Sponsored by Cindy and Steve Edgerton, Paige and Jay Frith, Tracie Heavner and Jim Frith, Pete Mannen and Jennifer Reis, Barbara and Guy Stanley and Lynwood Artists
Susan Lenz works in partnership with her materials to articulate the accumulated memory inherent in discarded things. By using multiples of seemingly mundane items, she puts into perspective the abundance of life and the capacity to keep things as if for a "rainy day." Paper clips, keys, bottle caps, buttons, nails, plastic spoons and old clock parts are combined with dominoes, film reels, old toys and holiday decorations. These and so many other, often vintage, items are repetitively hand-stitched into meditative patterns on sections of old quilts, bringing an extraordinary new life to otherwise everyday things.
Other altered works address marriage, systemic racism, genealogy, reliance on mechanical appliances and common adages. In each piece, Lenz uses a familiar object in an unexpected way to voice current ideas and social concern.
Lenz's work has appeared in national publications, numerous juried and invitational exhibitions and at fine craft shows including the Philadelphia Museum of Art and the Smithsonian Craft Shows. Her work is in the permanent collection of the Textile Museum in Washington, DC and the McKissick Museum in South Carolina. Susan has been awarded fully funded fellowships to several art residencies including Great Basin National Park, Guadalupe Mountains National Park, The Anderson Center, PLAYA, Hot Springs National Park, the Studios of Key West, and Homestead National Monument. She has been featured on art quilting television programs, Columbia Museum of Art’s educational videos, and South Carolina Etv. Her solo shows and installations have been mounted all over the world, including at Mesa Contemporary Museum of Art and as far away as the Festival of Quilts in Birmingham, England.
Admission FreeSponsored by Cindy and Steve Edgerton, Paige and Jay Frith, Tracie Heavner and Jim Frith, Pete Mannen and Jennifer Reis, Barbara and Guy Stanley and Lynwood Artists
Linda Starr is an artist of passion whose work exudes the same colorful and playful energy as her spirit. Her intuitive painting process is an arrival point reached over a multi-decade career as a painter. In Starr's work, nothing is planned or pre-engineered. She applies paint on canvas without conscious thought to the subject, often rotating the canvas in different directions before determining how the images will emerge.
Her paintings are often sculptural, laden with texture and vibrant color, and always full of story. Starr uses shape, patterns and repetition to create whimsical scenes with rich tones and meaning. Much like the way a story provides setting, plot, characters and action to elicit an emotion from the reader, Starr intends to do the same for the viewer with her work.
Whether she is creating icon-like imagery of strong female leaders, like Ruth Bader Ginsburg, or a surrealistic cityscapes full of detail, Starr hopes to energize the viewer and to provide them with that same sense of joy that she feels during her spontaneous and free painting process.
A New York City native, Starr spent 10 years in private study with Carla Re’, 15 years in the film industry and 10 years designing window displays. Since relocating to North Carolina in 2007, she co-founded the North Carolina Women’s Art Collective and works to champion opportunities and make space for women artists of her age.
Admission FreeSponsored by Cindy and Steve Edgerton, Paige and Jay Frith, Tracie Heavner and Jim Frith, Pete Mannen and Jennifer Reis, Barbara and Guy Stanley and Lynwood Artists
The Lynwood Artists Gallery features work by Lisa Garrett.
The Lynwood Artists Gallery is curated by Lynwood Artists, an organization for practicing artists in the Martinsville-Henry County area. Its members share a desire to stimulate understanding and enjoyment of fine art and the artistic process, while providing area artists with opportunities to exhibit and further develop their talents.
Expressions is an annual exhibition of work by artists from southern Virginia and the surrounding regions. This showcase of regional talent features an eclectic mix of work from hundreds of artists working in watercolor, oil and acrylic, mixed media, drawing, photography and sculpture.
Visit the museum to vote for the People's Choice Award. Winner will be announced after the close of the exhibit.