Public Opening Reception:

Wednesday, June 20th 2018, 6 - 8pm

About the exhibition:

The exhibit “Second Life” showcases the work of eight women who have developed their interest in making art as their second, or third, or even fourth life. Some are coming back to an old interest, and some have ventured into new artistic territory. We are painters, a polymer artist, a fiber artist, a photographer, and a collage artist. We work in oil and acrylic, polymer clay, reed, and paper. Some of us show our work regularly, and for others, this is our first show. We developed into a collective as friends and neighbors in the Naval Square community, and are excited to share our work and our visions with the larger community.

About the Artists:

Marie Larkin is a painter and semi-retired school nurse who began painting in high school. “A boyfriend gave me a box of oil paints as a gift and I fell in love with the medium. I started teaching myself to paint but did not spend much time painting until after college when I began decorating my apartment. I saw paintings I could not afford and decided "to do it myself." Once my children were grown, I was able to spend much more time with my art. My inspiration for paintings comes from spending several months a year in Italy where I stay with family and friends. People on the beach, chickens on the family farm, and classically designed Italian buildings set off by trees are inspiration for me. Because of the smell, texture, and color, I prefer to work with oils, but for very large paintings I will use acrylics.”

Emily Squires Levine is a polymer artist. “I have always been drawn to small vessels, particularly those with colorful, intricate designs: a ceramic bowl from Turkey, a mother-of-pearl box. Often used to hold treasures, the container always intrigues me more than its contents. My passion is to create colorful vessels. Inspiration may derive from a traditional Japanese Imari porcelain, a print by Miró, or recent travels to Cuba. In these pieces and places, I see colors and patterns that I translate into vessels of varied sizes and shapes. My interpretations are subtle but provide the basis for my designs, color palettes, and use of positive and negative space. I work in hand mixed colors of polymer that are layered, creating patterns that run through the entire length of the ‘cane.’ Slices of contrasting colors, patterns, and complexity are juxtaposed around a form and cured in an oven. Each vessel reflects the shape of the form but remains unique in its presentation. The results excite me; I am gratified to share them with others.”

Margaret Moran is a fiber artist. “Since I was a little girl, I have enjoyed doing handwork—knitting, crocheting, and weaving—but when I found basket making, I was hooked. I have been making baskets for more than 16 years, the first 10 as an amateur. As I wound down my career in educational publishing and looked for interesting and creative work to take its place, I realized that my avocation could become my new occupation. In addition to learning how to construct reed baskets from a local basket weaver, I have learned techniques from other American weavers who use traditional and nontraditional materials and techniques. I have also worked with Irish, Scottish, and Spanish willow basket weavers. My work mixes traditional shapes and contemporary designs and no two are ever exactly the same. I have also begun using wire as a weaving medium and more recently exploring the use of paper in creating vessels.”

Ginny Minehart is a painter. “I used to play a game with my grandchildren when they first learned the joy of splashing crayon colors across a large piece of paper. We would all draw something from around the room, tape our sheets to the wall in readiness for the gallery walk, and then we would guess what each picture was. I am not sure if that is the key to my love of still life, but the children’s joy at seeing their brightly colored pictures certainly made an impression on me. I love bold colors and spontaneous brushwork. I am preoccupied with intense color, movement, and texture. My primary inspiration is the flower. I love flowers because of their unique individuality. Each one is different, yet blend with others in a bouquet to make something new. I prefer to paint from photographs to capture the subtle, fine details. My goal is to capture the perfect moment of light, and the delicate simplicity and beauty of the petal.”

Bhavisha Patel is a painter. “My art exhibits influences of several continents. Indian by ethnicity, born and brought up in Kenya, educated in England, and now living in Philadelphia, the subjects of my art range from landscapes of the African savannah and urban cityscapes to design art with Indian motifs. A self-taught artist of over twenty years, I easily transition from nature to urban scenes that carry a romantic, nostalgic feel.  I started painting in 1996, dabbling in photography, oils on wood, and water colors. The feel of oils allowed me to try different bases on which to create images. Oil quickly became the predominant medium of my work. I describe my work and experience of painting as my way of pouring my soul onto a canvas, a spiritual experience that allows me to capture the pure energy and harmonious relationships of elements in life and nature.”

Sue Seif is a painter. “After forty years as a medical illustrator, transitioning to fine art has been challenging. For the past twenty-five years or so, medical illustration has relied on tablet, stylus, and Photoshop—pencils and brushes not needed! I started painting with real paint about four years ago, studying at Fleisher with Paul DuSold, Giovanni Casadei, and Julia Clift, and at the Woodmere Art Museum. This has opened a whole new world for me and sent me in new directions. I am inspired by simple things that we see around us, and love exploring color and texture while keeping the forms intact. My first interest is still life, closely followed by painting animals, but lately I have been pushing myself to explore the colors and light of landscapes.”

Valentina Sokolskaya is a photographer. “I was born in Saint Petersburg (then Leningrad), Russia. My interest in photography began as a child. I started out using our family SLR camera when I was 13. I switched to digital in 2005. Long ago, I noticed that I look at the world as if through a viewfinder, always seeking that perfect shot. I am fascinated with the beauty around me from gorgeous landscapes to simple flowers in the yard. The texture of a petal may evoke as much emotion as a mountain. My specialty is travel photography. It provides an endless source of artistic inspiration for me, offering a chance to experience and capture the variety of colors, shapes, and textures from diverse cultures and remote places.”

Annie Stone is a collage-artist. “I started making collages by accident in a way. There were years in the 1990s when I used and saved wolf calendars because I liked them. I wasn’t sure what I was going to do with the calendars when it occurred to me to cut out the images and assemble them in a way that was meaningful to me. From that beginning, I moved to making collages using varied images of nature, inspired by particular images, colors, and texture. My process is not necessarily an intellectual or entirely conscious one. I often choose images that I have a visceral reaction to and just know I want to work with. The initial idea sometimes works out, sometimes not, which then creates the hunt through my collection of resources for what feels and looks right to me. I never know when I begin a collage what it will look like in the end.”