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C’ville Arts Cooperative Gallery will feature the inspirational art of Flame Bilyue. She will be at the gallery to share her impressive collection on Friday, November 2nd from 6 to 8 p.m. during the Historic Downtown Mall’s First Friday event.

Flame Bilyue’s art is two and three dimensional work she creates using water color, acrylics, colored pencils and pastels. Bilyue paints on canvas, paper or sculpted paper. Using her own handmade “sculpted paper” she recycles from office and art scraps, even junk mail is made into pulp, then formed and painted. This technique creates depth as relief style wall art, decorative mirrors, jewelry, and occasionally masks and bowls representing landscapes, dreamscapes, animals, trees and Dryads.

“The beauty and intrigue of the Blue Ridge Mountains has captured my imagination and inspires me to look deeper into the local history and folk lore.” Flame explains what motivates her creative process. “When we are open, we can also see with our mind’s eye not only what is here now but what might have been and what might be possible. We can see with our eyes but also with our hearts and imagination.”

Her imagination is timeless and vast, with a dreamlike quality that shines brightly in her recent body of work.

To learn more about Flame and her work visit her web site at www.flamebilyue.com

C’ville Arts celebrates autumn with a group show during the month of October. Various members will be at the gallery to share their latest work during the First Friday event on October 5th from 6 – 8 p.m.

October is a month full of colors, craftsmanship, and creativity! This is a time for our membership to shine, offering the finest work inspired by one of the most colorful times of year. You will find high quality work ranging from original oil paintings, hand knit items for children and adults, both fused and stained glass to wood works, jewelry and so much more.

We will have member demonstrations and you’ll enjoy seeing the magic of creative moments unfold right before your eyes. Discovering first hand the innovative techniques and the charming people who practice these skills with devotion and dedication not seen on such a large scale in recent history.

We will also be introducing Herson Cabrera, a Salvadoran artisan and entrepreneur who is visiting Charlottesville through the Young Leaders of the Americas Initiative. He will be learning about marketing and selling locally produced art, and exhibiting samples of products made in El Salvador. Come help us welcome him to Central Virginia.

C’ville Arts will be bubbling with activities all month long. This will be an impressive collection of creative minds working together to bring you a fun filled exhibit you won’t want to miss.

C’ville Arts welcomes functional inspirations from Nan Rothwell, one of our newest potters (and very popular pottery talents) during the month of September. She will be at the gallery to share her latest collection during the First Friday event on September 7th from 6 – 8 p.m.

Nan’s pots are made to be used. Enhancing the everyday rituals of preparing and eating food, to hold flowers, to light a corner for reading. From her first lessons in clay, nearly fifty years ago, she has been enchanted by the idea of making things people can actually use. “I pay attention to details that ensure things are sturdy and function well.” Rothwell describes, “Making functional work connects me to the age-old tradition of artist craftsmen who make beautiful objects for daily use.”

After learning to make pots in England, Nan returned to the US, and set up a studio in Virginia.  Then, after meeting and marrying Carter Smith, the two bought land on the Rockfish River in Nelson County. They built a studio and home, raised two children, and worked their passions; Carter building cabinets and Nan making functional pottery. After thirty-eight years in Nelson County, ready for a change, the couple moved to Charlottesville and opened a small in-home pottery studio.  

Since she has always enjoyed teaching, Nan currently offers classes at City Clay in Charlottesville and various workshops to guilds and groups in the region. Expanding her lessons she now offers an online course at TeachinArt.com and through two teaching videos published by Ceramic Arts Daily. Sharing her talent with others keeps Nan inspired and helps her produce collections that are fresh and functional. 

To learn more about Nan and her work visit her at:

www.NanRothwellPottery.com

https://www.facebook.com/NanRothwellPottery/

nan@nanrothwellpottery.com 

C’ville Arts welcomes fresh and sparkling inspirations from Stephen Dalton, one of our long time and very popular jewelry design talents during the month of August. He will be at the gallery to share his latest collection during the Frist Friday event on August 3rd from 6 – 8 p.m.

Stephen Dalton has been making and selling his whimsical Half-Baked Ideas Jewelry for twenty-five years.  A love of color has always inspired his mixed-media creations and enriched his life.  This summer, he continues to make wearable art—earrings, pin/pendants and necklaces.  All his work is bright and bold, dramatic and fun.  His focus this time around is on exciting color combinations.  Colors that can be found in a cut flower garden, combined in fresh ways.  The citrines and pinks, the tangerines and teals work together in striking, abstract pieces, or compliment the whimsy in Stephen’s array of animal jewelry.

Perfect for summer, Stephen’s lightweight jewelry is watercolor paper based and made durable during a three-day epoxy process.  He uses vintage beads, Czech glass, and found objects in his designs, with the ultimate goal to brighten or lighten someone’s day. 

To learn more about Stephen’s work visit his Facebook page link https://www.facebook.com/StephenDaltonJewelry/

C’ville Arts welcomes Barbara Shenefield, one of our newest members and graphic design talents during the month of July. She will be at the gallery to share her appealing collection of designs during the First Friday event on July 6from 6 – 8 p.m.

Barbara began by making posters celebrating the beautiful commonwealth of Virginia. All of her original designs and illustrations commemorate historic places and beautiful scenes of some of Virginia’s best features: mountains, history, wildlife, favorite sports and cultural attractions. Shenefield’s approach is a classic poster style, somewhat reminiscent of retro travel posters (National Parks, advertising). Her compositions are vibrant, eye catching, colorful, and just plain cool.

These creative period style posters often include one or more of her favorite animals.

“I will often sneak a horse or a dog into a poster, even of the historic houses” Barbara explains, “so look closely. I am constantly, restlessly, drawing and creating new designs. Art is what I do, all day, every day.”

These high quality, clean and contemporary posters are produced with only the best materials using ultrachrome inks, a very high resolution printer, on the finest quality Kao-Lin paper. Shenefield’s work is available online, in galleries and gift shops such as Montpelier, Monticello and vineyards across the commonwealth.

To learn more about Barbara’s work visit her web site: Shenefielddesign.com   

Stained and fused glass artist, Norma Geddes, will be the featured artist for the month of May. She will be at the gallery to share her stunning collection and answer any questions on May 4^th from 6 – 8 p.m. during the First Friday opening celebration.

After a long and satisfying career in health care, Norma Geddes discovered glass art quite by chance. While shopping for glass cupboard doors for her newly renovated kitchen, she saw a small ad for “Stained Glass Classes.” With her well-honed sense of adventure, she signed up for classes on the spot and has not stopped since!

Norma is inspired by the words of Georgia O’Keefe—“They showed me how they painted their landscape. They couldn’t show me how to paint mine”—and Joseph Campbell—“When you follow your bliss, doors will open for you that you didn’t know were there, and wouldn’t be there for anyone else.”

Norma’s art is both beautiful and functional, and can be found at galleries throughout Virginia. For a complete list of venues displaying her art, please see her website: www.normageddesglass.com.

Alex Pettigrew will be the featured artisan for March at the C’Ville Arts Cooperative Gallery on Charlottesville’s historic Downtown Mall.  He will be at the gallery to meet you and share his stunning work during the First Friday event on March 2nd, from 6 to 8.

Alex crafts functional and artistic accessories for home and office from local hardwoods in his North Garden VA studio. He lets the beauty of the wood shine through by using the natural color palette available in the wonderful variety of woods available in the Appalachian forest. He often makes a combination of woods a part of his design. Of particular interest is Alex’s work utilizing historic woods from the UVA Grounds, Monticello and James Monroe’s Highlands.

In addition to functional pieces such as boxes, chef boards, cheese boards and pepper mills, this show will highlight Alex’s recent work using electropyrography to create decorative pieces featuring Lichtenberg designs.

Alex is a juried member of the Artisan Center of Virginia and exhibits his work in numerous galleries and retail shops in Central Virginia as well as on his website:www.PettigrewWoodworks.com. His North Garden Studio is on the Monticello Artisan Trail and is open by appointment. Contact him atPettigrew.Woodworks@gmail.com.

Our gifted and fashion savvy fiber artist Karen Shapcott will be C’ville Arts Cooperative Gallery’s featured artist during the month of February. She will be at the gallery to share her talents on February 2^nd from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. during the Historic Downtown Mall’s First Friday event.

Karen’s love for working with fiber developed early in life as a teenager knitting for her family. It was 23 years ago when she bought her very first needle felting kit. From that point on her fascination with felting in many forms would grow and her skills developed into the impressive talent she shares with us today.

“I find I get bored easily and constantly change the look of my pieces.” Said Karen, “I love exploring different combinations of color and textures of wool, silk, yarns, and other embellishments.” 

Shapcott’s dedication to details and her unique approach to working with felt has come from a commitment and enthusiasm to learn not seen in the average felting artist. Karen’s current work is partly inspired by several internationally respected felting mentors she’s known, who encouraged, motivated and inspired her over the years. Taking bits and pieces of their knowledge combined with her sense of style and genuine curiosity, are qualities that have united in a magical way. Producing one the most striking collections that you will want to own and surely adore.

To learn more about Karen and her work visit her web site: middlerivercreations.com