On Exhibit

Tom Dickinson: Photography

“Windows to the Past: Arlington, Then and Now” A Historic Photo Exhibit by Tom Dickinson

On exhibit at the Shirlington Branch Library, November 5, 2019- December 16, 2019

The exhibit is a compilation and comparative arrangement of historical, documentary photographs of residential and commercial buildings in Arlington that all have been demolished – and the structures that replaced them in the exact location. The photographs document a time span from the late 1800s and early 1900s (when most of the original buildings were constructed) to the present.

The exhibit is a photographic depiction of the slow, but inexorable and ceaseless changes to the character of the community through extensive loss of older homes and buildings over the last 40 years in Arlington.

The Shirlington area is highlighted in this exhibit. All pieces are for sale, and others can be custom ordered. This project is the result of an Arlington Arts Grant award.

About the Artist:

My interest in photography started when my Grandmother gave me her Kodak Folding Brownie camera which she acquired around 1915. My Dad was also an avid photographer, shooting
Kodak color slide film exclusively. Sunday nights in my home routinely included watching “The Ed Sullivan Show” on a small black and white TV, followed by a big-screen, real-life, full-color slide show of my Dad’s most recent photographs.

My first photographic subjects were not people, but outdoor scenes around my house and neighborhood, thus the basis for my lasting interest in documentary and scenic photography,
and the places where I have lived. Arlington has been my home for the last 40 years. I have owned a camera and have taken photographs continuously for over 60 years.

Want to buy something you see on our walls?
Artists contribute 20% of sales made during their exhibit to the Friends of the Arlington County Public Library, to help support Library programming.

Teresa Oaxaca: Oil Paintings

On exhibit at the Westover Branch Library, October 22 - December 9, 2019.

Teresa Oaxaca is an American born artist based currently in Washington D.C. She is a full time painter whose works can be seen in collections and galleries throughout the US and internationally. Her talent has been recognized and rewarded by museums and institutions such as the American Museum of the Cowboy, The former Corcoran Gallery of Art, The Art Renewal Center, The Elisabeth Greenshields Foundation, the Posey Foundation, and The Portrait Society of America and the Museu Europeu D’Art Modern in Barcelona.

Her training includes a four-year diploma at the Angel Academy of Art (Florence Italy, Graduate studies at the Florence Academy, an Apprenticeship with Odd Nerdrum in Norway, and studies at the Art League of Alexandria VA where she trained with Robert Liberace, Paul Lucchesi, and took many other courses. Currently she teaches workshops around the United States and in Europe.

In addition to her studio work she takes a variety of portrait commissions including Family Portraiture, Professional/Business, Custom and Informal arrangements. She exhibits widely and sells her work on a regular basis. She also recently founded a fashion company called “House Of Oaxaca”, selling wares online at www.houseofoaxaca.com

Within Washington D.C. she has participated with local groups such as The Esperanza Education Fund, The Arts Club Of Washington, The Art League School in Alexandria, VA and the National Education Association. In 2014 she became a member of the Young Partners Circle of The National Museum of Women In The Arts. She is also a registered member of the National Art Education Association (NAEA) and an Ambassador for the newly established Da Vinci Initiative, which designs and promotes skill-based learning and lesson plans for US K-12 public school educators. She is also a member of the Arts Club of Washington and the California Arts Club.

Artist statement:

Since returning to the Washington D.C. area I have been focusing on creating a new and large body of work. My new series have taken me away from academic studies to more elaborate compositions that combine human and still life elements. In addition to this I now take on portrait commissions, and continue my studies in art by observing and copying the painting of the Old Masters in art galleries throughout the world.

My work is about pleasing the eye. I paint light and the way it falls. Simple observation reveals beauty; often it is found in the unconventional. Because of this I have learned to take particular delight in unusual pairings of subject matter. Frequently my compositions are spontaneous. When a person comes to me, they occupy a space my mind. Arrangements form from there until with excitement I see and have the idea. The design is both planned and subconscious. For this reason I surround myself with Victorian and Baroque costume, bones, and other things that I find fascinating- I want subject matter to always be at hand.

My paintings are created with oil paint on canvas. I am conscious of the traditional craftsmanship I have attained in Florence. While my interest in new pigments and tools may cause minor alterations in my materials, these really remain fundamentally the same. All my evolution is taking place on the canvas and in my head; in what I see in nature and interpret in two dimensions on the picture plan. I have the fundamentals of design to work with when planning a painting. I make preparatory studies. I use multiple layers to build an illusion of light and form. When this illusion is convincing and to my taste, the painting is done.

The Library Wants to Show Your Art!

Do you paint, take photos, weave, sculpt or make other works of art or craft?

Submit your work for an exhibit at the Library!

The Arlington Public Library is committed to displaying works of art and craft created by and/or of interest to the Arlington community.

We exhibit solo and group shows of local artists submitted through the online application process.

Learn More

Brittany Root: Paintings

On exhibit at the Connection: Crystal City Pop-Up Library September 7 - November 1, 2019.

Statement:

I incorporate my own observations of the natural world in an attempt to draw a parallel between ourselves and the larger environments we inhabit. In my abstract work I explore the relationship between imagery and memory through color, texture, and pattern. I am naturally drawn to bold and exuberant patterns and colors, which play a significant role in how I recall my own important memories. I work primarily in acrylic and oil paint on a variety of surfaces. Occasionally I will incorporate other materials or objects into my work to achieve a specific textural effect.

Biography:

Brittany Root is a visual artist who trained in oil painting but through her larger commissioned works retrained in acrylic painting techniques. She enjoys working in a variety of mediums including oil, pastel, acrylic, and pen and ink. Ms. Root creates artwork on commission for private homes and commercial enterprises.

She is currently the lead researcher on the Otto H. Bacher Catalog Raisonné Project and teaches cartooning at Art House 7 in Arlington, VA. She serves on the board of directors for McLean Project for the Arts (MPA) organizing exhibition auctions, and assisting with programming for adult art education. Ms. Root has a passion for arts education and working with children of all ages to realize their creative potential.

Ms. Root earned an MAM (Master of Arts Management) from Carnegie Mellon University; BA from Georgetown University with a double major in History and Studio Art. She lives in Arlington, VA with her husband, three kids, and cat.

Nataliya Gurshman: Paintings

On exhibit at the Westover Branch Library, August 27 - October 14, 2019.

Artist Statement

I am a very intuitive and emotional being, and my art reflects that. I create my work in a single breath, without any pause, so that I do not lose any drop of that inspiration. I am so caught up in the moment of creation that I forget where I am—nothing can distract me from this euphoria. Whatever I am painting, I must be in love with my subject.

Lately, I have been attracted to nature even more and create my impression of the subject that reflect my background, my emotional state at the moment by utilizing new artistic techniques. I choose bold brush strokes of opaque lights to express my energy juxtaposed against transparent cooler shadows, and scraping some translucency into the mysterious darks with the palette knife.

Since I grew up in the northern part of the former Soviet Union, in the beautiful city of Leningrad, winter and snow were a big part of my life. I keep coming back to it more often than not. Some pieces are more realistic, when others are more abstract. However, I express my energy and love for snow and nature equally well in both. Many of these works are inspired either by a real place or my childhood memories and emotions.

Learn more at www.natikart.com

Mac Cosgrove-Davies: Photographs

Pictorialist Arlington and Beyond

On exhibit at the Westover Branch Library, June 18 – August 20, 2019.

Artist statement:

Although there is no standard definition of ‘Pictorialism,’ it generally refers to a style in which the photographer has manipulated what would otherwise be a straightforward photograph as a means of "creating" an image rather than simply recording it. Here I have included photographic prints made with ‘pictorialist’ photo processes such as gum bichromate, cyanotype, oil printing, and carbon printing. All of these are ‘hands-on’ printing methods using readily available materials and equipment. They do not require a darkroom, and can be practiced almost anywhere. Subjects are largely but not exclusively Arlington, VA and the DC area.

Please also have a look at the antique and hand-made cameras in the front display cases. The photos shown here were taken with these cameras or other similar ones in my collection.

The frames for these photographs are made with repurposed floorboards from a neighborhood house recently torn down. Glass is from old storm windows.

About the artist:

Mac Cosgrove-Davies is a self-taught photographer who since 1978 has been practicing historic photographic processes including gum bichromate, cyanotype, VanDyke, palladium, oil printing, and carbon printing. Mac’s images are inspired by his extensive travel to developing countries as well as everyday life in Arlington, VA and elsewhere. Using antique and hand-made film cameras in various large & panoramic formats he seeks to match the image to the beauty and elegance of the selected photographic process.

In addition to building the occasional camera, printing frame, picture frame, or other photographic gadget, he also creates books, boxes, and presentation portfolios for his prints. He is represented in various collections such as the Smithsonian American Art Museum, Library of Congress, Maier Museum, and Lehigh University Art Galleries. Mac teaches these printing methods at PhotoWorks in Glen Echo Park.

Additional photographs may be seen by appointment. Contact gummist@gmail.com.

Dasol Kim: Paintings

Dreams Memories Realities

On exhibit at the Connection: Crystal City Pop-up Library, July 3 - August 31, 2019.

Opening reception: Saturday, July 13, 2-4 p.m.

About the Artist

Paige Dasol Kim is a Maryland based artist, independent curator, and an art educator. Paige graduated from Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA) with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Painting with a minor in Art Education in 2013 and with a Master of Fine Arts in Curatorial Practice with minor in Critical Studies in 2017.

Paige’s paintings are shown internationally through online galleries such as Saatchi Art and she has had solo and group exhibitions throughout Maryland, Virginia, and Washington, D.C. She also curates exhibitions for artists and creates related programming for a diverse audience, including the 2017 Common Senses exhibition in Baltimore, MD.

Artist Statement

My art defines my ideal self and dreams I strive to achieve. Creating art from the world how I interpret it, making adjustments to show what I see and feel through them. Each year of my life shaped the way I am today.

Currently, I focus heavily on creating a unique background to portray what I want to reveal about my everyday life. Using a wide variety of art tools helped me improve my work, and the style of my art changed over time from a more realistic approach to an abstract one. My art is somewhat personal, yet each one of them tells a story I want to share, which usually gets interpreted differently by audiences and I intentionally make it that way for open interpretation with imagination.

I have used oil paints on canvas fabric for most pieces, and I enjoy improving upon the harmony of colors and shapes. I tend to work with multimedia to put together as a special piece, such as sound and LED projector. My paintings represent the duality of what is real and what’s not, showing the world the way I see and improving on them. The combination of both abstract and realistic objects shows the dreamy and unexpected scenes within space. To express space from my mind into my art, I spend hours tirelessly thinking about it. I bring out each different moment in my mind by sketching and drawing the images on a sketchpad and then I make collages to not forget. I change and add more colors as I go on, to express
myself clearly. The process of it all is very important to me.

Having an obsession with colors, glittery objects and lights that catch my eye influences me. Color brings out the memory I have in the past, and also it brings out a hope for the future. I have used specific colors in my works for myself and the viewers to imagine beyond what they see visually and to feel the ambient atmosphere that I created.

The wide variety of colors influence me heavily, I can use colors to represent what I remember in the past. I hope to give honest feelings into my work that will influence others.

Rhys Conlon: Paintings

Impulse and Calculation

On exhibit at the Shirlington Branch Library, July 1 - September 1, 2019.

Artist statement:

Nature—in the broadest sense—is the driving force behind this body of work. Part impulse and part calculation, each painting slowly evolves. At inception, I typically have an image at hand, but this is merely a place to start. The canvas quickly fills with patches of color, shapes, and distinctly textured areas. Then, the contemplation and editing begins. Lines form; marks disappear; pigments mix and change. Layering is where I discover those compositions that my imagination could never conjure up on its own—that is, without paint. As I account for balance and strive to create an engaging rhythm, there is often a sense of struggle, but eventually I am faced with a finished surface.

About the artist:

Rhys Conlon majored in fine art and creative writing at Carnegie Mellon University and later earned an MA in art history at Hunter College, City University of New York. In addition to working as an artist, she has held positions at the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, the Museum of Modern Art, New York, and the Whitney Museum of American Art. Today, she serves as head of publications at the Smithsonian's National Portrait Gallery. Rhys is an active member of the Columbia Pike Artist Studios in Arlington, Virginia.

Wayne Wittig: Sculpture

On exhibit at the Connection: Crystal City Pop-up Library from May 1 - 31, 2019.

Artist statement:

Our mind has the ability to differentiate human and animal shapes from inanimate objects around them. This ability may have developed as a self-defense mechanism to ward off potential threats. However it arose, it permits us to see or create human form in abstraction. My sculptures attempt to stimulate insights into how we see human and animal forms in the abstract. I want to have fun with this attribute to see representations and movements through dynamic positioning.

Wayne A. Wittig retired some time ago after an international career that allowed him the time to add his own creations to an eclectic art collection.

Meryl Silver: Photographs

On exhibit at the Shirlington Branch Library, May 1 - 28, 2019.

Photographs taken in the Ethiopian highlands

This series of photographs was taken in the Ethiopian Highlands.

Artist statement:

Most of my early work, shooting in black and white film, was documentary, focusing on the people and street scenes in my hometown, New York City. For example, I completed a major project on the homeless who spent their nights in a church on Park Avenue, where, over a period of years, I came to know the nightly inhabitants. I also did a photo series on Coney Island, where locals ranged from old and grizzled chess players to young working-class parents with their kids. In these projects, I tried to capture the timelessness of the places and the warmth of its inhabitants.

After moving to DC, I switched to digital photography, and much of my focus shifted from documentary towards fine art. Fine art photography allows me to capture details of a subject from a more abstract perspective, and reveal a world that usually goes undetected as life rushes by.

Whereas my focus continues to be mostly on more abstract subjects, I recently had the opportunity to travel to several small villages in the Ethiopian Highlands and briefly return to my documentary photographic roots. Although the culture and environment were completely foreign to me, I was once again enthralled with the timelessness of the landscape and the warmth of the inhabitants. I connected with people living as they had for hundreds of years, working in villages that had changed little for generations. For me personally, the parallels between the quintessentially urban New York City environments and the open, rural villages of Ethiopia represent a striking reminder that, despite differences among people and cultures, we are all fundamentally the same.

In this photo essay of the Ethiopian Highlands, I hope the viewer feels the warmth, hope and humanity that I felt among the people, and within an environment, that were totally foreign to me yet unmistakably reminiscent of my New York City childhood home.

Tom Dickinson: Photography

“Windows to the Past: Arlington, Then and Now” A Historic Photo Exhibit by Tom Dickinson

Teresa Oaxaca: Oil Paintings

The Library Wants to Show Your Art!

Do you paint, take photos, weave, sculpt or make other works of art or craft?

Brittany Root: Paintings

Nataliya Gurshman: Paintings