Friday, August 29, 2014

Flynn Geissel, "Plein Air & Big Skies"

Exhibiting artist, Flynn Geissel, paints landscapes in a very unique style: full of energy seen in her sharp brushstrokes. Each piece is framed with a dark color then filled with detail and values from light to dark.

Take a moment view Flynn's work on our website or come by Gallery Flux Tuesday- Friday 11-5 and Saturday 11-4!



"The Turning"
Oil on Canvas  
26 x 30 in
$1,950.00              

Thursday, August 28, 2014

Our Featured Artist of the Day is Alice Husak!

Our Featured Artist of the Day is Alice Husak!

Alice Husak received her BA from Virginia Tech and her MS from Virginia Commonwealth University. She currently resides in Richmond, Virginia.

"Painting backwards is always an adventure!", ex...plains Alice, who creates reverse glass paintings. Her work in our "Undiscovered." Show are mixed media pieces, painted on old windows from the Richmond area. Alice has been creating this series, "Looking Glass", since 2007. "Four years ago, I began experimenting with light and mixing my own kinechromatic pigments, which bring out three-dimensional qualities when the surface of the glass is exposed to light", says Husak. This style of painting has a very high difficulty level, because the artist is unable to see exactly what the image will look like on the other side. Alice explains, "I (quite literally) travel through the Looking Glass, creating a scene on one side and viewing it by turning it over, looking through the glass at the completed image".

In her process, Alice uses a layering technique which reflects natural light, causing her piece to change in perspective. Alice explains, "In my process, light and points of exposure are of equal importance as the paint and colors used. The surface of the glass lends depth to interference pigments, causing elements in the picture to change color, appear and disappear as both the angle of viewing and the angle of illumination change".

Visit Gallery Flux today to see Alice Husak's work in our "Undiscovered." Show! You will be attracted by the luminescent qualities of her work and the great contrast between light and dark. Don't miss your chance to see this work! We are open until 5:00pm today! Visit our website to see more work by Featured Artists, Alice Husak.


 "The Whale Watchers"
Mixed media Reverse Glass Painting
36 x 40 x 2 in
$ 1,500.00

Tuesday, August 26, 2014

Our Featured Artist is Sara Tuttle!


Our Featured Artist is Sara Tuttle!

 Originally from Connecticut, Sara traveled to Richmond for college. She has been in the Richmond area since graduating from the University of Richmond, in 2009. She received her BA in Studio Art, with a ...minor in Art History and French. After graduating, she attended the Summer Studio Program at VCU. Sara plans to continue her education by applying to graduate school in order to earn her MFA. A few of her accomplishments include being awarded an Undergraduate Summer Research Fellowship from University of Richmond two years in a row.

Tuttle describes her process as fluid. She starts with an idea, then lets the concept or image grow on its own. "I have a general idea of a theme or concept that I am thinking about and want to express, but I cherish discovery within the art-making process. I allow the image that is forming on the paper or canvas to diverge from my original intention if it is doing so in a way that opens up or enriches my original concept", explains Tuttle. She connects with her works as if it is a conversation between she and her subject. Sara takes time to step back and "listen" to where the piece is going and what shape it is going to take in the process.

There is a connection between all of her artwork because she uses what she learns from a previous piece and applies it to her next piece. Her three pieces in "Undiscovered." are a part of a body of work inspired by grand narratives. "I was primarily interested in how to represent both the ‘physical’ and the ‘spiritual’ realms and forces at once; how they are intertwined, equally present and weighty and how they move and act upon each other", says Sara. Sara is currently working on a new body of work, which explores her neighborhood, Church Hill.

Visit Gallery Flux today to see
Sara Tuttle's work in our "Undiscovered." Show! Don't miss your chance to see this exhibition! The show ends this weekend!!



"Mosaic of Redemptive History I"
  Acrylic on Paper
15 x 23 in
$ 650.00

Friday, August 22, 2014

Our Featured Artist is Sandy Williams IV!

Our Featured Artist is Sandy Williams IV.

Sandy is from Virginia Beach, Virginia. He is currently a student at the University of Virginia majoring in Studio Art. He is also an Artist-in-Residence at Mountain Lake Biology Station, where artists and biologists come together to observe nature in a different way (mlbs.org).

Sandy began drawing in the summer of 2013. Since then, he has been experimenting with different styles, such as sculpture, painting, film, and photography. While experimenting with different styles, Sandy found a connection with sculpture and film. In fact, he has recently declared sculpture and film as his concentration at UVa. During his time at UVa, Sandy has studied a number of artists, including Michelangelo, Andy Goldsworthy, Rodin, Ed Hopper, Ad Reinhardt, Kiki Smith, and Kara Walker. Each artist inspired Sandy in his most recent work.

"Most of my artwork is driven by a need to explore and understand myself, and how I relate to the world", explains Williams. After he was diagnosed with cancer in 2010, Sandy found comfort in art. He focused on producing art, which projected intense emotional expression. "For a long time I didn't want to talk about it. I had convinced myself that if people knew about my battle with cancer they would think of me differently or pity me, and I was also strictly against including any stories or motifs regarding those three years of my life, because I felt that it would somehow cheapen the overall worth of the work I was doing. Nevertheless, without my consent, those emotions slowly permeated my imagination, my thinking, and my art. I have come to realize that sort of personality, and the unique life experiences that I have had, are some of the most valuable contributions that I have to offer the world of art", says Sandy. 


Williams plans to continue to create artwork that connects him to his life and experiences. "This would include a study of ideas such as: dreams or aspirations and the fundamental importance that they have to our experience as human beings, the idea of human survival and the emotions that surround confronting our own mortality, the importance of isolation in our growth and development as individuals, as well as the importance of family and community", explains Sandy. Most importantly, Sandy strives to create a piece with a universal message. While his experiences in life may be different from a stranger's, Sandy creates work that has meaning and importance to any viewer. He does this in his "Undiscovered." work, "Lost", "Within Reach", Youth", "Voids", and "The Invention of Flight".

Visit Gallery Flux today to see the beautiful work of Featured Artist,
Sandy Williams IV. We are open until 5pm! Don't forget! The show will end next weekend, so don't miss your chance to see this work in person!




"Within Reach" (top image)
Bronze
9 x 9 in
$ 400.00

"The Invention of Flight"
Plaster and Bronze
24 x 36 in
$2,500.00
 

Molly Squire is our Featured Artist of the Day!

Molly Squire is our Featured Artist of the Day!

Molly, of Lawrenceville, Virginia, graduated from UNC Chapel Hill with a B.A. in RTVMP (Radio, TV, and Communications). Soon after she graduated, Molly attended Paralegal School in Atlanta. 

She has always been a creative spirit. Much of her creativity was used when raising her three sons. "They have always loved doing whatever I did when they were very young", says Squire. She and her sons did many crafts together, such as making pillows and painting them. Squire states, "In the meantime, I am playing mom to very fast growing young men, so most mom activities were on hold for some time". Once her sons were off to college, Molly found time to begin painting.

Molly found comfort in painting when she lost her brother, in 2011. After a childhood friend invited her to a painting class, Molly soon found painting to be the outlet she was looking for. She explains, "from that day on I could not stop painting". She began taking classes at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts in order to strengthen her understanding of oil painting.

Molly is very dedicated to improving her work. She still continues to take classes every week, driving 90 miles to do so. "I love it and I will never give it up...I look at everything differently and I appreciate the Earth and nature so much more. I see things I have never seen before", says Squire.

Molly has been painting for almost five years and has already made so many accomplishments. Ten of her paintings are featured in a new restaurant in Emporia, two of which have already sold.

Her work captures a vibrant interpretation of a marsh near her home. Visit Gallery Flux to see
Molly Squire's beautiful oil paintings, "NC Marsh" and "NC River Colors". We are open today until 5pm!



'NC Marsh'
Oil on Canvas
18 x 24 in
$ 400.00
 

Thursday, August 21, 2014

Our Featured Artist of the Day is Clare Radigan!








Our Featured Artist of the Day is Clare Radigan!

Clare is from Arlington, Virginia, and is currently living in Florida. She received her BFA from Virginia Commonwealth University. Clare continued her studies at San Francisco State University, earning her MFA.

This featured artist has been honored twice for her work. She received the Stephen Stillwell Scholarship from San Francisco State University and the Merit Award from Daytona Art League (2014).

After earning her MFA, in 1991, she continued painting while raising her two children. She also taught as an adjunct Studio Art Professor at Daytona State College. As she was a full-time teacher and mother, Clare did not have the time to paint as much as she desired. In 2010, Clare found time to build an art studio, which gave her the opportunity to paint more often. In her work Clare includes narratives, in which she leaves up to the viewer to decipher. "Symbolism, including pop culture imagery, is usually included, but I avoid being too graphic, because I involve myself in the painting process, working from light to dark, gradually building up layers to achieve a glowing effect, which I can best describe as late afternoon light after a heavy summer rain", says Clare.

Clare is inspired by the human connection. She centers her work around the theme of the pressures placed on humans from their environment. "This broad theme gives me a range of ideas to explore. I am interested in social commentary, interweaving pop imagery, the dissolving line between dream and reality through the glowing light of painting", explains Radigan. In her piece, "Mechanic's Legacy", Clare was inspired by her surroundings on a trip to Peru. "The idea Mechanic’s Legacy comes from some things I saw one day while we traveled by cab to a market area on the outskirts of Lima. The landscape was hilly, and everything was a wet, muddy brown...The dingy streets were lined with... mechanic’s shops... As a foreigner, I came away wondering about the relationship between the mechanics and the sacred places that surrounded them".

Visit Gallery Flux today to see Clare Radigan's work in our "Undiscovered." Show! We are open until 5pm today! Visit our
website to see more work by Clare!


"Mechanic's Legacy"
Acrylic on Canvas
36 x 72 in
$1,400.00
 

Saturday, August 16, 2014

Our Featured Artist of the Day is Stacey M. Schultze!

Our Featured Artist of the Day is Stacey M. Schultze!

Stacey was born in Massachusetts and is currently residing in Fredericksburg, Virginia. She received her BA in Fine Arts at Gordon College, in Massachusetts. Stacey keeps herself busy with the tasks of an art school and gallery owner. Here, shes displays and teaches art in a variety of mediums. When she isn't helping others create art, Stacey is working on creating and exhibiting news work to add to her portfolio.

Stacey is inspired by "text, conversation, and lyrics". She says, "As described by a dear friend, '[I] dance with color and line.' Often I am inspired by text, conversation, and lyrics. My paintings capture lingual expressions and spiritual experiences in visual terms. In my pieces, there is a vibrating harmony between the brightness of the paint and the directness of line".

Stacey has two pieces in our "Undiscovered." Show, "Ask" and "Co[in]cide". Both mixed media pieces display her interest in conveying text, conversation, and lyric. She explains, "'Co[in]cide' belongs in a collection where representation has been surpassed for the dialogue of color, line, and form; drawing on an inherent reaction to the creative process".

Visit Gallery Flux today to see Stacey M. Schultze's work in our "Undiscovered." Show! We are open until 4pm!



"Co-in-cide"
Mixed Media
22 x 28 in
$ 550.00

Friday, August 15, 2014

Kiran Krishnamurthy is our Featured Artist of the Day!

Kiran Krishnamurthy is our Featured Artist of the Day!

Kiran was born in London, but currently calls Richmond, Virginia home. He attended James Madison University in Harrisonburg, where he studied Journalism and Mass Communications.

Kiran has two photographs in our "Undiscovered." Show, "RVA Street Art No. 5" and "Luna". Kiran states that he has always been interested in photography. He continued to develop his skills in college, as he used photography as his creative outlet. You can easily see in his work that Kiran focuses on intimate relationships between he and his subject. "I strive to photograph subjects close-up to capture detail in a way that conveys intimacy, whether it’s still life in nature, such as with “Luna,” or people in motion, such as “RVA Street Art No.5", explains Krishnamurthy.

Kiran enjoys photographing subjects around Richmond, especially popular Richmond Festivals. He strives to capture the emotions of everyday people on the streets of RVA. Kiran explains the inspiration behind his piece "RVA Street Art No. 5", "I was drawn to the intensity and focus that these street artists displayed as they brought life to blank walls, and I wanted to capture that". In 2013, this piece was selected as a competition winner by Twenty20 and featured in their inaugural photography book.

Visit Gallery Flux today to see
Kiran Krishnamurthy's work in our "Undiscovered." Show! We are open until 5pm!



"RVA Street Art No. 5"
Photograph
8 x 10 in 
$ 110.00


"Luna"
Photograph 
8 x 10 in 
$ 110.00 















Tuesday, August 12, 2014

Our Featured Artist of the Day is Suzanne Demeo!








Our Featured Artist of the Day is Suzanne Demeo!

Suzanne is a New England Native, but has been living in Williamsburg for the past twenty years. She received her BFA from Maryland Institute College of Art, where she studied drawing and printmaking. She then went on to earn a Master's Degree in Printing Technologies from Rochester Institute of Technology. Suzanne is currently working as an adjunct assistant professor in Art and Art History at the College of William and Mary.

Suzanne's work in "Undiscovered.", "Swan Song" and "Way to River", are both watercolor paintings. Demeo has been working with watercolor on and off for the past 15 years. Her most recent work, as seen in "Undiscovered.", are landscape paintings. "I am definitely inspired by the beauty of the landscape and clarity of the light in the west", says Demeo. Her work in "Undiscovered." is painted from photographs taken in Nevada. Suzanne explains her process, "I spend a lot of time on the drawing and then build up my color slowly, reserving my whites. I think that my background in printmaking helps me understand the additive nature of watercolor".

Visit Gallery Flux today to see Suzanne Demeo's work in our "Undiscovered." Show! We are opening until 5:00pm. Visit our website to see more work from Suzanne!





"Swan Song"
watercolor
12 x 20 in
$ 500.00

Monday, August 11, 2014

Our Featured Artist of the Day is Alice Anne Ellis!



Our Featured Artist of the Day is Alice Anne Ellis!

Alice Anne calls Scotland home, but has been living in Richmond for the past twenty-four years. She attended St. Andrews University in Scotland, where she majored in Philosophy and Art History for two years. She then moved on to earn her Master’s in Library Science. Alice Anne has also studied Studio Art at Virginia Commonwealth University.

Alice Anne has participated in numerous juried shows in the past year. She has been creating art all of her life. “I realized a long time ago that even if I sometimes do not have the opportunity to work at art intensively, I am much happier if I am in the process of creating something”, says Ellis. She has experience with many different types of mediums, but she has recently been more interested in working with mixed media on board. “This offers both flexibility and sturdiness, allowing vigorous layering. I also enjoy working with recycled materials”, explains Alice Anne.

Alice Anne Ellis has two pieces in our “Undiscovered.” Show, “Lineage: Redfern” and “Lineage: Blanket Stitch”. They are both apart of her series, “Lineage”, where she focuses on capturing movement in time. Ellis explains to Gallery Flux, “In the ‘Lineage’ series I wanted the paint to have some autonomy of movement, within parameters, and I then worked with the shapes it created. I love the lightness of touch and serendipitous effects this affords. Since one of the Lineage themes is the effect of time on a landscape, I like the appropriately organic quality of the process”.

In her “Lineage” series, Ellis is influenced by the concept of time. She is concerned with the way human history is recorded. Alice Anne references family trees in the titles and in the images. Ellis says, “We are all features in our familial landscapes, affected and influenced by the human topography around us. And I am interested in how a geographical landscape bears the marks of generations. For instance, an aerial view of the English countryside can reveal traces of Roman roads, medieval strip fields, and buried fortifications”.

Visit Gallery Flux to see Alice Anne’s work in person! We are open Tuesday-Friday 11am-5pm and Saturday 11am-4pm!




“Lineage: Blanket Stitch"
Mixed Media
24 x 24 in
$ 490.00 

Saturday, August 9, 2014

Our Featured Artist of the Day is Mona Dandan!

Our Featured Artist of the Day is Mona Dandan!

Mona is a high school student from Richmond, Virginia! She is currently attending Deep Run High School and hopes to attend college for engineering. In the future, Dandan would like to pursue a career as an artist producing art with machine design.

Mona has been creating work similar to her work in “Undiscovered.” for a little over one year. Her piece “Family Portrait” received Honorable Mention in The Scholastic Art and Writing Awards. Dandan explains, “I created ‘Family Portrait’ with only one other piece in my style, and I created it a year ago. I transitioned into the style of the piece titled ‘Vexation’ in winter of 2013, and I have been creating pieces like that ever since”.

Her process for creating “Vexation” involves multiple layers of paint. She sands down her layers to reveal older layers, giving her abstract work depth and texture. “I started by layering a lot of paint on canvas. Then I paint a thick layer of gesso and write (with my finger) into the wet layer while blow-drying it with a hair dryer. The result is a bumpy white surface that has words written into it. I continue to paint layers of colors on top of that white layer until I decide to sand the canvas. When I sand it, the paint that is on the white ridges sand away, revealing the white beneath, and the paint that is in the crevices of the white gesso layer remains. At points, the white gesso and the paint above it gets completely sanded off, leaving the colors below peaking through. ’Vexation’ and paintings like it have around thirty layers of paint”, says Mona.

Mona is inspired by the world around her. She was inspired to create “Family Portrait” after seeing a video about Afghanistan contemporary art. “A lot of the work featured balloons”, explains Dandan, “The balloons symbolized empty promises, especially in politics”. Mona liked the idea of using balloons in her works, so she decided to apply the symbolism to herself. She recognized the balloon as a symbol for over-optimism and unrealistic thinking.


Visit Gallery Flux today to see Mona Dandan’s work in our “Undiscovered.” Show! We are open from 11:00am to 4:00pm!






“Family Portrait” (top)
Rope and Paper Mache
10 x 8 x 6 in
$ 100.00

“Vexation”
Acrylic on Canvas
14 x 12 in
$ 150.00

Thursday, August 7, 2014

'Plein Air & Big Skies' Opening Reception


TONIGHT is the Ashland First Thursdays Opening Reception for 'Plein Air & Big Skies' at Gallery Flux from 5:30-8 pm! Gallery Artists Amy H R Donahue and Dan Michael will have their easel setup & will be discussing their artwork, process, and benefits and struggles of painting 'en plein air' at 6:00 pm. Also, the Annex will be open for you to see the show 'Undiscovered'. Come out & socialize, meet artists, and see some beautiful artwork by local & regional artists!

Visit our website to see the body of work before anyone else!



Dan Michael
Painting Pastel
12 x 24 in
$ 825.00
Amy HR Donahue
Painting Oil   
9 x 12 in
$ 300.00


Samantha Schaefer is our Featured Artist of the Day!

Samantha Schaefer is our Featured Artist of the Day!

Samantha, Virginia born and raised, graduated last May with a BFA in Craft/Material Studies from Virginia Commonwealth University. She has been creating work similar to her pieces in "Undiscovered." for over five years. "I have been creating work that is politically charged for over five years now, but being a weaver over the past two years has been a somewhat newer development in my artistic career", says Schaefer. When creating her pieces, she starts by doing research on current and historical events. Then, she produces sketches and samples, in which she reflects her reactions to those events.

Her three pieces in "Undiscovered.", "Breakdown", "Pot Callin' the Kettle Black", and "Oppression Pillows", are inspired by her view of society. She explains her inspiration behind "Oppression Pillows", "A pillow can observe many things while sitting on your couch. What kind of data could it potentially collect on us? This piece explores the role of the domestic object in today's panoptic society. Everything about our lives is now collected, recorded, watched, and stored via various means of possible unlawful surveillance. How far is too far?".


Visit Gallery Flux today to see Samantha Schaefer's work in our "Undiscovered." Show! Visit us from 5:30-8:00pm for the First Thursday Opening Reception! Both spaces will be open tonight, so come see "Plein Air & and Big Skies" for the first time and visit 302 England Street to get another glace at the "Undiscovered." Show!









"Oppression Pillows" (series of 7)
Mixed media Hand Shibori Dyed and Silkscreened Pillows with Polyester Filling

Wednesday, August 6, 2014

Our Featured Artist of the Day is Emily Poulin!

Our Featured Artist of the Day is Emily Poulin!

Emily, from Chesapeake, Virginia, earned her BFA in Photography from Longwood University. She has been recognized for her achievements in several publications including, 2014 Incite Journal of Undergraduate Scholarship, 2014 Longwood Magazine, and 2013 17 Portions: Food for Thought.

Emily has been a photographer for five years. Her work in our “Undiscovered.” Show represents a new style for Emily, as most of her past work are documentary photographs. You may recognize Emily’s work, “Emerge” from our Gallery Card. These pieces started with a block of ice, in which she photographed once the flower, frozen within, began to emerge. Emily explains, “The pieces in the show were the result of creating blocks of ice with flowers inside…The series was intended to create a visual representation of the failure to preserve beauty because beauty is seen as a fleeting impermanent thing, especially in nature”.

Visit Gallery Flux today to see Emily Poulin’s work! The contrast between the bright colors of the flower and the cool hue of the ice give the photographs a refreshing tone. We are opening until 5pm today! See more of her photographs on our website!


"Frozen"
Archival Pigment Print
24 x 18 in
$ 375.00

Tuesday, August 5, 2014

Today's Featured Artist is Kim Hall!

Today's Featured Artist is Kim Hall!

Kim Hall has been living in Richmond for the past sixteen years. She earned her BFA from George Mason University and then continued to study Painting and Sculpture at The Corcoran School of Art. In addition, she continues her education through workshops and competitions. Recently, Hall has participated in a number of competitive Plein Air Painting festivals. She explains, "These festivals can be incredible challenging, but I always come out of them feeling like I'm a better painter than when I started". Kim has been painting Plein Air for ten years and continues to devote herself to learning and improving her skills.

Kim has four paintings in our "Undiscovered." Show. She paints them all en plein air. Her goal is to capture the light in the subject/landscape in order to portray the change of mood in a scene. Kim finds the best way to capture the light and mood is through painting on site. "I always try to capture the light and changing mood of scene. Sometimes, I take these studies back to my studio and do a larger more finished painting, but it is always difficult to recapture the same freshness and mood", says Kim.

Kim's work, as seen in "The Red Maple", is inspirited by a small town atmosphere.

"I finally feel like I am doing what I was put on this earth to do. It feel great", says Kim Hall.

Visit Gallery Flux today to see Kim Hall's work in our "Undiscovered." Show! We're open until 5pm!



"Memorial Day Sail"
Oil on Panel
8 x 16 inches
$500 

Saturday, August 2, 2014

Trevor C. Davis is our Featured Artist of the Day!

Trevor C. Davis is our Featured Artist of the Day!

Trevor has lived in numerous cities, including Richmond, but calls Williamsburg, VA home. While in Savannah, GA, Trevor earned his BFA in Photography from the Savannah College of Art and Design. He entered college with an interest to study architecture and historic preservation, but soon found his love for photography after taking an introductory course. After graduating in 1995, Trevor moved to Maine, where he was the assistant to a prominent architectural photographer.

Trevor has three photographs in our "Undiscovered." Show, "Machina 9", "Machina 12", and "Clarinet". He has been shooting the Machina Series for about a year and a half, but has always had an interest in macro photography. In fact, his first project in college was a series of macro images of antique tools.

When creating these images for his Machina Series, Trevor uses a traditional approach. In his work, he focuses more on simple manipulations to capture the "spirit of the medium". "My process for creating these is very basic. They are all made with a tripod mounted digital camera, with a 55mm macro lens and sometimes an extension tube to increase the magnification. I use the dining room table, covered with a black sheet, next to a window covered by a thin curtain. I spend about 90 minutes with each image manipulating focus and exposure, and cleaning dust from the subject. Once I am confident in my capture, I put the files into Lightroom. I process until the image looks right on the monitor, but then I finalize it by making a series of prints and correcting from there. Even though these images are made with a digital camera, and it would be easy to use software to manipulate them in many ways, I choose to treat them in a very traditional way; mainly altering the exposure and contrast."

His inspiration for his work in the "Undiscovered." Show comes from his grandparents. Davis explains, "The old typewriters and the clarinet that I have used to make these images, were mostly found in my grandparent’s attic. My grandfather collected these because he loved all thing mechanical... My grandmother was a music teacher and elementary school principal. She spent much of her career collecting donated instruments to use in her classes. This clarinet, I suspect, was broken long before she claimed it. These objects are a link to the lives of my grandparents". He has a strong connection to these pieces because they allow him to study a subject, in which was of great importance to his loved ones. "The lens holds a magnifying glass up to those things that held interest and importance for them [his grandparents], allowing me a closer look."


Visit Gallery Flux today to see his work in our "Undiscovered." Show! We are open until 4pm today! Can't make it in today? Visit our website!



"Clarinet"
Archival Pigment Print
13 x 20 in
$ 625.00