Artist Spotlight

Stephanie Joyce 

Stephanie Joyce is an artist/yogi originally from Virginia. Her mother was and artist and her family lived on a farm along a river far from the closest city. Their fun was what they made within themselves. 

Stephanie moved to New York and earned her BFA from Parsons. She began her Career as a stylist's assistant at Vogue Magazine. Later, she worked as a designer and colorist for companies such as Calvin Klein, Banana Republic and Michael Katz Studio. 

She later Moved to London, and studied painting at Central Saint Martins University of the Arts. It was here that Stephanie dedicated herself to painting. She has since exhibited her work in New York, along the East Coast, and in Europe at such galleries as Farum Gallery, Denmark, New Century Artists, NY, Silvermine Arts Center, CT and Lockwood Matthews Museum, CT.

Having discovered yoga as a way to more fully open up to the creative process , Stephanie decided to travel to India to deepen her practice. She studied in Rishikesh with Ghurmukh where she received her KRI certification as a kundalini yoga instructor. Stephanie began combining art and yoga as a way to nurture the soul and find inner peace. She has led workshops at yoga studios, festivals, international outreach programs, homeless shelters, universities, and retreats. She no lives along the Rippowam River, a constant source of inspiration for her life's work. She strive to bring out the artist in all and to dive deep. 

"Nature has been manipulated through a range of materials, all of which have been transformed and re-purposed so that they transcend definitions and traditions. The outcome is an art experience, which enters a mystical realm where ritual, genealogy and anthropological roots are explored. 

The Cycle of life is presented in these works, the ephemeral to the ethereal. The juxtaposition of organic form with the tranquility of an evening landscape bridges the worlds of the rooted to the transcended. 

Images are drawn from sketchbooks, plant materials run through the printing press, the river that flowed in front of my childhood home, an old botany book rescued from a house moments away from being demolished, pieces of the landscape collected. 

My paintings are layered with veils of color to evoke the mystery and harmony of nature. Ancient symbols emerge from the subtle realms and intertwine with meadow grasses and flowing streams."

-Stephanie Joyce       

 Love Stephanie's work? Purchase in your Pj's at Galleryflux.com!

 

 

 

Meditation Workshop with Monica Rao

"Quiet the mind and the soul will speak."

                                          - Ma Jaya Sati Bhagavati       
                                    

Please join us October 29th from 11 am until noon for an interactive hour long workshop to help participants find inner peace and inner silence in a way that the mind will endeavor to eliminate unwanted thoughts. In this workshop, Monica Rao will spend the first 15 minutes sharing her personal story as well as how participants, through meditation and spiritual healing will engage with hands-on experience and group discussion. The goal is to help everyone who is involved to find a state of mindful, intuitive, fulfilled, grounded and joyful state of being. Ultimately, Monica aims to help individuals alleviate themselves of stress, anxiety and illness so that they are able to find their inner talent and happiness. Please bring a yoga mat or blanket. 

Monica Rao, MSA, has been an avid meditator and spiritual healer for more than 25 years, originally trained in Mumbai, India. Following a near death experience in which she healed herself with meditation and spiritual healing, it is her desire to expand awareness of how art and meditation provide therapeutic healing for the soul. Her goal is to help people reach a positive state of existence through powerful spiritual awakening. A full-time artist, Monica enjoys enriching the lives of others through her abstract work. Perhaps due to rising levels of stress and illness in human life, she spends much of her time teaching meditation in groups (retreats for groups, companies and employee teams) and privately with individuals. Additionally, she also does spiritual healing including chakra balancing and divine light healing therapies. She is reachable through email at graphoria@graphoria.com

To learn more about her story please visit: http://www.graphoria.com/new-page-2/

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Yoga and Meditation for Creativity Workshop and Gong Relaxation With Stephanie Joyce 

On Saturday October 8th, Gallery Flux hosted our second Yoga and Meditation for Creativity Workshop and Gong Relaxation in conjunction with our new Show Pathways to Awakening! The event ran from 9:00-11:00 am and focused on using yoga as a way to open the creative process. Artist Stephanie Joyce led participants into a state of  deepened awareness through meditation alongside her paintings and the works of fellow artists Susan Newbold, and Heidi Lewis Coleman. Stephanie's workshop had a wonderful turn out in spite of  heavy rains from Hurricane Matthew. People of all ages and levels of experience showed up for the event. Participants enjoyed an interactive Kundalini yoga session followed by a healing gong bath. The gong has been used since ancient times to disperse negativity and promote healing in the body.  It is an ideal transformational tool for stress reduction, removal of blocks and to stimulate the glandular system. The gong resonates throughout every cell in the body and empowers health, learning and productivity. 


“The gong is an intervibratory system.  It is the sound of creativity itself.  One who plays the gong plays the universe.”  Yogi Bhajan




Stephanie Joyce is an artist/yogi originally from Hanover County, VA.  She studied art in New York, London and Paris and received her BFA from Parsons School of Design.  She is a KRI certified Kundalini yoga and meditation instructor and trained with Ghurmukh in Rishikesh, India.  She also received her certification to teach art and yoga from Hari Kirin Kaur at Kripalu Center for Yoga and Health.  Stephanie divides her time between Connecticut and New York and is an exhibiting artist at Gallery Flux.  It is her goal to bring out the inner artist in all through yoga, meditation and sound healing.  Please visit www.stephaniejoyce.com for more information.

Pathways to Awakening Opening Reception 

Thursday October 6th marked the opening night of Gallery Flux's new show Pathways to Awakening  featuring artists Heidi Lewis Coleman, Stephanie Joyce, and Susan Newbold. The works included are meditative environments inspired by nature and sacred geometry. A variety of materials have been incorporated, such as mylar, wood, Thai kozo paper, cut steel, and Indian block prints. Working collaboratively, the artists' studio sessions began with meditation and yoga, which opened them to the flow of creativity and the artwork took shape and form. All three artists were able to attend the Thursday night opening where they each had a chance to talk to the audience about their work and process. We had a good turn out in spite of the oncoming hurricane Matthew. Visitors enjoyed the ability to talk to the artists one on one about their pieces. Be sure to come down to Gallery Flux before November 26th to see this exciting and innovative new show or check out the work from the comfort of your own home via our website! 

Celebrate summer with “Splash”

 Our newest exhibit, Splash opened Thursday, August 4^th to a packed gallery of friends, artists and water lovers!  This show includes over 31 local and regional artists, and features water in every form from abstract to photo-realistic seascapes – and everything in between.  

Thanks to everyone that came out to support the gallery and please join us for a second reception on Thursday, September 1^st from 5:30-8:00pm.

The Show will be on exhibit until October 1st, so stop by or view everything online HERE

CALL FOR ENTRIES!

Gallery Flux is currently holding a 'Call for Entries' for our upcoming Juried exhibit Splash!, a group show highlighting waterscapes of all kinds: creeks, oceans, lakes, rivers, among many others. All submitted work should exhibit a waterscape or relate to water in some way.

Submit up to five new works (not shown within 50 miles in the past 6 months) for consideration to info@galleryflux.com by July 9^th, 2016

•Images must be in .jpg format

•Include Artist Name, Address, Phone, and Email with submission

•Label file: lastname_titleofwork.jpg

•Include Title, Medium, Dimensions, and Retail Price

Requirements for Art (if your artwork is accepted):

·       All two-dimensional work must be ready to hang:

o   Canvases and frames must be wired in a secure and proper manner: the wire should be ¾ the way up the frame/canvas (this prevents bowing forward when hung) and tight enough so that the wire does not show when pulled taught.

o   If the art is on canvas and not framed, the sides of the canvas must be painted in some fashion, whether the painting wrapping all the way around the canvas or by painting the sides black/grey.

o   All glass in frames must be secure, clean, and not loose.

o   Please frame or mount and wire any pieces done on paper.

·       Please clearly label your work on the back with your name and the title of the piece.

·       All three-dimensional work must be stable and able to sit on a pedestal.

·       All artwork must remain in the Gallery for the duration of the show.

·       Gallery Flux reserves the right to edit the exhibition based on space. All pieces may not be displayed at all times. We will rotate pieces as space becomes available

·       Gallery Flux retains a 50% commission of all sales.

Important Dates: Exhibition runs from August 4 - October 1, 2016.
Saturday, July 9th: Submission Deadline
Saturday, July 16th: Artist Notified of Acceptance
Friday, July 29th & Saturday, July 30th: Drop off Artwork to Gallery Flux
Thursday, August 4th, 5:30-8PM: Opening Reception
Thursday, September 1st, 5:30-8PM: Ashland First Thursday Reception
Saturday, October 1st: Artwork Pickup

Kathleen Walsh Live Demonstration

June 2, 2016 | Reception 

This past Thursday we were delighted to have represented artist Kathleen Walsh paint for us live at the Annual Gallery Artist Group Show Reception. Kathleen demonstrated how she uses her field studies as reference when returning to the studio, changing the size and certain details along the way.  It was wonderful watching Kathleen complete her process from start to finish. Learn more about Kathleen Walsh in her bio below and click HERE to see more of her artwork.

Kathleen Walsh lives and paints the mid Atlantic. Plein air is her passion, oil her medium. On the off season she works in large abstracted mixed media, focusing on landscape and central Africa, just to keep it interesting. What can be gleaned in the work of an artist, specifically the art of Kathleen Walsh? What can one find in her renditions of American farmlands, riverbanks, morning mists? Of African coastlines, deserts and grasslands that make her work uniquely hers? A sense of home, perhaps. Of her art, she paraphrases Joseph Conrad, “My work is not to edify or console, to improve or encourage, but simply to get down on canvas some sense of the wonder of life, of its unfathomable romance and mystery. I paint that you might see, a little, of what I see.”

 Walsh’s journey into art came later in life. Raised the oldest of 9 children in rural New England, earning one’s keep was serious business. Like most of her sisters she studied nursing, returning to university mid 80’s to study psychotherapy. Her first insight into serious art came in Warsaw, Poland. In Poland in the 70’s the arts were the people’s stronghold against Communism. Then Director of the Polish Radio and Television Orchestra and Choir in Kraków, Antoni Wit, commented, “When we come together to play, we create an island of beauty in an otherwise hostile land.” That comment made an impression. Art was more than a sheet of music or a colorful canvas; art was a powerful means of expression. Art was a voice.

It was not until the 90’s that Walsh began a to consider her own art. In Geneva, Switzerland, life threw an unexpected punch. She was unable to obtain a work permit, then broke her leg. With few options, she took part time work teaching and consulting, and began studying with local artists eventually finding Janis Pozzie-Johnson. Working with Pozzie-Johnson she found a passion for art, an energy that holds to this day. Back in the States Walsh continued studies at the Art League School of Alexandria, Virginia, periodically seeking out master artists such as Johnny Johnson and Makoto Fujimura. In 2006 she opened a studio at Libertytown Arts Workshop, a converted plumbing supply store.

 A major point of development was her introduction to plein air work. An outdoor person by nature, there was no turning back. Three seasons of the year she paints plein air. Welcomed by townspeople, she paints at nearby farms, in private gardens, on riverfronts, mountain properties and street corners. In the winter she moves to the studio, working on larger, more abstracted images and wrestling with scale, color and form.

 In 2008, she returned to Africa where she had previously lived for 7 years working and raising a family. This time she carried a sketchbook and paints, and while on assignment made quick studies of the place and its people. Far from the tourist path, she sought out local artists, meeting and sharing ideas about texture, shape and symbols. In the village of Safane, Burkina Faso, a group of weavers and dyers gathered to talk with her about family, cotton growing, indigo and the stories woven in to their cloths. “I came to Africa to paint landscapes,” she wrote, “but the figure caught my eye; the grace of the women, the flow of their garments. The figure became my landscape.” Back in her studio Walsh works these sketches in to large mixed media abstracts, using acrylic, graphite, oil pastel, on both canvas and board. A strong supporter of the Art in Embassy Program, Walsh has loaned paintings to Quito, Manila, Accra, Manila (again), Addis Ababa and Reykjavik.

Of this work and her overseas experience she writes, “Living overseas changes a person, it changed me. I see more. And what I see is Beauty, in both landscape and people. In the end, I believe that people are more alike than different, more connected than not, more common in their hopes than we might know. Art gives expression to that commonality. It is a venue for conversations unspoken, as if you and I shake hands and say hello, then go along our way the better for having met.

Finished Painting

River Fun

oil on linen

12 x 16

Virtual Tour | Annual Gallery Artist Show 

featuring new works by local, regional, and visiting artists

On Exhibit May 5 - July 30, 2016

View the Full Body of work HERE

Kathleen Walsh

Painting Demonstration

At the Reception | June 2nd from 5:30-8 PM

To view available works by Kathleen Walsh, please click HERE



In our woods. Sometimes a rare music. -Mary Oliver 

Landscape is my guide, nature the muse. Painting outdoors awakens the senses; melds surprise, consideration and wonder. When considering a painting I wander down by the river, the Rappahannock, which meanders through our town, or out to the Springfield Farm, home of my friends, The Copleys. There, I listen. Silence is the great teacher. When a place draws me in, I make sketches, looking for composition, value patterns, light, point of focus. I take notes, scribbling studies and most importantly determining what I am painting before I paint it. During the winter months these plein air pieces are reworked into larger more complex studio paintings such as the paintings you see in this exhibit. It is a challenge to render the image in an expanded form, working to keep it fresh and alive, yet structured and balanced.

Dan Michael Pastel Painting Demonstration

May 5th from 5:30-8 pm

At our last reception, pastel painter Dan Michael set up his easel and began to paint. He started with a blank sheet of textured paper and beautifully organized pastels. Using reference photographs, he worked to sketch the composition. He shared with us that he uses the black and white photograph to help identify the values in each piece. It is known that his pieces are full of phenomenal light and lines that carry the eye throughout the composition. 

It was a pleasure watching Dan Michael from start to finish. Isn't it amazing that he could paint this in just a few hours? To view more of his available work, click HERE.

The final piece will be available for purchase at the 

next reception: June 2nd from 5:30-8PM

More new works by Dan Michael will also be freshly framed by Dan and available at the reception. 

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