Spring brings new art to Anne Arundel County
Spring and art are a marriage made in heaven. The season encourages new beginnings, and art inspired by spring provides the impetus to help propel us forward, with strokes and colors that trigger joy in the brain.
Compare your experience of viewing a painting of a spring day to that of a meditative piece with mostly dark shades. Both can be moving and enlightening, but the physical experience is vastly different.
Combining the stimulus of the emotional experience with deeper understanding through interaction and dialogue helps us to create new pathways to discovery. Meeting artists in their studios, learning how to place art in your home, and experiencing art from other cultures creates wonderful new possibilities. So much to do!
The Maryland Federation of Art is launching its inaugural In-Person Studio Tours and Exhibit. From 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., April 30 and May 1, select artists in Anne Arundel County will have the doors of their studios open to the public. Recognizing the incredible talent of regional artists, as well as the desire of residents and visitors to meet them, this program brings together actively working artists and potential collectors in the artists’ studio environments.
Each studio tour artist will have two pieces on display at Circle Gallery from April 14 through May 1, with a reception at Circle Gallery from 4 to 6 p.m., April 23. For studio tour information: mdfedart. com/studiotours/. Artists will also have their work on display at 49 West from April 1 through April 26, with a reception at 49 West from 5 to 7 p.m., today.
The Galleries of Quiet Waters Park presents juried paintings from the Annapolis Watercolor Club in both Galleries through May 8. “A Brush with Springtime,” showcases the varied works and techniques of watercolor done by beginners through professionals. Juror Mick McAndrews will present awards given by the Friends of the Arts at the opening reception at the Visitors Center from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m., today.
Gallery 57 West presents art talks by three Annapolis Arts Alliance members, Tina Van Pelt, Georgette Toews, and Valia Bradshaw. Van Pelt makes fused glass jewelry, tableware and art for various causes, including the ACLU and the LBGTQ community. Currently, she is working to help feed refugees by donating 25% of the sales of her Ukraine designs to World Central Kitchen. Toews will discuss how she transitioned from a career in the Air Force to being an artist and what influences her work. Valia Bradshaw will talk about her art journey and how she expresses her positive energy and herself in her acrylic paintings.
Join them in the gallery for the art talks at 5:30 p.m., Tuesday.
MFA Circle Gallery continues its 45th annual “Art on Paper” show through Saturday. The many creative ways to use paper is the foundation of this juried exhibit that contains both 2D and 3D artworks, featuring paintings and drawings on paper, collages and sculptures made of paper, handmade paper, and artist books. Juror Daniel Shay, former art services manager at the National Gallery of Art, selected 52 pieces from around the country. Join them for an in-person closing reception from 4 to 6 p.m. on Saturday.
McBride Gallery presents “Art of the Figure” through April 30. From cave paintings to contemporary art and sculpture, the human form has always fascinated artists. Ancient art used the human form as a powerful tribute to gods and goddesses. The Renaissance brought Perspective Theory, which showed artists how to represent a figure realistically from any angle. Today’s artists want more than just to portray a likeness with their subjects; they want to tell a story or capture an emotion. McBride Gallery has brought together paintings and sculpture from various talented artists celebrating the “Art of the Figure.” Artists include Sherrill Cooper, Cynthia Feustel, Cristian Ianculescu, David Lawton, Abigail McBride, John Francis Murray, William Schneider, and Ilene Gienger-Stanfield.
Hospice Cup, Inc., in collaboration with
MFA, hosts their annual Hospice Cup Poster competition. Artwork submitted for consideration is on display in the MFA People’s Choice Voting Gallery from April 1 through April 30, where the public may vote online by April 28 for the work they want as the backdrop of the Hospice Cup annual poster for 2022. The four pieces receiving the most votes will be brought into Circle Gallery for an in-person reception from 6 to 8 p.m. on April 28, where the final work will be selected. To view and vote, visit mdfedart.com/portfolio/253/.
The Mitchell Gallery at St. John’s College continues its last online exhibition for the season, “PHOTO|BRUTE: Collection Bruno Decharme” through April 22. This exhibition of 16 artists represents part of an extensive collection from the abcd/ Bruno Decharme Collection in Paris and provides a window into the vision of artists who exemplify what is commonly known as “outsider art,” including the art of children, the mentally ill, and those confined to prisons, concentration camps and hospitals. French artist Jean Dubuffet collected works from these unrecognized artists, regarding it as “art brut,” or “raw art” — work created outside the academic tradition. The photographs in this exhibition were created from sophisticated or homemade cameras, self-portraits, photographs of other photographs that have been repurposed, and some by collaboration. Mark Hogancamp, known for his photography of a fictional World War II Belgian town, “Marwencol,” is represented. Other renown artists include Ichiwo Sugino, Elke Tangeten, Melvin Way, and Marcel Bascoulard. A free online lecture by curator John Verdi is available throughout the exhibition with a livestream lecture at 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday. No registration required. The Mitchell Gallery Book Club will discuss the book, “Welcome to Marwencol,” at 1 p.m. on April 13. Registration required: https://www.sjc.edu/annapolis/ mitchell-gallery/exhibits-and-programs/ photo-brut
Jo Fleming Contemporary Art presents “Birds and Bees” as the springtime gallery theme. Artists animate the walls with 2- and 3-dimensional representations of native and imaginary creatures. Elyse Harrison’s stylized sculptural bird wall works keep one eye on the viewer as they hover on colorful patterned wings. Jack Turner photographs elusive Chesapeake birds in action. Susan Hosteler presents drawings, paintings and handmade ceramics depicting birds in flight, song and migration. Christine Stovall shows oil paintings representing ground birds in the landscape and nests in the trees as well as pollinators and frogs. Join them for a reception and artist talk from 4 to 7 p.m. on Saturday.
West Annapolis Artworks features the work of artist John Eden this month. John’s emerging style of pure, simple portraits that are devoid of detail reflects a touch of whimsy and attitude. Additionally, gallery owner SuAnne Martinez and Jo Fleming, of Jo Fleming Contemporary Art, present the second part of their three-part “Wall Talk” series: How to choose art for your home, solve the mystery and remove the intimidation. Part 2, the “Wall Talk” discussion, will include combining styles, exploring how to harmonize color, shapes, textures in decorating while considering how the size and subject matter of artwork reflects the mood and atmosphere of your home. The discussion will be held at 7 p.m. on April 27. Seating is limited. Register online: westannapolisartworks.com
The Chaney and Martino galleries at Maryland Hall present “Women in the Arts — A Dialogue between Nature & Environment,” opening April 19. Culture occupies a special place in life, and women have always played an important role in this vast and beautiful area of human activity. Looking at the works of Yumi Hogan and Mina Papatheodorou-Valyraki, we can understand and delight in the different ways in which these two women have embodied and defined nature through art. Whether inspiration is found in the European stilllife tradition or in Asian landscape painting, both artists display an appreciation for nature as it intersects with the imagination. This partnership is the second installation of this exhibition, with the first being featured in Athens, Greece in 2019. A public gallery reception will be held from 6 to 8 p.m. on April 28.
The Arts Council of Anne Arundel County presents their new exhibit “Portraits” at Baltimore Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport. Artists were encouraged to get creative and explore the world of portraits, telling the viewers a story of a person through their art. On display through July 18, the exhibit is located between Concourse C and D in departures (pre-security) near Departure Door 10 and the UPS Store. View the online gallery of artwork at https://www.acaac. org/ bwi-exhibit-33-portraits/
The ACAAC’s What’s Up? Media exhibit gave artists an opportunity to be inspired by the wonders of water and all its dynamic properties. On display through April 11, it is located on the second floor of the What’s Up? Media office building at 201 Defense Highway, Annapolis. View the online gallery of artwork at https://www. acaac.org/whats-up-media-exhibit-14wonders-of-water/
The MFA at Lowe House exhibit is coming to a close. The last day to view the work is the official end of the General Assembly session, the day known as “Sine Die,” which is April 11. MFA thanks the members of the Maryland General Assembly for their hard work this session and for the honor of exhibiting artwork representative of Anne Arundel County and MFA artists for the sixth year. A job well done by all. For a final peek: mdfedart.com/portfolio/239/
Paul’s Homewood Café continues the dual show by MFA members; water colorist and intaglio and silkscreen printer Jim Earl, and landscape, waterscape, animal, and still-life oil painter Rae Hamilton. Enjoy this interesting exhibit while dining through April 25.