“Layers” is an art exhibition currently om view at Falls Church Art Gallery” which includes many definitions and extensions of the term. Indeed, this might be described as a multi-layered exhibition! Here we will break through some of the layers to convey a sense of what the show has to offer the inquisitive visitor.
“Stormy Seas,” an acrylic painting by Donna Liguria, depicts an impressive scene in nature frozen in time, to wit: a lightning strike “zapping” straight down the canvas through layers of clouds into the open sea. The light cast by the bolt of lightning upon the rippling water below races towards the viewer and brings the viewer’s eye racing towards the central item of the work, the bolt of lightning itself. Although this is a nocturnal painting, there is much light (as well as rich color and texture): the water is illuminated by the lighting strike as well as a moon high above in the sky, lending the painting an almost mystic touch.
Nature is presented in a far more tranquil state in Bob Wentworth’s watercolor painting “Serenity,” in which a man sailing in a boat gazes towards the autumnal trees and mountains farthest from the viewer; perhaps he is pondering seasonal changes and the various stages of life. The artistic style reminds one of East Asian art, with a suggestion of a teahouse-like gazebo in the distance, a mountain-scape, and atmospheric muted colors. Similarly, Japanese classical painting is suggested in Sandra Lewin’s “Egret in Flight,” in which acrylic paint is layered with metallic acrylic paint on “gallery wrapped canvas.”
Birds also make their appearance in a pair of cardinals in Nicki Mulligan’s “So This is Love” (mixed media) and “Macaw Mischief,” an oil painting by Jessica Lehman with a unique combination of realism and a playful kind of geometric repetition. “Macaw Mischief” depicts two macaws, their human-like expression (and the painting’s title) lending the work some humor. This painting employs repeated, relatively simple shapes behind and around the birds, such as the clusters of rocks and varieties of greenery, adding a secondary level of contrast when compared to the deeply detailed feathers and animated posing of the two colorful birds on the tree branch.
Returning to an autumn foliage setting, Nany Patrick’s acrylic painting “The Woods” strikes a literary tone, for the poetry of Robert Frost inspired this painter to enter “through the woods to explore its many intricacies. Deeper and deeper, through layers of trees and foliage till the serene glen is reached where the mind can explore, with wonder, nature.”
Opening up another layer, we segue from the painting medium (and nature paintings) to the mixed-media collage “Saffronia Reimagined” by Barbara Osborne-Harris. Centered in the work is a woman who confronts the viewer with startling three-dimensionality and an oddly captivating surreal look. The faceless woman carries what appear to be a picket fence and a book or folio, as she tilts her head to the side and steps forward, as if to greet or question the onlooker.
Finally, we end our brief tour of the “Layers” exhibition with a brief look at Lara Tiller’s paper collage “Message Only,” which combines layers of the old and the new. In the artist’s description: “Two postcards from different eras are combined with a strip of modern tickets to create a new horizon.”
Those wishing to explore these and other multi-layered artworks should avail themselves of the opportunity to visit “Layers” at Falls Church Arts Gallery at 700-B West Broad Street, Falls Church, Virginia, between now and September 28, 2025, when the exhibition closes.
