En plein air, a French expression meaning open air, is used to describe the act of painting outdoors. Artist Meg West prefers the form, the environmental immersion and challenge that comes with it. Living in Virginia, she says she benefits from being able to “breathe, see and experience the view large all around,” and see through eyes that want to recreate and express a sense of beauty. West maintains that it is the act of painting that is important, and says she enjoys the feeling of being connected to her environment and herself as well as her creation.
First Fridays: September 4
C’ville Arts Cooperative Gallery 118 E. Main St., Downtown Mall. “Four Seasons,” featuring plein air oil paintings by Meg West. 6-8pm.
CitySpace Gallery 100 Fifth St. NE. “All Pastel Paintings,” featuring work by Piedmont Pastelists. 5:30-7pm.
McGuffey Art Center 201 2nd St NW. “Something Forgotten,” featuring photographs by Kim Kelley-Wagner in the Sarah B. Smith Gallery; and “The 2015 Annual Exhibition,” featuring juried works by the Central Virginia Watercolor Guild. 5:30-7:30pm.
New City Arts 114 Third St. NE. “Animals and Clouds,” featuring prints and paintings by Dean Dass. 5-8pm.
PCA Office Gallery 100 Fifth St. NE. An exhibit by Amy Atticks. 5:30-7pm.
Second Street Gallery 115 Second St. SE. “Labels,” featuring a site-responsive installation of digital prints, vinyl curtain, a searchable web-based database, and audio by Siemon Allen. 6-7:30pm.
Spring Street Boutique 107 W Main St. “Sketches of Scotland,” featuring photographs by Frank Murphy.
The Garage 250 N. First St. “No Precious Thing,” featuring mixed media collage by Mike and Lisa Ryan. 5-7pm.
The Loft at Freeman-Victorius 507 W. Main St. “Joshua Tree Rocks,” featuring photography by Jackson Smith. 5-8pm.
WriterHouse 508 Dale Ave. An exhibit by Kathy Kuhlmann. 5:30-7:30pm.
WVTF & Radio IQ Studio Gallery 216 W. Water St. “Rain Dye,” featuring textiles by Jess Lee. 5-7pm.
Other Exhibits
Chroma @ SCS 214 W. Water St. “Repository of Missing Places,” featuring 30 years of paintings by Richard Crozier.
The Art Box and Creative Farming 2125 Ivy Rd #5. “Cool Landscapes and Warm Flowers,” featuring pastel paintings by Nancy Galloway through the month of September. Reception 4-6pm on September 12.
JMRL Central Library 201 E. Market St. “Portraits: Artistry in Ordinary Architecture,” featuring photographs by Gary Okerlund.
Kluge-Ruhe Aboriginal Art Collection 400 Worrell Dr. “Where the Water Moves, Where It Rests,” featuring eucalyptus bark paintings by Djambawa Marawili AM.
Les Yeux du Monde 841 Wolf Trap Rd. “Views from the Garden,” featuring paintings by Susan Mcalister, through September 20.
Northside Library 705 Rio Rd W. “Recent Oil Paintings,” featuring oil paintings by Randy Baskerville.
The Fralin Museum of Art at UVA 155 Rugby Rd. “Collection,” featuring photography by Sol LeWitt; “Struggle…From the History of the American People,” featuring paintings by Jacob Lawrence; and “Cavaliers Collect,” featuring a variety of genres on loan from UVA alumni and friends.