Arlington Public Library

Art Exhibits

Northern Virginia Wildlife: Photography

On exhibit at the Cherrydale Branch Library from February 11, 2020 - April 28, 2020.

The photographs in this exhibit depict the abundance of wildlife present in Northern Virginia, with a focus on raptors and their nests in Arlington and the surrounding counties. The exhibit was organized by 20-year Arlington County resident Glenn Mai and features photographs from members of the Nature Photography DC/MD/VA Meetup.

As a recent Federal retiree, Mai learned the basics of photography by watching videos and reading books that he borrowed from Arlington's Central Library. Other local photographers featured in the exhibit are Art Cole, Patricia Deege, Paul Lebras, Axel Lucca, Murali Palangat, Gary Rubin, Barbara Saffir, and Patricia Ping Xia.

Arlington Kids: 2020 LEGO Creations

On exhibit at January 1 - 31, 2020.

Close up of "Beautiful Venice" by Henry, age 8.  On exhibit at Central Library.

Congratulations to all the LEGO builders with work on display this month in the 2020 LEGO Creations exhibit!

Stop by Central Library, the Aurora Hills, Cherrydale, Columbia Pike, Glencarlyn and Shirlington Branches until January 31 to see all the imaginations on exhibit this year.

Betina Margolis: Paintings

On exhibit at Shirlington Branch Library from Jan. 7th – February 18th, 2020.

Betina Margolis is an artist who has lived in the Washington metro area for many years.  After graduating from George Washington University with a BFA she joined a studio of talented artists on K Street and displayed her work at the Foxhall Gallery and Torpedo factory gallery.  She was accepted as a member of the Knickerbocker Artists of New York after winning the still life award in their annual invitational exhibit. She was an illustrator and graphic designer for local magazines and newspapers.  Betina has traveled extensively and her work has been influenced by the cultures she encountered in Asia and the Middle East.

ARTIST’S STATEMENT

I am inspired by interpreting challenging, complex images.  I love to paint outdoors on a perfect day with the sun sparkling on the world.  There I find an appealing scene made complex by light and shadow to untangle.  Or in my studio where I can create a still life with ornate objects that I have collected in my worldwide travels.  I love to add seasonal flowers to my compositions to capture their fleeting beauty. My work is very realistic because I am so intrigued by rendering details. Most of the paintings in the exhibit are from Virginia parks and Gardens.

Art from the Guild of American Papercutters

Places in Paper

On exhibit at the Westover Branch Library, December 17, 2019 - February 18, 2020.

GAP members continue traditions from many cultures, passed down through generations. We are rural and urban, North and South, coast and mountain. the 34 artists of Places in Paper use papercutting to explore where we live, where we come from, and where our dreams take place.

Curated by Melanie Kehoss, Co-Vice President of Membership of GAP and juried by Anne Burton, Gallery Director of BlackRock Center for the Arts and Tamar Shadur, owner of Shadur Arts.

Places in Paper will be on exhibit at Westover Branch Library from December 17, 2019 - February 18, 2020.

Greg Embree: Photography

Birds of Africa

On exhibit at the Cherrydale Branch, November 5, 2019 - February 3, 2020

This exhibit comprises photographs of birds taken in Botswana, Eswatini, Kenya, South Africa, Tanzania, and Zimbabwe. The images were captured during two separate visits to the continent, the first in 2011, the second in August 2019.

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.

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.

 

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.

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.

 

Nataliya Gurshman: Paintings

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

paintings on a wall

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

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.

 

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.

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.

 

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