1 – “View from Chatham Heights” is Casey Shaw’s 24″ x 36″ mixed media, consisting of acrylics on canvas and plexi-glass. Copyright Casey Shaw.
2 – Leah Comerford in her workshop. Photo copyright Susan Larson.
3 – Susan Carter Morgan with her letterpress printer. Photo copyright Susan Larson.
4 – Mirinda Reynolds’ second downtown Fredericksburg mural. Photo copyright Susan Larson.
A look back at ten artists and musicians featured on Fredericksburg.Today in 2014.
Leah Comerford
When Leah Comerford was a little girl, she liked to look for shapes and pictures in marble, the way some people look at clouds. As an artist who embellishes gourds and creates necklaces, she uses that same way of looking. Read more at Leah Comerford: A Way of Looking.
Susan Carter Morgan
Susan Carter Morgan shares her love of writing through workshops at Water Street Studio. “We focus on strengths and not weaknesses,” she said of her classes. The language used in critiquing can create an environment that makes people feel safe, and stimulates creativity, she said. She also creates with words using her letterpress printer. Read her story at Susan Carter Morgan: Words as Art.
Charles Riley
Charles Riley loves art and literature. He incorporated both into his October 2014 featured exhibit at Art First Gallery. “For this show, “States of Consciousness,” I thought I would do something other than pleasing line and color,” Riley said. “I wanted to focus more on the human condition and related states of mind.” He explains in States of Consciousness: An Exhibit by Charles Riley.
Linda Warshaw
Artist and equestrian Linda Warshaw often features horses in her work. When she was invited to participate as a vendor at the James River Driving Association’s 2014 Pleasure Carriage Driving Show, she realized she hadn’t produced much on the subject of carriage driving. “I believe necessity is the mother of invention,” Warshaw said. “I remembered the cartoons I used to draw for our veterinarian to use on Christmas cards, and that sparked [an] idea . . . Read about her resulting whimsical book: Linda Warshaw’s New Book Cartoons the World of Carriage Driving
Mirinda Reynolds
“The Battle of Fredericksburg in 1862 was a pivotal moment in the Civil War,” Mirinda Reynolds said. “More than 17,000 soldiers died right here, from the river up to Marye’s Heights. This mural is a way to honor them.” Reynolds Honors the Fallen with Second Downtown Mural.
Sandra Kennelly
Sandra Kennelly earned an art degree at Berkeley, and spent years painting abstract oils and acrylics in the style of Hans Hoffman, a German-born American abstract expressionist painter popular during her college years. But it was motherhood that may have most significantly influenced her career. She tells her story in Sandra Kennelly: Pictures That Tell A Story.
Casey Alan Shaw
Fredericksburg artist Casey Shaw, known for his iconic scenes of the city, held his first featured exhibit at Art First Gallery in November. “This is, by far, the largest number of new works I’ve ever created at one time,” Shaw said. Fredericksburg Sketches: New Works by Casey Alan Shaw included an idea he’s been considering for years.
Water Street Studio
It is not necessarily the physical location on Sophia along the Rappahannock River that makes Water Street Studio a hidden treasure; it’s what the artists have created inside this space. One of the first differences you notice between this studio and other studios or galleries in downtown Fredericksburg is that these three artists work here full-time. Together, the partners’ collaboration has created a business that is a working art studio, a creative writing center, an art gallery, an art learning center and a special events location. Read more at Water Street Studio Trio Creates Dynamic Arts Center.
Robyn Ryan
Ryan is inspired by living things; their mystery, complexity, shapes, movement, energy, personality, environment and relationships with each other. She often captures her subjects in candid moments and glimpses frozen in time for the viewer to ponder. Review her 2014 featured exhibit at Wild Things: New Works by Robyn Ryan.
Karen Jonas
“I went back and forth on which album I should review, but the one I kept coming back to was Karen Jonas’ Oklahoma Lottery,” said Josh Schott on the music blog Country Perspective. “Several of the fellow critics I respect have given this album high praise and I was eager to give it a listen to see if it meets these high expectations. Does it meet these expectations? No. It exceeds them!” Read the album review: Karen Jonas’ Oklahoma Lottery Leaves Me Near Speechless.
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