The current exhibition at Falls Church Arts is aptly called Vivid!, a term forty-seven artists in a multiplicity of media understood in different ways as they entered their submissions. Fifty-five of these works are now on vivid display.
As we tour a handful of the artworks of this exhibition, we begin with Tara Barr’s oil on canvas “Record Player.” Seeing a classic record player (or hi-fi or phonograph) causes many to reflect on the listening habits of one’s past. Yet this particular painting is meant to bring back memories of family history, according to the artist, and many viewers will have fond recollections of the family enjoying music on this classic invention which has provided home entertainment for more than a century. In this painting, the record player, painted realistically, floats in the middle of the canvas with green Art Deco-like fan patterns behind it in muted psychedelic colors.
In the acrylic work on canvas “Summer into Fall” by Lauren Kavanagh-Brow, we gain a peek into nature’s harmony and contrasts. This painting depicts, as the title implies, a mixture of summer and autumn both present at once, all intertwined around an old fence which suggests it has stories to tell. In the upper left corner, we see hints of clouds which brighten as they approach the tree-line, with this leading into two swaths of field just above the foreground. A crow sits upon the left-most fence post as if viewing the viewer of the painting right back and beneath it the fence comes alive with the red glow of autumn’s majestic and suggestive colors.
“Five Day Lilies” by Jean Lauzon is a fascinating mélange of flower images over a patchwork of color fields. The acrylic on canvas features bright and vivid colors which adeptly illustrate the natural glory of the orange lilies in the background and the speckled Canada lily closer to the viewer in the foreground. Flowers popping out of a stained glass-like background soften the somewhat Cubist look of the painting. There is a balance of five strips of colors and five flowers in this highly engaging painting.
Cynthia Buehler’s “Paradise” depicts in an oil painting a brightly-lit colorful orange flower reminiscent of a bird flying through nature—the Bird of Paradise. The vibrant colors are complemented by a background in cooler blue and green tones which attract the viewer’s eye. This field of vision is likely how this “bird” captured the heart of painter Buehler with the flower’s extravagant colors as she rusticated in Spain’s countryside. Likewise, the same artist’s oil on canvas entitled “Whipped Candy” has a poetic title card description which sums up this work beautifully: “The shores of the South Carolina skies swirled brightly at sunset. I enjoyed the whipped candy colors of the sky.”
As we have seen, so much of the show has vivid nature as its model! Even behind Daisy Hill’s unusual title “if it’s stupid and it works it isn’t stupid,” her lively if slightly abstract oil still-life of abundant color presents inviting autumnal flowers. This work also reminds us that abstract art abounds in this exhibition, including “Blue Lake,” a painting of bold colors which, according to artist Olga Tislina, “tells a fantasy story reminiscent of Tchaikovsky’s ‘Swan Lake.’” “I love how much you can express through abstract art!” the painter enthuses.
Abstract art also won the Juror’s Choice award in Mary Kane’s “Midnight Moon.” The artist explains that “as she applied the spray and dripping blue acrylic, the paint began to look like a forest at night.” Juror Barbara Januszkiewicz admires the painter’s “refreshing use of materials, particularly her striking painting on plexiglass. This piece exemplifies a vivid imagination and the courage to take creative risks. By pushing beyond traditional methods, Mary invites us to step outside our comfort zones and explore new possibilities.”
Viewers can explore new possibilities in artworks both abstract and more traditional in visiting the exciting new exhibition at Falls Church Art Gallery. Vivid! runs through January 5, 2025. Further information on the exhibition, its location, and hours can be gleaned here: fallschurcharts.org
