The meaning behind my work is simple- just the love of nature and the desire to bring the peacefulness and beauty it exudes inside the home. I am intrigued with the patterns and colors found in nature and strive to recreate them in my work. My current prints are more abstract than my previous work and I am enjoying the freedom of abstraction. They are colorful and wild, and therefore perfectly pay homage to my inspiration- flowers.

I am drawn to collagraph printing because of the unexpected results that it can produce. I may have an idea of how the print will come out, but my favorites are usually the ones that surprise me. I make the printing plates from found objects- sometimes natural elements such as grasses and leaves, sometimes recycled items like cereal boxes and plastic packing straps. When printing the plates, I overlap the textures and colors until I get something I like.

Due to the experimental way that I print, I make a lot of bad prints. Over the years I started making collages from my unsuccessful prints. This series of flower collages is the first time that I printed with the intention of making collages from them. I start by making the background textures- some are simple and some are as many as 6 or 7 runs through the press. I then print the flowers and start the process of tearing and assembling the collages. Since this is my first series of intentional collages, I am excited to see where this idea will lead me… 

Tenley Beazley's oil and encaustic images collage layers of nature together. Her work seems both fragile and robust at the same time, demanding quiet contemplation. Tenley is very active in the Richmond community bringing art opportunities to children and helping them to discover the beauty she finds in everyday life.

Dolan Geiman is a nationally recognized mixed media artist creating original paintings, collages, constructions, and limited-edition reproductions. Produced from salvaged wood, found objects, and other recycled materials, Geiman's eco-friendly artwork emerges from a folk art tradition infused with a contemporary, urban style. Motifs such as rural America, woodland creatures "specifically birds," and country music are popular and reoccurring themes, creating an artwork that introduces a modern aesthetic while remaining true to its rustic roots.

http://www.dolangeiman.com

Inspired by a quote from Brice Marden "line is an organism of growth," Abbey Wilson's art draws the eye in through one streak and leads it into an endless web. Unsure where to enter, the viewer becomes even more unsure where to maze. Caught in a spinning web, Wilson considers these lines organisms of growth: "one line feeds off of another, creating pathways of growth that are continuous. The patterns and relationships that I observe fascinate me and fuel the imagery used throughout my work."  

The glass objects and environments that I create serve as activators and preservations that speak about identity, history, memory, and tradition. I am interested in how values and traditions evolve and linger. My works act as a resuscitator between old and new, while often challenging and marrying different processes of manipulating glass. My characterizations, plots, and settings, are inspired by wandering and witnessing Rural America. The careful and directed orchestration of objects both found and made imply time, place, and persona within my constructed environments. The delineation between fact and fiction within my works becomes blurred. The distortion and illumination of “southern experience” and history is wrenched from its normal continuity and is presented a new. 

Laura Pharis's art combines a dreamlike state with an intense sense of wonder. Born and raised in Roanoke, Virginia, Pharis teaches studio art at Sweet Briar College where she specializes in drawing and printmaking. In 2000 she was named Virginia Artist of the Year by the Richmond Women's Caucus for the Arts.

Rob Tarbell's Struggles series confronts the nostalgia of stuffed animals with new narratives. Remnants of stuffed animals infused with procelain slip and fired, these memories are literally cremated, preserved, and transformed in subject, concept and material. As Tarbell explains,  "the name, Struggles, sounds like a familiar brand name and references the stuffed animal's path from found object to art object."

Kathryn Henry-Choisser explains "There are particular moments which temporarily illuminate the underlying complexities of life. They occur in thought, dreams, interaction, and day to day experience. The challenge of recreating, either symbolically or representationally, the images associated with these moments is what compels me to paint."  She certainly excels at the challenge, inviting you to glimpse at life's small moments.

About the Artist:  
I grew up in the suburbs of Buffalo, New York but spent most of my adult life living in the city (Cambridge, Ma.) We decided it was time to move when the house was falling down around us and the mice were taking over the kitchen. We now live in the country (Western Pennsylvania) on seven acres in an almost funky house that looks a bit like an ihop.

About her Work:
My pieces are fairy tales for the modern world. Like most folktales their story isn’t always revealed on first glance. They are (I hope) engaging enough to catch your eye again and again. Part of their charm is the tension between sweet and not so sweet. I use elements of cartoons, animation stills, dreams, and other references to weave my stories. To root the pieces in the world I use a fairly classical visual aesthetic.

They are made from basswood that is cut, stacked, shaped and carved using a bandsaw, rotary tool and sander. Elements are made from various materials and added to the structure which is then painted with multiple layers of paint, graphite and drawing.

Nicole Licht's creations are uniquely hand stitched with carefully selected materials. Soft sculptures that may double as keepsakes or toys, her work delights children and adults alike. And her beautiful embroidery and designs are sure to impress even the sewing aficionados.

An intimate look inside Maggie's house. Needle felted plant life housed in vintage containers. A perfect representation of the wonderful world of Maggie Smith.