One of my favorite things is to drive through beautiful countryside and experience the movement, space and beauty of a place. The last leg of our trip on US 301 enroute to the Rawls Museum Arts, turned into a memorable pastoral drive. We passed one road sign that said Welcome to God's country, Don't drive like HELL through it. We ambled on to Courtland, Virginia, took a side road and discovered an old peanut processing plant. No longer in use, the plant stands as a champion to bygone industry. We discovered a quaint Episcopal Church on Main Street in Courtland. I wished we'd had more time to explore. We headed to the opening reception of the "Rawl Museum Arts 2008 juried National Exhibition".
Opening Reception: June 6, 7:00pm
It was hotter than Hades outdoors (101F), so we went straight into the reception where we met the Executive Director, Leigh Anne Chambers who has been with the Rawls Museum Arts for six years. She's established a good program of exhibitions, workshops and classes.
Area groups frequent the center for meetings and events. I was told that members of a local garden group admired my painting, "Tableau." As the Rawls Museum Arts website mentions, "Its goal as a regional art museum is to engage the surrounding communities in experiencing significant art, artists, and ideas of our time. The permanent and special collection displays present a wide range of modern and classical art, emerging artists, regional artists, and displays from the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts." While helping myself to the sweet punch that was served, I met several of the exhibiting artists and Board members. Nancy Sausser of the McLean Project for the Arts was the juror for this exhibition.
"Tableau," 30" x 24" acrylic on canvas - Anne Marchand, is on the wall to the left.
www.rawlsarts.com
See Earlier Post for a full list of exhibiting artists.
