December 17, 2021 – The Art League

We Need Your Help!

Donating framed/gallery ready artwork to the Patrons’ Show is a great way help the Art League in an immediate and substantial way. Each donated work is an essential part of the fundraiser. We could not do it without YOU!

We are in great need of framed or gallery-ready works. (We will still accept unframed pieces (very gratefully!!) from those who donate two or more framed works.) However, the more works that come in ready to hang, the quicker we can get the works installed for our patrons to view!

We are accepting donations during our open hours, which are Wednesday through Saturday, 11 am – 5 pm, and Sunday, noon – 5 pm. For updates on any gallery closing due to winter weather or Covid-19, please check our website.

The deadline for submitting artworks to be considered for awards is Friday, February 4th. The deadline for submitting artworks to be used in the Patrons’ Show is Wednesday, February 16th.

Who is eligible to donate artworks?

We will gratefully accept donations from current Exhibiting Artist members, Art League School faculty, and Torpedo Factory Art Center artists. We will also accept donations under certain special circumstances from artists/donors who do not fall into the above categories. Please don’t hesitate to contact the gallery if you have questions about donating artworks!

How do I donate artworks?

Bring your donations by the Art League Gallery anytime during our open hours (currently Wed-Sat 11:00am-5:00pm, Sun 12:00pm-5:00pm.) We have donation tags for you to fill out which include the following information: your name, the artwork’s title, medium, dimensions, and value. (Value is for our internal records.)

Announcing the 2022 Artist Award Winners! Juried awards by Jack Rasmussen

Best in Show: $3500
determined by Patrons’ Show judge

Winner: Cristy West “Notes for a Poem”

Faculty Award: $2500
determined by Patrons’ Show judge

Winner: Delna Dastur “Plowed”

Torpedo Factory Artist Award: $1000
determined by Patrons’ Show judge

Winner: Beverly Ryan “The Crossing III”

Collector Award: $1000
first artwork chosen/drawn for the evening

Winner: Sheep Jones “Root Vegetables”

Collector Award: $1000
second artwork chosen/drawn for the evening

Winner: Justin Worrell “Virginia”

Collector Award: $1000
third artwork chosen/drawn for the evening

Winner: Cynthia Richmond – “Old Stripes”

Special Recognition Awards

Geri Gordon Award: $500
awarded to artist chosen in the First Choice Raffle

Winner: Marcel “Four July”

Brenda B. Kollman Award for 3D Artwork: $500
determined by Patrons’ Show judge

Winner: Lillian Ding “Swan Impression”

Marian Van Landingham Award: $500
determined by Patrons’ Show judge

Winner: Jinny Isserow – “Rosey Lee Tompkin”

Honorable Mentions

determined by Patrons’ Show judge

Sweta Shah – “Soul”

Tara Barr – “Houseplant #2”

James Symons – “Redhead”

The Patrons’ Show is The Art League’s biggest fundraising event of the year, providing seasoned art collectors and newcomers alike with the excellent opportunity to acquire high-quality, original fine art at a bargain price while supporting a great non-profit organization and community of artists. For each ticket drawn, ticketholders go home with a work of art valued anywhere from $225 to upwards of thousands of dollars. For information on purchasing tickets, click here.

In light of continuing restrictions surrounding COVID, we’re keeping a VIRTUAL format so nobody misses out on this perennial favorite! (Works will be installed in the gallery for in-person viewing, beginning in late January.)

"Christmas Cactus," by Margitta Hanff, is on view in the December Open Exhibit.

Welcome to Artful Weekend, our guide to fun and interesting ways to enjoy art in person or virtually.

This weekend: Cindy Grisdela: Dreaming in Color, Petite December 2021, and member show at the League; three League artists open at The Athenaeum; Holiday Sparkle at Reston Art Gallery; and Jane Kell’s abstract paintings at Amy Kaslow Gallery.

December 2021 Open Exhibit

*Jimi Hendrix* by Ganbaatar Choimbol; Watercolor.

Our final member show of the year, the December Open Exhibit, is now on view. It was juried by Touchstone Gallery Director Ksenia Orol. Open exhibits are a great way to view the breath of mediums and styles of our member artists. This month’s Best-in-Show winner is Jimi Hendrix by Ganbaatar Choimbol, a colorful 22 × 30 × 1 in watercolor that captures the rock legend’s style from his ruffled shirt and paisley bellbottoms, to his pointy toed boots.

*Spare Parts* by Cristy West; Media Oil and cold wax on paper.

Several mixed media artworks made it into this exhibit including Cristy West’s abstract Spare Parts ; Suzanne Yurdin’s figurative abstract Roots; and Donald Cicconi’s figurative Nude on Red Couch.

Lines by Pam Gregory; Book pages, grommets, copper wire, metal frame, and dried vines.

Lines by Pam Gregory, an assemblage of book pages, grommets, copper wire, metal frame, and dried vines is interestingly complex.

Locked up and Trying to be Creative by Christopher Malone; Mixed Media Mosaic, low fire ceramic

Bunny with Carrot by Keith Fairbrother; Mixed Media, clay, glaze, and yarn

Rounding out the category are two sculptures: Christopher Malone’s mosaic Locked up and Trying to be Creative and Keith Fairbrother’s sparse, playful Bunny with Carrot. The December Open Exhibit is on view through January 2.

Dreaming in Color: Textured Shapes by Cindy Grisdela

Fiber artist Cindy Grisdela presents “Dreaming in Color: Textured Shapes”, a solo exhibit of intricate quilts, lush in texture and lively in color. Grisdela uses machine stitching to bring her complex compositions and expressive fabrics to life. RSVP to an artist talk with Cindy on December 17th from 5 to 6 pm here!

Petite December 2021

“Bass Man” by Barbara Wilson; White Stoneware, Underglazes, Hand Painting

Our tiniest exhibition of the year is on view! Petite December 2021 showcases miniature works—paintings, prints, ceramics, photography, and glass— available for immediate purchase during the holiday season and priced at $150 and under. Just one more reason to make The Art League Gallery your holiday shopping destination! Pictured here: Bass Man by Barbara Wilson.

In the Garden: Mike Francis, Pattee Hipschen, Bobbi Pratte

*In The Garden* (detail), by Bobbie Pratte, acrylic paint on canvas, 41” x 26”

Congratulations to League instructors Mike Francis, Pattee Hipschen, and Bobbi Pratte on In the Garden, their new exhibition exploring the theme of gardens real and imagined at The Athenaeum! Mike Francis’s paintings explore the relationship between prismatic color and artists’ pigment, methods and materials, and avoiding artifice. Pattee Hipschen’s oil paintings are delivered with a distinctive style of bright and intense color and can be found internationally in both private and corporate collections. Bobbi Pratte uses nature as a jumping off point for her evocative and personal way of seeing the landscape. It opens Sunday, December 16, with an evening reception from 4 – 6 p.m. (masks and proof of vaccination are required). It is on view through January 23; 201 Prince Street, Alexandria, VA.

Holiday Sparkle

Reston Art Gallery & Studios (RAGS) presents Holiday Sparkle, a show of seasonally themed art —paintings, mixed media, jewelry, art objects, mobiles, cards, and more— created by the gallery’s eight artists. It is open through December 31, on weekends from 10:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m. on Saturdays (except December 25), and from 12:00 until 5:00 p.m. on Sundays. For an appointment to view outside of regular hours, contact the gallery via RestonArtGallery.com. Also through December, children are invited to take part in free, themed Crafts for Kids on Saturdays from 10:00 a.m. until 12:00 p.m. on the plaza outside of RAGS with “Miss Pat” Macintyre (as she’s known to thousands of families). Rags is located in Lake Anne Village Center, 11400 Washington Plaza West, Reston, VA

Jane Kell: Abstract Light

British painter Jane Kell offers luminous formations in her newest collection called Abstract Light at Amy Kaslow Gallery. “I felt ready to let go of realism and just focus on the color and what I could achieve with it,“ she says. This new body of work—18 large oils on canvas and 11 working sketches—demonstrates the artist’s powerful shift to fully abstract washes of pigment. It is on view through January 30, 4300 Fordham Road NW.

Looking for unique gifts for art lovers on your list? Our Gallery 75 has got you covered. There’s lots to choose from including farmed and unframed pieces (some as low as $45), sculpture, and seasonal and any occasion greeting cards. Come by in person, or view and shop our offerings online.

Enjoy the weekend!

Day: December 17, 2021

The Patrons’s Show Fundraiser 2022 – Information for artists