An artistic journey
Two local painters will offer glimpses into the art-making process at Middle Street Gallery in Washington from Aug. 16 through Sept. 8, writes the gallery’s Gary Anthes. The gallery will spotlight their work at a reception on Saturday, August 17, from 3 to 5 p.m.
“What is painting all about?” the two artists ask. “For us, making art begins with an impetus to create something new under the sun . . . something not quite ever seen before.”
But just how “something new” emerges is vastly different for these painters, as they will show at their exhibition, “Less Talk, More Monkey.”
“I begin with swirls of watercolor applied freely and without a conscious goal in mind,” says Anita Zymolka Amrhein of Boston. “I look at this amorphous veil of color and begin to see figures of all sorts of creatures — animals and human — with which I populate my work. I create a world that reveals more and more detail the longer one looks.”
Sperryville painter Linda Croxson, on the other hand, begins with a definite plan — a drawing of a still life, a portrait or a landscape. “I then immediately find the plan in need of major rehabilitation,” she explains. “So begins a process of seemingly endless scraping down and repainting which — since I work in oil — can go on indefinitely, until I realize that a new form has emerged and I recognize something both unexpected and absolutely right.”
Other members of the artists' co-operative will also show works during the period. The gallery is located at 325a Middle Street in Washington. Hours are FridaySunday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Call 540-675-1313 or visit www. middlestreetgallery.org