Please join us for holiday shopping in scenic Loudoun County!

Join nearly two dozen artists in their Lovettsville area studios on November 11 and 12 for the seventh annual Catoctin Holiday Art Tour: a weekend of beautiful scenery, friendly folks, and local art.

This relaxing driving tour leads visitors down some of western Loudoun’s prettiest country roads, to homes and studios in the thriving artists’ community of Lovettsville.

Visitors meet the artists where they work and have the opportunity to buy affordable art and gifts in advance of the holiday shopping rush.

Many studios feature food and wine from local businesses as well. Small enough to do in an afternoon, with art of a caliber to merit a day trip from DC.

All studios open 10am – 6pm both days.

Nature’s Pharmacy: Plants that Heal
The Botanical Art Society of the National Capital Region
On Display: November 1 – December 13
The Botanical Art Society of the National Capital Region is a chapter of the American Society of Botanical Artists with over 100 members in Virginia. BASNCR promotes an appreciation of botanical art and supports educational activities focusing on botanical awareness. Their exhibits showcase the beauty of nature, as well as the science of botanical art while utilizing a variety of media such as watercolor, graphite, and colored pencil. Nature’s Pharmacy fuses this passion for science and the beauty of nature by emphasizing plants with historic medicinal purposes.

Meet the artists at the reception, November 11, 2-4 pm.
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Greater Manassas/Prince William County sponsors theatrical productions for children and adults, teaches arts classes, promotes visual arts and provides community outreach programs for local youth. Founded in 1984 by a group of artists and art lovers, the Center aims to enrich the quality of life in the Northern Virginia suburbs through arts performance and education. A theater, an art gallery and classrooms are located in the historic Candy Factory building in Old Town Manassas, at 9419 Battle Street.

Les Yeux du Monde will feature for its final show of 2017, Dean Dass, one of the most important mainstays of the gallery since its inception 23 years ago. Dass, an influential professor of printmaking at the University of Virginia since 1985 is well known regionally, nationally and internationally for his handmade books, unique prints and sublime oil paintings. His work has been exhibited throughout the United States and abroad and has been the recipient of countless prestigious awards and fellowships.

For this show, Dass will exhibit new oil paintings of rivers and birds that employ centuries old painting techniques and innovative prints that alchemically combine homemade papers with pigments, inkjet, gold leaf and more. Throughout the seemingly diverse media his works wield a strange and subtle power. Subjects range from slices of untamed nature and massive cloud forms to vulnerable creatures of the earth—humans, birds, fawns, bears. His empathetic renderings conjure awe, mystery and meditation about our relation to our fellow creatures, nature, time and the cosmos.

The opening is on Friday, November 17 from 5 – 7 p.m. The gallery will also have for sale at special prices some of Dean Dass’s outtakes and rarities that he unearthed for his summer Studio Moving Sale for Small Business Saturday, November 25, and throughout Thanksgiving weekend. There will be a lunch with the artist on Wednesday, December 6 (reservations required, $15). The gallery is located at 841 Wolf Trap Road in Charlottesville. Hours are Thursday through Sunday 1 – 5 and by appointment. Call 434-882-2620 or 434-973-5566 for more information or visit our website at LYDM.co.

It’s a brand New Year and here’s a great way to get into the revolutionary spirit. Take the Second Saturday tour on the Rappahannock County Artisan Trail. Stretch your artistic muscles, learn about herbs, enjoy musical entertainment, and dine on delectable food and drink. Take home a good book, a bottle of wine, an herbal mix, a piece of your own art or other unique products! For details on activities at eight different Trail sites:
https://rappahannockcountyartisantrail.com/

The Middleburg Arts Council (MAC) is proud to present “Love in the Burg,” a juried exhibit of regional artists at the Artists in Middleburg (AiM) gallery at 102 West Washington St. Middleburg, VA throughout the month of February. Opening Reception and Artist Talks are February 10, 2 PM – 5 PM. AiM gallery hours are Wednesday-Sunday, 12-5 PM

Each year the MAC sponsors a juried art show to celebrate local artisans, as well as to further promote Middleburg as a true art destination town. This year artists submitted artwork inspired by their love of the area and the art it inspires.

About the Juror: Susan Byrne is the owner of The Byrne Gallery in Middleburg, VA. She has worked hard to share and display works from hundreds of artists for more than 20 years with an unwavering passion and respect for their talent.

About the MAC: MAC is made up of volunteers appointed by the Middleburg Town Council. Its mission is to create opportunities for the entire community to value, participate and benefit from the arts in the historic town of Middleburg, Virginia.

Please join us for the closing celebration for Millicent Young: Cantos for the Anthropocene & Kris Iden: Pelago d’Aria with a conversation between Millicent Young and Christopher Yates, Ph.D. on Sunday, February 11 at 3 p.m.

Please call or consult our website for details. LYDM.CO and 434-973-5566/434-882-2620 or email LYDMGallery@gmail.com

Les Yeux du Monde will present Three Voices: Pam Black, Sally Bowring & Lou Jordan in the main gallery and Judy McLeod: Recent Work in the rear gallery from 17 February through 25 March 2018. There will be an opening reception with the artists on Saturday, February 17, from 3 – 5 p.m. There will also be a Lunch with Artists on Wednesday, April 16 (reservations required, $15) and a Closing Reception on Sunday, March 25 from 2 – 4 followed by a talk by Judy McLeod about her recent work.

Pam Black, who teaches at the University of Virginia in the Drama and Architecture schools, will exhibit paintings from her “Architecture of the Field” series. In these, she literally paints with her fingers in oil her observations of animals, often horses or dogs, in the fields sometimes using hand stitching reminiscent of bridle stitching. This method of working directly without even the intermediary of the brush heightens the freshness and intimacy of the scene.

Sally Bowring a professor at Virginia Commonwealth University will exhibit her high keyed colorful abstractions derived loosely from the natural world—weather, changing seasons and light patterns. Layering organic and geometric forms and subtle veils of color with strong contrasts in a square format, her works “allude to cycles, unpredictability, things seen and hidden and the repetition of life.”

Lou Jordan will exhibit exuberant paintings and collages that were inspired by her recent time in Rome at the American Academy. In many she combines palette paper and other textures to create energized compositions that bring to mind artists like Matisse and the Fauves.

Judy McLeod’s recent paintings and collages of the earth and other lands inspired by her travels while teaching at Semester at Sea will fill the rear gallery. This show is part of her multi venue 40-year retrospective also taking place at McGuffey Art Center and at Piedmont Virginia Community College in the spring.

The gallery is open Thursday through Sunday 1 – 5 and by appointment. It is located at 841 Wolf Trap Rd in Charlottesville. Visit our new website, LYDM.co or call 434-973-5566 or 434-882-2620 for more information.

Learn more about The Horse and the Camera: From the Judith & Jo Tartt, Jr. Photography Collection at an informal coffee reception and tour on March 3rd. Jo Tartt, Jr. will meet guests and lead a fascinating tour of the exhibition, which features vintage black-and-white photographs taken between 1870 and 1960. Coffee reception in the library at 10:00am, followed by a tour of the exhibition with Jo Tartt, Jr.
Please register to Anne Marie Barnes, the Clarice & Robert H. Smith Educator, at ABarnes@NationalSporting.org, 540.687.6542 ext. 25

Join us for a free sketching session in the Museum! Artists of all ages are invited to sketch alongside local artist and art instructor Alice Porter. Materials are provided.
Please contact Anne Marie Barnes, the Clarice & Robert H. Smith Educator, to register for this program: ABarnes@NationalSporting.org, (540) 687-6542 ext. 25