First Fridays: November 3
Ann Robertson made her first art quilt more than 20 years ago, as a way of working through her experience in the Great Hanshin earthquake that hit Kobe, Japan, in the wee hours of January 17, 1995.
With no prior quilting experience and only one American quilting book and some Japanese quilting magazines to go by, Robertson developed her own style outside of traditional medallion-style quilts, making wall quilts with silk from old kimonos, and calling attention to the fabric’s woven and painted designs.
For “Sticks and Stones,” one of the pieces on view this month at the Fiber and Stitch Art Collective show at Indoor Biotechnologies, Robertson created a bold, geometric design from 25 squares of red silk, each square randomly slashed with an inserted strip of contrasting silk (the “sticks”). The focal point of the piece, the three “stones,” is in the upper left quadrant, and the density of the “sticks” diminishes as the eye roves toward the outer edges of the quilt, the surface of which is free-stitched with various colored threads and patterns. Like most quilts, this one is sewn together, batted and backed.
Quilting isn’t unlike painting or drawing, Robertson says. Free-stitching creates patterns revealed by light and shadow;
use of different thread can slightly alter perception of the fabric color, and translucent fabrics add shading and dimension. “Sticks and Stones” speaks to the fiber and stitch nature of the quilted art piece, she says, artful but familiar in its appeal to both the eye and the hand.—Erin O’Hare
Gallery exhibits
Annie Gould Gallery 121 B S. Main St., Gordonsville. An exhibition of work by Jane Angelhart, Jenifer Ansardi, Fax Ayres, Hallie Farley, Alex Gould, Jennifer Paxton and Peter Willard.
Art on the Trax 5784 Three Notch’d Rd., Crozet. “Verdant Melody,” a show of paintings inspired by artist Nancy Campa’s surroundings. November 11, 4-6pm.
FF The Bridge PAI 2019 Monticello Rd. “People of Charlottesville,” an exhibit of Aaron Farrington’s portraits of Charlottesville residents, created through a 19th-century wet plate collodion process. 5:30-9pm.
FF Chroma Projects 103 W. Water St. “Color Camp,” featuring perspectives on the interactions of color and form by Ken Horne and Cate West Zahl. 5-8pm.
FF CitySpace Art Gallery 100 Fifth St. NE. “Birdscapes,” a photography exhibit that gets up close and intimate with birds. 5:30-7:30pm.
FF Create Gallery at Indoor Biotechnologies 700 Harris St. An exhibition of work by the Fiber and Stitch Art Collective, which uses fiber and thread in a variety of ways to create two- and three-dimensional works. 5-7pm.
Crozet Artisan Depot 5791 Three Notch’d Rd., Crozet. “My Favorite Time of Year,” featuring autumn landscape photography by Ben Greenberg. November 11, 2pm.
FF C’ville Arts Cooperative Gallery 118 E. Main St. “Celebrate C’ville: 20 Years of Virginia Art,” featuring work in a variety of media by the gallery’s entire membership of artists to honor the gallery’s 20th anniversary. 6-8pm.
FF Dovetail Design + Cabinetry 309 E. Water St. “Gratitude Art,” featuring water colors, acrylic mixed media and oils paintings of landscapes, florals, still life and architecture by Cheryl Fee. 5-7pm.
The Fralin Museum of Art 155 Rugby Rd. “Dealer’s Choice: The Samuel Kootz Gallery 1945-1966,” an exhibition that examines the critical role Kootz played in establishing modern American art as an international force; “Oriforme” by Jean Arp; and in the Joanne B. Robinson Object Study Gallery, a set of objects including Chinese bronzes, ceramics and sculpture, ancient Mediterranean coins, African masks and figures and more.
The Gallery at Ebb & Flow 71 River Rd., Faber. “En Plein Air,” an exhibition of plein air landscape paintings by V-Anne Evans. November 11, 2-5pm.
Jefferson School African American Heritage Center 233 Fourth St. NW. “Karma,” featuring work by Lisa Beane that addresses privileged racism.
FF Les Yeux du Monde 841 Wolf Trap Rd. “Land Patterns,” paintings by Susan McAlister inspired by a love of the land and an admiration for abstract painter Cy Twombly. Through November 12.
FF McGuffey Art Center 201 Second St. NW. In the Sarah B. Smith Gallery, “Pipe Works and Other Ramblings,” an exhibit of Frederic A. Crist’s sculpture. In the Lower Hall North Gallery, an exhibition of work by Etta Harmon Levin and Charlene Cross. In the Lower Hall South Gallery, cut paper and digital collage works by Charles Peale. In the Upper Hall Galleries North and South, “Off the Wall,” an exhibition of work by the UVA Sculpture Community. 5:30-7:30pm.
FF New Dominion Bookshop 404 E. Main St., Downtown Mall. An exhibition of watercolor paintings by the Studio E. artists, under the direction of Eloise Gardiner Giles. 5-7pm.
FF Second Street Gallery 115 Second St. SE. “My Body is a Grave,” a selection of large-scale paintings and works on paper by Paul Brainard that explores themes of mortality, virtual reality and consumer culture; “Solve et Coagula,” an exhibit debuting the abstract expressionist-style work of Peter Benedetti; and “Dante’s Inferno,” a mixed media exhibition by Michelle Gagliano. 5:30-7:30pm.
Shenandoah Valley Art Center 26 S. Wayne Ave., Waynesboro. An exhibition of work by acrylic artist Nicholas Martori. November 4, 4-8pm.
FF Spring Street Boutique 107 W. Main St. “A Study of Morocco,” photography by Alexandra Borden. 6-8pm.
FF Studio IX 969 Second St. SE. “Bonjour from ___! I hope this card finds you well…” an exhibition of photo-postcards sent by Annie Dunckel. 5-7pm.
Thomas Jefferson Memorial Church 717 Rugby Rd. “Understanding and Healing,” featuring paintings by GerriAnne Huey. November 5, 12:30pm.
FF VMDO Architects 200 E. Market St. “Some Landscape Diversions,” a series of Mary Atkinson’s recent landscape paintings that looks at the landscape as respite. 5:30-7:30pm.
FF Welcome Gallery 114 Third St. NE. “Sound & Color,” acrylic paintings on canvas by Brittany Fan. 5-7:30pm.
FF The Women’s Initiative 1101 E. High St. A group multimedia exhibit featuring work from Terry Coffey, Julia Kindred and Carol Kirkham Martin of the BozART Fine Art Collective. 1-4pm.
FF First Fridays is a monthly art event featuring exhibit openings at many downtown art galleries and additional exhibition venues. Several spaces offer receptions.