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.
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, an assemblage of book pages, grommets, copper wire, metal frame, and dried vines is interestingly complex.
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.
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!
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.
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.
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
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!
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