Last night, in addition to being First Friday, was the opening reception for Mirinda Reynolds at her new location at Libertytown Arts Studio. I like going to Libertytown, because I always get to see works from an artist I hadn’t seen before, and works I hadn’t seen by artists I like. Aside from viewing new works from Mirinda (photos coming soon), which is always a pleasure, there were two pieces by Brandon Newton that caught my eye — an oil painting of Rt 3 near Denny’s, but it wasn’t the subject matter that grabbed me, it was the visual properties of the painting. It looked a bit like I was looking through a windshield on a drizzly day. I’m no art critic, but it worked for me. And there was another piece by him, a dark painting of a woman, which was hanging on the wall facing the stairs, so that you’d see it on the way downstairs. I liked that one as well. Rob Landeck had some excellent guitar paintings that we found ourselves wanting to buy for the basement/bar/pool-room. And Bill Harris, well, I just wish I could afford paintings.
Afterwards we wandered through the misters at Kybecca to taste some very interesting Austrian wine, bought a couple of bottles and headed home. It was hot out, or we might have done more.
zero becomes one
reckless energy springs forth
a force in the world
our time here is short
we all want to feel alive
while there is still light
then we stop breathing
all at once or bit by bit
one becomes zero
Friday night we went to a wine tasting with friends. After getting our drink on, we traipsed over to Libertytown to see Mirinda’s latest painting. it was Darryl who pointed out the familiar location of the setting of the painting. It was the rear patio seating area at the Kenmore Inn, where we’ve had drinks a few times. I don’t know why I didn’t catch it it at first. Perhaps I was trying to understand the significance of the deviled eggs.
Fredericksburg has quite a happening arts scene for its size. Quite possibly, the king of the Fredericksburg arts scene is Bill Harris, who makes his artistic home at Libertytown.My favorite painting of Bills is called “Leave It To Memory.” (Click to enlarge)
Bill has also painted a portrait of a woman who I consider to be the best masseuse in the Fredericksburg area, Christina Culley. Unfortunately, she has mostly moved on to the Sperryville area now, and can be found at the Poplar Springs Spa/Resort sometimes, as well as in her private practice. She still returns to Fredericksburg now and then to serve her loyal clients here. This painting is called “Little Wing.” (Click to enlarge)
Bill has also mentored Mirinda Reynolds, who we’ve gotten to know through school activities, and whose work is also quite notable. This is her painting, “The Thousand Natural Shocks,” which was hanging at Libertytown when we went to see Ed Snodderly last month. (Click to enlarge)
Works by these artists can be found at Libertytown in Fredericksburg. Bill Harris also has a website, http://www.wcharris.com, where you can find his works on display and available for sale.
