“I’m always having a conversation with myself between art and craft. Art is for the heart and craft for the wallet,” says fine artist and fine craftsman Alan Box Levine in his studio at the McGuffey Art Center In Charlottesville, Va. “Art is a window to the world. It has nothing to do with money. I also restore old things—windows, tables, chairs, book cases—for a living.” Levine’s compact studio displays the makings of his varied talents. Displayed are wooden benches, boxes of all sizes, dried flowers, toys, vintage family photographs. An antique ladder back chair … Continue reading Fine Art and Craftsman Alan Box Levine→
Artist Barbara MacCallum claims androgyny as her creative terrain. “I’m interested in male and female, nothing too macho or too feminine but the gap in between,” she says. Her highly original, intimate and imaginative work combines sculpture, drawing, textiles and installation. Blending male and female elements, MacCallum’s works are graceful, mysterious, emotional, and challenging. “My work has evolved through a collaborative relationship with my husband (Robert Johnson) who is a physicist; I cast his body and recycle his published papers giving a new existence to the detritus of science,” she says.. Johnson is a professor … Continue reading Barbara MacCallum’s Androgynous Art→
The portraits of Nigerian artist Sholanke Boluwatife Emmanuel reveal his empathy, respect and sensitivity to his subjects. “The suffering and resilience of every African child raised from a poor family background is a theme that resonates deeply with me. I aim to highlight the struggles and triumphs that define our lives,” he says. Initially, Boluwatife says, he didn’t plan to pursue art, discouraged by the street artists he saw. Then, in 2011 in primary school at Holy Trinity School in Ogun state, his teachers and classmates encouraged young Boluwatife to draw. In secondary … Continue reading Portraits by Nigerian Artist Sholanke Boluwatife Emmanuel→
Nigerian printmaker and painter Ojo Olaniyi creates works that reflect his interest in social justice, identity, and community. He often depicts his themes in group portraits and gatherings, especially catching the innocence and curiosity of children in their expressions and interactions. “I highlight social justice,” says Olaniyi, “by showing equality and fairness in my community-focused pieces. Identity is pictured in individuality and self-expression through portraits and everyday scenes and community is showcased in the beauty of human connection and shared experiences.” Olaniyi discovered his love for art during his primary school days (1967-1973) in Nigeria. … Continue reading Prints by Nigerian Artist Ojo Olaniyi→
Watercolors came naturally to artist James Ellis. “The summer I finished elementary school I discovered my mom was taking a watercolor painting class,” he remembers. “I watched her arrange her palette and paints, ready her favorite brushes, set up a tiny watercolor board on a tiny easel, and then paint that morning’s model, a small white vase decorated with a blue printed illustration of a Chinese farmer. The vase held a few black-eyed Susans. My mom worked quickly, and in less than an hour she produced an exquisite rendering. My mom had suddenly transformed … Continue reading Watercolors and Drawings by James Ellis→
Figurative painter Joseph A. Miller freeze-frames telling moments of childhood and beyond. He focuses on the human figure in environments that create a context for psychologically charged open-ended narratives. Many of these narratives explore ideas about power and vulnerability, about enchantment and play. Children at play are often featured. “I remember as a child looking at the edge of the page of my copy of Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak. I was mesmerized by how much illusion and meaning was squeezed onto that thin sheet of paper. For me, this … Continue reading Figurative Works by Joseph A. Miller→
Richmond, Va. artist Lizzie Brown paints vivid and dramatic portraits to show the beauty, resilience, and strength of African Americans. Brown remembers her own first portrait at age five. “I was standing with a blue easel before me, a white sheet of paper, crayons in the easel tray, and I wanted to be sure to use EVERY color. I was in the zone, drawing my brown skin, black hair pulled in a ponytail with strands hanging to the left and right. I had red nail polish and chose to put myself in a long blue … Continue reading Lizzie Brown’s Vibrant Portraits→
The first thing Sam Abell entreats his workshop students to do is imagine their photographs without a primary subject. “I cover up the subject with my hand and ask, is there still a photograph under here?” says the celebrated National Geographic photographer, who has lived just west of Charlottesville for going on fifty years. “The answer, almost always, is no.” That can be a tough lesson for eager photographers, but it’s easier to swallow coming from such a calm and sympathetic teacher. It makes a difference, too, that Abell has always practiced what he … Continue reading For Albemarle’s Sam Abell, Photographs Come from Within. By Russell Hart→
At three, Brooke Major picked up a paint brush and rode her first horse. Her path was set. “My grandfather had riding stables and I fell in love with horses as a young child in Clayton, a small town in the North Georgia mountains,” Major remembers. She started riding frequently, and by six, she had her first pony and began jumping lessons in Buckhead, a suburb of Atlanta. “As for painting, the passion started at the age of three when I drew on absolutely everything I could find, most of the time … Continue reading The Sculpted Paintings of Brooke Major→
This mother and son have more than most in common; Leah Oates and son Maximilien St-Jacques share a passion for photography.Oates’s grandfather was an amateur photographer who passed on his interest to her. When she began art school she was a painter and printmaker, but says she always referenced photography in both and eventually realized she was a photographer. She studied at Mass Art, Rhode Island School of Design and at The School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Oates also studied in Rome on a year abroad program at RISD and at … Continue reading The Photography of Leah Oates and Max St-Jacques→
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