June 2024 First Friday
Locals: Scenes and Artists
featuring
Jason Abbott, Carolyn Thompson Dudley, Thomas Ema, Rick Griffin, Patrice Hobbs, Lawrence Hollingsworth, Rose Nygaard, Stacey Posner, Juli Schuszler, David Stifel, Kathryn Swanson, Brenda Sylvia, and Wolf Vogelbein.
Opening Reception: Friday, June 7
6:00pm - 8:00pm
Arts on Main’s June show highlights the beauty and talent of the Middle Peninsula by featuring images of local scenes or art by local artists. Using fiber, glass, monotype, paint, pottery, and more, these artists showcase the diversity of local artistic expression and the vibrancy of the year-round Gloucester arts scene. A portion of this show will also feature works from the Gloucester Arts Festival's Paint Main event, scheduled for Saturday, June 1. Don't miss your chance to see this exciting and unique collection of local art!
The opening of the exhibition will take place at Arts on Main on Friday, June 7 from 6-8pm. Light refreshments will be served and beer + wine will be available for purchase. Live music will be provided by the Harris Creekers. The show will be on display at Arts on Main until Saturday, June 29th.
Many Thanks to our Monthly Exhibit Sponsor, Cook Foundation!
ABOUT THE ARTISTS
JASON ABBOTT
Jason Abbott – “Art has always played a major role in my life. It wasn’t until recently that I decided to share my art. I am a self-taught artist. I have spent my life experimenting, learning, and building my technique. My desire is to create art that evokes an emotion in the observer.”
CAROLYN THOMPSON DUDLEY
Carolyn Thompson Dudley – “My artwork comes from my perception of the landscape and the people around me. Whether it be through realistic or abstract representation, the goal of my work is to not only document my experience in a setting but to create an experience for the viewer as well.
THOMAS EMA
Thomas Ema is an Associate Member of the Oil Painters of America who captures dramatic light to make the ordinary look extraordinary.
“Having grown up in Williamsburg, Virginia, I have a deep appreciation for history and enduring values.” My passion for painting began while a fine art major at Virginia Tech painting watercolor landscapes of the Blue Ridge Mountains. After transferring to the Kansas City Art Institute, my artistic training found its sharp focus studying Bauhaus design and receiving a BFA (Design) in 1979.
In 1982, I moved to Denver, Colorado and started and managed my own design firm, Ema Design Inc. for over 30 years. Signature projects included annual reports for dozens of corporations including Coors, signage projects for the Denver Botanic Gardens, and exhibition design for the Denver Art Museum. In 2006, I began taking oil painting classes and exhibiting at the Arvada Art Center, The Art Students League of Denver, and the Denver Art Museum. I have also taken several workshops with renowned painter Tim Horn in Scottsdale, Arizona and Monhegan Island in Maine.
RICK GRIFFIN
I am a Forensic Psychologist in private practice and I live in Gloucester on the Ware River with my wife Gail. About ten years ago I enrolled in art classes at Gloucester Arts on Main and received instruction in various mediums such as oil, watercolor, acrylics and began exploring various subject matter. As an avid sailor, boater and oyster grower I have a natural interest in anything that happens on or in the Chesapeake Bay. My subjects have ranged from catamarans to crabs. I love nature and enjoy immersing myself in the outdoors as often as possible. As I psychologist I have an innate interest in people and, consequently, portrait painting has had a strong pull for me as well.
PATRICE HOBBS
Patrice retired after 40 years working as an electron microscopist at William & Mary’s Virginia Institute of Marine Science, with a focus on fish pathology and harmful algal bloom species. She has been a life-long artist, studying art in high school and as an undergrad at Virginia Tech where she earned a B.S. in Biology. She has done scientific illustrations for the Virginia Sea Grant, The Beach Book, Science of the Shore written by her husband, Dr. Carl Hobbs, and illustrated multiple children’s historical fiction books written by Emilee Mason. An intense interest in the diversity in plant structure led to enrollment in the Certification in Botanical Illustration program at the Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden, which she completed in November of 2021. She is currently a member of the Botanical Art Society of the National Capital Region and the American Society of Botanical Artists. She is currently an instructor with Rogue Flora Salon in Henrico, Virginia, where she tutors in watercolor and works to promote an appreciation of the natural world through the discipline of botanical illustration.
LAWRENCE HOLLINGSWORTH
Lawrence Hollingsworth, a native of Norfolk, Virginia, derived his inspiration to paint from Country and Coastal landscapes and museum visits during his travels as an antiques importer in Europe and the U.K. He studied the styles and painting techniques of a wide range of past and present painters such as Turner, Corot, Courbet and Schmid, et.al. His primary medium is oil on canvas or linen and has patrons both in the Continental U.S. and Europe. He received his Doctorate Degree from the College of William and Mary in Virginia and he currently resides in Gloucester, Virginia.
ROSE NYGAARD
Rose enjoys figurative, still life, and abstract painting and printing. She also experiments with collage as another way of expressing ideas and emotions. She works in different mediums; working boldly with color and shape. The design of the work relies on the color, shape, and weight of pigment and how it affects the visual and visceral reaction of the artist. An Award-winning acrylic painter, Rose teaches an ongoing series of acrylic classes.
STACEY POSNER
Stacey Posner – “I love the feel of the clay, the creativity of it, the ability to reproduce the natural beauty that surrounds us, particularly in Virginia. I like to focus on nature; beautiful plants, birds, animals that I can incorporate into pottery with carving, painting, or texture. I also like to make pottery that is strong and functional. It’s meant to be used and enjoyed every day.”
DAVID STIFEL
David Stifel is a glass artist who owns and operates York River Glassworks in Gloucester, Virginia. He is professionally trained and continues to expand his artistic pratice and class portfolio. Arts on Main is delighted to have David as one of its long standing Gallery Artists and teachers.
JULI SCHUSZLER
Juli Schuszler is a Gloucester artist known for her vibrant and dramatic oil masterpieces showcasing the beauty of the natural world. A passion for color is evident in Juli's paintings, inspired by an ongoing love of nature and gardening. Much of Juli’s inspiration comes from her garden. Juli works from real life observations and her own reference photos, focusing on the play of light and shadow, creating drama and visual interest in her art. Often working on large canvases, Juli paints carefully and slowly, creating numerous layers of paint, building as she goes. Juli says, “I like to search for striking and dramatic light in the images that I collect for my references…. I want to transport the viewer to a beautiful world of color and light with my paintings, to take them into a garden of delight!” Anyone can see that the common thread through all her artwork is a love of color and light. Retired from careers in commercial art and then in teaching Art and English in public school, college, and university, Juli now pursues her own art in her home studio. Her artworks are featured in the Bay School for the Arts, The Charles H. Taylor Art Center, and the Crossroads Art Center as well as the RAL Art Center Gallery.
KATHRYN SWANSON
Kathryn “Kate” Swanson’s love of art began at an early age with art classes starting when she was about five years old. Since then, she has explored a wide variety of media including painting, drawing, pastel, pottery, glass, and fiber. Today, she primarily works in fiber, embracing a medium and technique that she has loved since elementary school. She sees her weaving as a meditative practice that is both calming and exhilarating, and she loves creating works of art that are aesthetically pleasing and often functional. Taking the cloth off the loom and realizing that she’s transformed yarn into handwoven art is one of her favorite parts of being an artist. When she is not weaving, Kate is the Executive Director of Gloucester Arts on Main.
BRENDA SYLVIA
Brenda Sylvia is passionate about the beauty of nature. It feeds her soul. The act of painting outside and experiencing nature firsthand is an integral part of Brenda’s artwork. She often begins her paintings on location which strengthens her connection to the place which has inspired her. Brenda interprets the landscape she loves which encourages people to feel a deeper connection to the scenes she paints. In 2008, Brenda moved to the US Virgin Islands where she lived and painted for nine years. Living in the bright light of the tropics influenced her artwork by feeding her obsession with color. In 2017 she returned to Virginia where she is again surrounded by inspiring landscapes. Brenda often paints scenes from the shores of the Chesapeake Bay and the nearby rural farming communities. In designing her paintings she combines subjects and enhances colors to express her vision. Brenda is always pushing to further discover her creative voice and LOUDLY expressing it with paint.
Wolf Vogelbein
Wolfgang Vogelbein, a former professor at the Virginia Institute of Marine Science, has built a life on the parallels he draws between science and art—and his life-long search for the truth that lies within each discipline.
“For me, the ultimate goal in scientific research and art has always been about finding the truth,” he says. “Both involve problem-solving and using creativity and innovation to reach a masterpiece, which takes a culmination of years of experimentation.”
Live music will be provided by the Harris Creekers.
Many Thanks to our Monthly Music Sponsor, Cook Foundation!