C’ville Arts is delighted to feature our gifted member, Vyvyan Rundgren during the month of April. She will be at the gallery to share her impressive collection of hand-carved decorative gourds on April 7 from 5 to 7 p.m. during the Historic Downtown Malls First Friday event.
Vyvyan is an avid gourd artisan using only pyrography and carving to enhance each gourd. Each gourd is unique and all enhancements are natural. She considers “her gourds her canvas and the burner and carvers her brushes”. Her gourd art saved her emotionally for two years while her second husband battled cancer. Diving into the details of her inspiring designs has been very therapeutic and helped her cope with the grief of his loss. Using her artistic skills to help manage the challenges, Vyvyan makes gorgeous gourds come to life with each hurdle.
Rundgren is also active in her local creative economy serving as an officer for the Board of Directors on the Art Guild of Greene County. Through the Art Guild and with the support of the Greene County Economic Development & Tourism she founded the Blue Ridge Barn Quilt project. It has grown and become the largest barn quilt trail in Virginia, now having over 150 on display in Greene County. She not only paints many of the barn quilts, she also conducts workshops to teach others how to create their own.
Building on her creative journey, Vyvyan finds energy by using her imagination to enhance the beauty of the natural world that surrounds her. Whether she is painting barn quilts or burning, carving, and detailing gourds, her one-of-a-kind designs are spectacular and her work continues to inspire her audience on so many levels.
To learn more about Vyvyan’s work come to the opening! Or contact her directly via email vyvyanr@gmail.com or by phone 540-421-2742.
For additional information, contact Genevieve Story at 434-972-9500. The gallery’s web site is www.cvillearts.org. The C’ville Arts Cooperative Gallery, located on the historic Downtown Mall in Charlottesville, is open Monday-Thursday from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.; Friday and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Sunday from noon to 5:00 p.m.
ABOUT C’VILLE ARTS – C’ville Arts, a cooperative membership gallery of more than sixty local artists and crafters, was established in 1997. Original works include photography, painting, glass, fiber, clay and pottery, quilling, mosaics, jewelry, leather, wood, and gourd art.
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