New City Arts' Welcome Gallery
114 3rd St. NE, Charlottesville, VA 22902
First Fridays
November 2 from 5-7:30 PM. Artist talk at 6 PM.
Gallery Hours
Noon-4 PM, Monday-Friday
Sponsors
This Welcome Gallery Exhibit Opening Receptions is sponsored by Journey Group, Reason Beer, Sugar Shack Donuts & Coffee, and Ting, and is supported by a Bama Works Fund grant.
Exhibition Statement (provided by the artist)
In creating this body of work, I sought to identify regional symbols that are distinctive to our area which speak of both the natural topography and the humans who have inhabited it. A horizon of layered blue, rolling pasture, cropped fields, and horse fences that impose black lines along roadsides are among the most iconic.
By creating highly textured and repeating surfaces, my intention is to draw the viewer into a reflective state. When the active eye is free to explore the patterning of many tiny brushstrokes, my hope is that this will create an opportunity for the viewer to experience an inner stillness. Just as hands busied in a repetitive task may free the mind, I believe the same can be true with a harmonious visual experience. These paintings have been contemplative for me to create, and I want this to be transferred to viewers. When images like these becomes part of one’s daily life, that life is impacted with a greater sense of inner peace.
About the Artist (provided by the artist)
Anna Bryant is an oil painter who works and lives on a farm in Keswick, Virginia. She paints in the tradition of the Post-Impressionists and finds diverse inspiration in embroidery, natural patterns, and Japanese block printing. Anna received her BFA from James Madison University and studied under Philadelphia-based painter Neilson Carlin. She has exhibited throughout the region and her work is featured in many private collections.
Artwork image courtesy of the artist.