Through a different lens

From staff reports
Published: December 3, 2008

From Rivermont to downtown, holiday art sales dominate the gallery scene this First Friday, so be sure to make a circuit on the Art Trolley if you’re in the market for handmade gifts.

While making the rounds, check out the “Picture my World” exhibit at Riverviews Artspace on 901 Jefferson St. The show, with an opening reception set for 6 to 8 p.m., features photographs taken by eighth graders from a local alternative school.

During the fall, each student used the camera lens to explore the Lynchburg community, social justice and the elections. “By taking cameras out into the community and recording their daily life, students are allowing the viewers a glimpse into their world,” according to a news release.

On Rivermont Avenue, take a peak into the Rivermont Studio (1204 Rivermont Ave.), owned by Sweet Briar art professor John Morgan, for contemporary art by Deb Mell of New York and julio uchimura, a Lynchburg-based artist who studied art in California. The opening reception is set for 6 to 8 p.m.

Mell uses mixed media, beadwork, paint and found objects to create whimsical and sometimes jarring images. One wall of the gallery will be devoted to an installation of 230 of her smaller pieces, in addition to two walls with her larger figurative work and 12 freestanding sculptures.

“Ultimately, my art exposes my relationship with spiritual images — as a writer friend of mine put it, my work is about coaxing the emanation of spirit itself (what the Chinese call Chi), from the inanimate; or more simply, to animate the inanimate,” Mell writes in her artist bio.

Uchimura uses hand tools to make sculptures from found and recycled materials.

“My work is about respect for the rest of the world, be it animal, plant, water, air, mineral or light.”

Other Shows:
—921 Main Street Fine Art
921 Main St.
The holiday exhibit will feature paintings and ceramics by veteran and emerging artists. The reception runs from 5 to 8 p.m., with Renaissance-inspired music by the flute and guitar duo “The Worthie Ladies.”

—The Academy of Fine Arts
600 Main St.
Watercolors by David Wickline are on display at the Academy Gallery, while the Up Front Gallery will be open for the Annual Cash & Carry Holiday Show & Sale, featuring the works of Academy members and other local artists. The sale includes paintings, photographs, jewelry, ceramics, fiber art, note cards, prints, tree ornaments and other holiday gifts. The reception is scheduled for 5 to 8 p.m., with music by Deja Moo and catering by Cook’s Alley.

—Avenue Arts Studio Gallery
1206 Rivermont Ave.
The Second Annual Festive Fine Art Show showcases a range of art, from the whimsical mask creations of Sally Shaffer to the color-fused glass designs of Lib Elder. Also on display is Raku pottery by Jonathan Scollo, ceramic angels and stoneware by MaryLou Michaels, hand dyed fabric art by Jill Jensen, paintings by Kelly Mattox and sterling silver jewelry by Kristin Reiber Harris. The gallery will be open from 6 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.

—Hardwick’s
915 Main St., The Galleria
Lynchburg artist Gail Speidell will exhibit “functional pottery” — food safe pieces with an artistic touch. Dennis Johnson will exhibit paintings from the annual Batteau Festival, Lynchburg’s annual celebration of the river boats used to transport tobacco and other cargo along the James river during the 1700 and 1800s.  Hours are 5 to 8 p.m.

—Light Wings Gallery
849 Belmont St.
Bedford artist Revelle Hamilton’s paintings encompass traditional and contemporary styles, and incorporate watercolor, acrylics, oil pastels and mixed media. She will be on hand from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. for a reception, complemented by refreshments and Christmas caroling.

—The Lynchburg Art Club
1011 Rivermont Ave.
The Lynchburg Art Club will open their doors for the 2008 Christmas Show and Sale from 5 to 8 p.m. The show features paintings and crafts, and homemade baked goods, soups and jellies.

—The White Hart
1208 Main St.
The White Hart will celebrate First Friday with pottery by Kevin Crowe of Tye River Pottery, glass by Jack Glenn of JEG Stained Glass and collages by Rebecca McCharen. The meet-the-artist reception will run from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m., followed by a performance by local singer songwriter Dallas Wesley at 7:30 p.m.