  I had a preview of the show and Liz Moss and her partner did a fabulous and creative job - naturally! - of designing the show.  

If you are in our area, please do drop by and celebrate with me on Monday, August 26th, 5-7 PM at the Wayne Theatre in Waynesboro, VA.

        Here's the link to the Gallery announcement at  the Wayne Theatre Website. 

        Here's the link to the Waynesboro Theatre Events Page on Facebook.  Say you'll be there!! 

The show is focusing on my 'Regional' collages, anchored in photos of the area, landscapes,  mostly in Waynesboro, but also Staunton and Charlottesville.  As well a group of my 'Inner Region' collages; landscapes of  'inner and other'.

I especially like the 'mural' collage series.  Waynesboro has quite a few fantastic murals and more continue to appear.  Inspiring!  

The mural for this collage, Flowered, is on Main Street, near the Wayne Theatre. Apropos!

Flowered collage
mural by Nils Westergard

From the Wayne Theatre website...in the Exhibit Gallery

From the website...Wayne Theatre, Waynesboro VA

The show will be available through November 18.  So lovely.

Bird Lady of Adams Morgan - a memory collage

In a recent reminiscence with family, I shared the story of the Bird Lady of Adams Morgan. I lived in Washington, DC for a decade.  In 1983, we lived in the Adams Morgan area at 16th & Columbia Road, in the Park Plaza apartments, which are still there, but now as trendy condominiums. Adams Morgan, very hip now,  was then a vibrant, but rather funky area; with a plethora of Ethiopian restaurants and ethnic foods of all types.  My metaphysical bookstore, Synchronicity Bookshop, was at 18th and Wyoming. with a pre-school right across the street.

Along our usual walk home, we often stopped in a small pocket-park on Columbia Road and regularly saw the Bird Lady.  She stood tall and regal and fed the pigeons copious amount of Wonder Bread. She had decorated her dress with empty Wonder Bread wrappers, attached with safety pins. In the winter she had an equally adorned long coat.  She rarely spoke to anyone and did not ask for money.  

My young four year old was quite attracted to her and established a rapport with her. One day I was asked for a quarter to give to the Bird Lady for bread and that became our tradition whenever we came across her. Never more than a quarter, because she said it would be too much.

There are no photos of the actual Bird Lady, only a salute to her in this constructed memory collage.

Bird Lady of Adams Morgan

For Alexander.

Till next time.

Upcoming!!! My show at the Wayne Theatre Gallery space - August 26th thru November 17th, 2024. Fortunate me!!

I'm so excited to share about my upcoming show, here in Waynesboro, Virginia at the Wayne Theatre's Gallery space.  I've written about the Wayne theatre and it's wonderful restoration in a previous post.

I've been working with  Elizabeth 'Liz' Moss of  Rising Star Consulting and Art Services in pulling the show together.  Her insights, clarity and supportiveness are so appreciated.

Screen Shot - Wayne Theatre Gallery @ Wayne Theatre.org

Here's  the link to the Gallery  announcement at Wayne Theatre Website.  

                 The current show appears first, so  scroll down to read my entry.

It would be lovely to see and meet you at the Opening Reception on August 26th, 5-7 pm.  

                Here is a link to the Waynesboro Theatre Events Page on Facebook.  Say you'll be there!!

             

Till next time!!

Nellie Mae Rowe - Remarkable!

I don't recall how I came across Nellie Mae Rowe; sure I was searching for one thing or another. But the vibrancy of her and her art just jumped off the screen for me.  A life-taught artist from Fayette County, Georgia; born on a farm in 1900. She had quite a life travel and went from that farm to the Smithsonian Museum.  

You can read a lot about her life and work, such as at Wikipedia,  but my favorite piece is this one at SoulsRunDeep, where she tells her story in the her own words.

Among the many photos of her, I was most drawn to this one of her standing outside her door and had a wonderful time highlighting and altering it and finding elements from Nellie's work to dance in my collage.  It was a delight feeling simpatico with her and inspired by her.  Thanks Miss Nellie.

Nellie Mae collage

Till another time.

Family Memories

My wonderful Dad, Anthony, passed on July 5 many years ago and my lovely sister, Jacqui, my only sibling, left us on July 11 just three years ago. So now they both resonate in the month of July; bringing memories of them forward, most present.

They shared a strength for living; living life as it came at you. They both had their lives changed by an accident and by illness and yet, they made the most of being alive; even though they suffered losses of what they could do and difference from how they had been.  They kept a sense of humor; albeit a bit dark at times.

They were kind and caring through all that happened to them. They were brave. They were not eager to leave, even as their bodies were most challenged, but slipped away when it came time.  We found they had gently left us and we were not really ready. But then, there isn't really any 'ready'.

Jacqui Rose - She's in the Stars

Sisters

Anthony Vincent

Till another time.

Urban Woods and Sad Hope

I seem to have two versions of my 'Regional' collages.  The outer landscape regions, based literally on the local area and the architecture and the inner regions, emerging from my own interior landscape and the mystical, totemic ones I'm attracted to and resonate with.

Urban Woods was anchored in the image of the woman; her dark cap brought crow feathers to mind. The context I found her in had nothing to do with woods, but the intense dark green of  her dress and her stance, evoked for me the sense of trees and crows; urban woods, not pastoral.

Urban Woods collage

Sad Hope carries just that. A sense of sadness, a touch of worry and overwhelm, with an element of hope that things will move on, a hint of transformation; sheltered from the rain.

Sad Hope Collage

 

My astrologer sister, Jacqui, often commented on the many 'two aspects' I have in my life; some seemingly paradoxical.  She said it was because I was born at  High Noon on a Full Moon. Sure, I'll got with that. It's in the stars.  Or maybe it's just art.

 

 Till  next time.

 

Bye they way, I appreciate the lovely comments I receive about my posts.  I have tried numerous times to get them to populate into the blog space, but so far I've not been successful. But they are forwarded to my email. They often light up my inbox.  Thank you.

All Around Town

My love of what I call 'regional' collage, collage anchored in photographs of buildings and place,  certainly thrives in my town, Waynesboro, Virginia. 

The WayneTheatre was the focus of a fantastic renovation, which turned this vintage theatre into a place for live theatre, music,  film, art and more.

The 'TimeLine' on their website tells the story. The Wayne opened on January 18, 1926, with plans to be a vaudeville/movie house. It advertised itself as the 'finest theatre in the Shenandoah Valley.' It had an orchestra pit with organ, and a small 'Wayne Orchestra' entertained the audience before the program. In 1929, the Wayne installed a 'talking machine' by RCA which allowed the Wayne to show talkies.

In 1999, the owners closed the theatre and deeded the structure to the city of Waynesboro. In 2000, to prevent the demolishing of the Wayne, a group of citizens incorporated the Wayne Theatre Alliance with the goal of renovating the theatre. On March 1, 2016, the Wayne Theatre, historically restored, artistically updated and technologically current, opened to the public as a performing arts center.

Some of the elements in this collage echo the Wayne's journey - from Theda Bara to Johnny Ray. Others are just for fun or caught my eye.

Welcome to the Wayne Theatre collage

                            

 

Wayne Theatre circa 1940

                                    

Waynesboro has also become know for it's plethora of murals. Many are the work of  Nils Westergard and are a major inspiration for me.  This mural on the wall of the Waynesboro Family Y always gives me great pleasure. It is so filled with love in the eyes of the father with his daughter at the Pool.  The Y is near an entrance to the Waynesboro Greenway walk path, where my husband and I walk most days; so it is an almost daily delight.

 

Father and Daughter Love At the Y collage

       

                                                        

Till next time!

More Crow Tarot

When I first posted 'Crow Girl Tarot'  [3/29/24 post], Rose Guterbock, artist extraordinaire, commented that I should do a tarot series. Tarot cards carry meaning and the specific symbolism of each image in this series have yet to reveal themselves to me.  So for now, they are in the realm of your own free-association.

I came across the yellow feather in my images, so my theme of Crow colors continued. The bold yellow moves me.

Yellow Crow Tarot

White Crow Tarot evolved out of a prompt for the May members gallery at Shenandoah Valley Art Center -  SVACart.com.   I think of them as Crow Sisters.

White Crow Tarot collage

For the gallery show, I added an embellished mat; a theme I am enjoying thanks to my good friend Deb Booth, who passed on a supply to me.

White Crow Collage with Embellished Mat

Apparently, the Multiverse has decided it's time for more Tarot in my life, as I recently inherited a vast collection of Tarot cards from my dear friend Michael, who died in December.  A journey awaits me.

Till another time.

Frida with Billie and Tom is in the neighborhood

It's always a bit of fun for me when I am drawn to include known figures in my work.  People who inspire and intrigue me. They bring such a pop of energy.  Sometimes they are anchor of the piece and other times they are just the perfect flourish, the perfect fit.

I came across the Frida Kahlo and Billie Holiday images the same day. They sat there on my desktop and eventually leapt into this collage. I find them most compatible.  The golden dress woman is Louise Brooks, a silent screen star who also had a strong presence.  I especially like Frida in her suited attire. The women with her were her sisters.

Frida and Billie collage

Waynesboro, Virginia, my town, has a great collection of muraled walls. I came across this one recently.  Tom Waits seemed to hold and echo the mural energy just right.

The artist is  Nils Westergard, a well known muralist and we in Waynesboro are fortunate to have other murals by him as well. He calls the mural Commerce Street mural  'After'.

Tom Waits on Commerce Street collage
Waynesboro, Virginia  Series

As always, thanks for looking!

Till next time.