Middle St. Gallery looks toward Spring
The Middle St. Gallery in Washington will show the works of member-artists Phyllis Northup and Lori Wallace-Lloyd from March 10 through April 16. Their delicately colored and gently rendered watercolors and pastels foretell the arrival of spring in Rappahannock County. The artists will have a reception for the public at the gallery on Sat. Mar. 11 from 3 p.m. until 5 p.m.
Other members of the non-profit artists' cooperative will also show works during the period.
“A Celebration of Spring” shows the delights of the coming season through the eyes of Wallace- Lloyd, a local artist, with her selection of flowers, butterflies, moths, dragonflies, bees, and birds. “The pictures are inspired by nature and historical botanical illustration,” she says, “and they are exquisite in their detail and layering of gouache, watercolor and pastel.”
Northup's watercolors capture signs of spring – leaves beginning to unfurl, wildflowers along local trails, streams and cascades released from winter’s ice. She explains, “How many things there are in nature that occur so briefly that we marvel at them – redbuds in bloom, fireflies, the sound of peepers in the spring, migrating birds moving through. If these things were an everyday occurrence would we pay attention? Would we appreciate them for the miracles they are?”
Both women began making art as children and now specialize in art inspired by nature. As a former military officer stationed in Italy, Wallace-Lloyd studied under the late artist and U.S. Army soldier Virgil Elliot, and she later earned a Master of Fine Arts degree from the Academy of Art University in San Francisco. She has won numerous arts awards and now lives in Castleton.
Northup has worked as both artist and art teacher. She has lived in nine National Parks, including Shenandoah, as part of her husband’s career with the
U. S. National Park Service. “I have such a collection of images in my mind and soul from living in all
of these spectacular places,” she says. “Nature recharges my soul, and I hope that both my art and my teaching will help others see and be open to the beauty of the natural world that surrounds us all.”
Come to Middle Street Gallery to celebrate the season of renewal, when the natural world awakens from its long winter slumber. It is now at 311 Gay Street, lower level, with an entrance on Main St.. The gallery is open Friday, Saturday, and Sunday from 11 a. m. until 5 p. m.