by cbhendricks | May 28, 2018 | artwork, community, First Friday
When:
Downtown Harrisonburg’s First Friday – June 1, 2018, 5 pm – 8 pm
Each month, we host a new artist in our building’s 2nd floor gallery at the Chesapeake Western Depot at 141 W. Bruce St. (second floor entrance is on Chesapeake). Artwork will remain on exhibit through the month. Come view the show and get a tour the Depot! We will have food and drink available!
Artist Statement:
Hi, I’m Joey Laughlin. I’m an architect by training and enjoy drawing and painting on the side. I began water-coloring a couple years ago to explore the dynamic of place through more than just a sketch. I enjoy the somewhat messy and unspecific process of water-color and particularly appreciate it as a lens to learn from and soak in qualities of space.
Name of Show: Memory and Place
Each place is unique in quality and atmosphere. Even the same space exhibits different qualities when experienced over time or by different people. This show looks to explore the connection between memory and place through the use of ink and color. As a process, ink is applied with varying levels of specificity. Some lines have significant wiggle to them, while others are more specific. Following the ink, water and color are then applied with varying ranges of hue and saturation. Some pieces exhibit a single wash of color, while others boast a variety. Additionally, most pieces are also paired with an associated color study, which serves to explore the range of hues best representative of the place. As a collection, these works are used as a lens through which to observe, learn about, and remember uniqueness of place.
Type of Medium: Watercolor and Ink on Paper
Joey Laughlin’s artwork will be on display throughout the month of June.
View past gallery artists here:
May – Ellen Vanover
April – Aaron Zook
by cbhendricks | May 1, 2018 | artwork, community, First Friday
Each month we host a new artist for Harrisonburg’s First Friday in our building’s 2nd floor gallery at the Chesapeake Western Depot at 141 W. Bruce St. (second floor entrance is on Chesapeake). Artwork will remain on exhibit through the month. Come view the show and get a tour the Depot! We will have food and drink available!
Also, The Marvin Window and Door Showroom is a stop on the First Friday Chocolate Walk again this year.
ELLEN H. VANOVER
(Artist: Watercolor, Pastel, Pencil)
I was born and raised in the small town of Hinton, Virginia. Hinton is right smack in the middle of the beautiful Shenandoah Valley. Growing up, I will always remember the special times I had with my family, Daddy (Harry Hollar) being able to make and fix everything, but always saying he was the Master of None; and Mom (Ethel) for keeping her wits trying to raise five girls, and her sense of humor doing it. Look’in back, they sure were some good ol’ times. Now, I have three super daughters, two great grand kids, and a wonderful Hubby. Their love and support for my art overwhelms me.
Being a country gal and with my family, I enjoy and appreciate the sights of the Shenandoah Valley. I’ve also traveled to and lived in other countries and experience their cultures. Even though I started painting pictures of things you would find here in the good old country days, I’ve grown to include the things you still find in other places around the world.
I like sharing my memories through these paintings and prints. Most include a short story on what inspired me to create them.
Thank You for Your Support!!
by cbhendricks | Apr 5, 2018 | artwork, community, First Friday
First Friday Art Opening – This Friday w/ Aaron Zook
Aaron Zook is a Harrisonburg native and self-taught photographer presenting his work for April’s First Friday Art Opening.
Where:
Gaines Group Architects features an artist each month at the Depot in Harrisonburg for the First Friday Art Opening. This is our chance to support the local art community and Arts Council of the Valley by allowing them a no cost place to show their work and for you to spend money showing them your love of their work. Come to see, buy, talk, and enjoy some of our food and drink while you are here. The Chesapeake Western Depot at 141 W. Bruce St. on the second floor has a history display of the CW line that is deep with stories – just ask Charles. Artwork is displayed in the gallery (hallway back to Herr and Co.). Food and drink are available along with lots of conversation and networking in the Gaines Group offices.
What Aaron Zook does:
He draws inspiration from the hard-working people that make everyday life happen behind the scenes. He is a bartender, mountain guide, and perpetually sleep deprived.
“Here’s the thing. It doesn’t get any easier out there darlin, I’d be lying if I said it did. But give in to the depravity of the soul for just one moment, and you’ll discover that there isn’t much difference in all of us. We all have that moment where we sit and breathe. We shake our heads and slap ourselves around. Then we walk out into that big bright world. Don’t forget your shades.”
About the show:
This project was hard for me to put my finger on at first. It was born out of frustration really. When I was a kid, I could never quite decide what I wanted to be when I “grew up.” In my more recent life, I’ve listened to my fair share of “when are you going to get a real job..?” and “are you ever planning on using your degree?” Finally, an older gentleman went so far as to ask me what it was exactly that my peers and I did with their time. When I stopped to think about it, my answer was…everything. People like me do literally everything. So, this show is for the people that aren’t where they want to be yet, but where they need to be for now. It’s for the late nights of wondering where we’re headed. For the moments of pure joy when we figure out where we’re supposed to be. For the passion projects and side hustles. For the empty shows, struggling to make progress, and wondering when it will all finally click.
Look me in the eye.
It will.
by cbhendricks | Feb 26, 2018 | artwork, community, First Friday
First Friday Art Gallery opening featuring Amanda Dicken
After a couple months off for the cold weather, we are back! Come see us this Friday!
Each month we host a new artist in our building’s 2nd floor gallery at the Chesapeake Western Depot at 141 W. Bruce St. (second floor entrance is on Chesapeake). Artwork will remain on exhibit through the month. Come view the show and get a tour the Depot! We will have food and drink available!
Artist: Amanda Dicken
Bio:
Amanda Dicken was born near Cleveland, OH in 1980, and grew up surrounded by the artistic talents of her parents. Early on she knew she wanted to pursue art full-time, and spent her college years at Flagler College in St. Augustine, Florida, where she attained her Bachelors of Art degree and realized she had a knack for figure drawing. She spent a summer abroad, studying art with her professors and peers in Italy, Germany, Switzerland, Austria, and France, and the next summer at the New York Art Academy for an intensive training course in figurative art.
She spent ten years living in the Raleigh, North Carolina area, teaching painting and drawing while experimenting in many different mediums, including pastels, oil, and acrylic painting. She finally combined her love of drawing and painting using watercolor and Micron pens, and has continued using these mediums for her ever-evolving portraits and frames. She and her boyfriend moved out of the congested city and into the mountains of Harrisonburg, Virginia, where she makes portraits and works in the art community.
Statement:
Each portrait is made from either a family photograph or photograph found at flea markets or antique malls. Micron pen, layers of watercolor, gouache, and other mixed media are combined to bring the portrait to life, capture the passage of time or forgotten identity of each individual. Each frame is built-in foam board and created by this same process, and is designed to capture their personality, era when they lived, or the feeling their lives are long past. I’m excited when a person viewing my portraits is reminded of people in their own lives, whether past or present, and encourages me to keep developing this unique, family oriented body of work.
Check out her work here: www.ArtmandaJane.com
by cbhendricks | Nov 27, 2017 | artwork, community, First Friday
Join us for a very special First Friday night before heading downtown to the Harrisonburg Holiday Parade. On December 1st, Santa will join us at the Depot in the R.S. Monger & Sons window and door Showroom. Take pictures with the kids and start your Christmas celebration early. Then join us upstairs for hot chocolate, cookies, and libations. Red Wing Academy will be performing in The Gaines Group Architects office. Brad Striebig will have his photography on display in our gallery. Everyone is welcome!
Take your picture with Santa!
Listen to the Red Wing Academy
First Friday Exhibit: Scenic Shenandoah Mountain
I grew up in a farming community in Pennsylvania and loved the outdoors. I spent as much time as possible in the mountains and waters along the Appalachian mountain chain, ofter with camera in hand. I love the vibrant colors of the seasons throughout this region.
The photographs in this exhibit represent the beauty of this region’s Shenandoah Mountain. Located west of the Shenandoah Valley in the George Washington National Forest, Shenandoah Mountain is one of the largest tracts of wild land in the Eastern United States. Shenandoah Mountain provides diverse wildlife habitat, outstanding outdoor recreation opportunities, and clean water for drinking and aquatic life. It also helps support our local tourism-based economy. Friends of Shenandoah Mountain is a coalition of local citizens, businesses, faith groups, wilderness advocates, mountain bikers, hikers, hunters, and other forest users working to protect the wild heritage of Shenandoah Mountain for future generations. To help provide good stewardship for this unique are visit the Friends of Shenandoah Mountain website to endorse a proposal to make this area a National Scenic Area at:
www.friendsofshenandoahmountain.org
Reddish Knob
First Friday Artist: Bradley A. Striebig, Ph.D.
Photography is something I’ve enjoyed since I was about 6 years old, when my father introduced me to to film cameras. I haven’t put the camera down, although the camera has changed quite a bit, since that first brown plastic Kodak I had as a kid.Over the years, my work has been published in newspapers, calendars, magazines, book covers and numerous websites. I have been fortunate to be able to incorporate photography into service work with Engineers Without Borders and other NGOs. Currently I am working with Friends of Shenandoah Mountain to help conserve this rare wilderness in the Eastern US. Photography has played an important role in documenting various projects in Benin, India, Malta, Rwanda and the Nez Pierce Reservation in Montana. I have also worked with local non-profit organizations, donating services to the Lehman Center, a home for children, and the Interfaith Peace Camp at Eastern Mennonite University.
In addition to photography, I am a founding member and professor in the Department of Engineering at James Madison University. Prior to joining the JMU Department of Engineering I was a faculty member at Gonzaga University where I helped developed the WATER program in Benin. I am also the lead author of Engineering Application in Sustainable Design and Development, published by Cengage Publishing in 2015.
I’ve been blessed with two children who bring home the importance of pursuing sustainability. They also serve as a constant reminder that the pursuit of one’s curiosity can be a fun, exciting and sometimes downright silly pursuit – and also a meaningful journey.
by cbhendricks | Nov 8, 2017 | artwork, community, First Friday
Go ahead and mark your calendar for Santa at the Depot on December 1st. Just like last year, we will host the jolly elf in the Marvin Window and Doors showroom in the downstairs of the Depot on First Friday. Come up to our First Friday Art Opening upstairs for some cookies and hot chocolate (maybe something with a little more kick for the parents) before heading downtown for the parade. We will also have a special performance by Red Wing Academy – you will not want to miss this event.
This now annual event is free and open to all. We have some great parking around our building so it is the perfect place to start your evening of fun downtown. We will open our doors at 4pm and close at 6:30pm so we can all be on the parade route in time to see the JMU marching Dukes. Go Dukes!
Thanks to Monger Lumber for letting us use their space and decorating with a huge 12′ tall tree to make the photos of your kids even more amazing. Our artist for the month is Brad Striebig who will show his amazing photography. I will post more details in the coming days.
Each month we host a new artist for Harrisonburg’s First Friday in our building’s 2nd floor gallery at the Chesapeake Western Depot at 141 W. Bruce St. (second floor entrance is on Chesapeake). Artwork will remain on exhibit through the month. Come view the show and get a tour the Depot! We will have food and drink available!
