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Date: Art Opening Reception on Saturday, May 18th, 2024.
Time: 4 pm — 6:30 pm
Live Music: Jim Gormley
Poetry Reading: Maureen Mills
Artists Talk
Location: mosaicARTs Onsite Gallery and Virtual Gallery
NOVA-based collage artist Eleftheria Easley has created mixed media works since occupying her first studio space, a high chair piled with art supplies. This formative environment fostered her resourcefulness and exploration of papers and textiles as raw materials for making art. Her patterned pieces unlock beauty in juxtaposition and invite connection.
Easley’s artistic creations have graced numerous juried and non-juried exhibitions across galleries, public spaces, and online platforms, both locally and nationally, inspiring countless individuals. She is a member of multiple Northern Virginia arts organizations, including Mosaic Arts Gallery, Artists’ Undertaking Gallery, Gallery Underground, and Arlington Artists Alliance. Earning her BFA in Graphic Design at Boston University, Eleftheria is also a military veteran who has lived across the United States, Europe, and Asia. Her diverse background and exposure to different cultures enhance her creativity and shape her artistic vision. For more from her creative work, you can check out www.eleftheriaeasley.com.
Mini-solo show | Mixed-media with fabrics
Petti Durbin uses organic materials, giving her art a unique approach. She creates mixed-media pieces unlike any other, using recycled materials and fabrics to bring her artistic vision to life. Her artwork reflects her creative process, which is fluid and ever-changing, as she allows the materials to guide her in new and exciting directions. The artwork produced by the artist is unique and inspiring showcasing their distinct perspectives and creative talent.
Petti shared: “The name of my company is E.Y.A.Y.A and stands for Embrace Yourself As You Are. My images are diverse; I believe they express the joy and uniqueness found in embracing yourself as you are. Weaving positive messages of diversity and self-empowerment into my creations is a central goal of my artistic practice.” Her art has the power to shape and enrich lives.
Mini-solo show | Oil paintings on canvases
Ann Lam-Anh Pham is a visual artist based in Arlington, Virginia, who works mainly in oil and watercolor. Ann’s focus is to expand the collective awareness and understanding of the interconnectedness with each other through the basic emotions we all share, our planet and all beings. Her abstract work is an effort of making sense of things, working through struggles and continuing to gain an understanding of she is and who she is becoming. She believes the inner work is hard work and not visible to the outer world. Simplicity is not a simple process, and it doesn’t mean simpler.
Her evolution began painting as a child, born in what was then Saigon, Vietnam, at the My Thuat Art House. Her journey continued when her family moved to the United States when she was a teen and persisted all through college and till today. Although awarded an art scholarship in her first two years of college, at her parents’ request to pursue a more ‘practical’ career, Ann majored in business and eventually earned a MBA. Ann continued taking classes after college and became active after moving to the National Capitol Region in 2016.
“As I work on different pieces of the collection, I reflect on the path that I’ve been on to discover or rediscover my essence. I think about different bodies I’ve been in, from the shape of an infant, a girl, to a teenager, to an adult, and continue to transform with time. Amidst these transformations, something remains constant within. Working on the Essence V took me back to an event in Saigon, Vietnam. My parents were not rich, but my siblings and I were well-provided for. We participated in many extracurricular activities. Mom would take us to plays, movies and events around the city. We watched a lot of international movies. We would occasionally stop by a noodle shop on our way home after watching a movie. One time, while eating at a small shop by the side of the road in the evening, I couldn’t help but notice a girl about my age, eleven or twelve years old, looking at us eating a few meters away.
Why is she by herself? I asked Mom but couldn’t remember her response. Half of her body was hiding behind the power pole. She wasn’t clean. I occasionally checked on her within my peripheral view while eating with my family. After we got up to leave, I turned around out of curiosity to see if she would move. I saw her went to our table and drank the left-over broth, bowl by bowl. I was confused. I didn’t know how to interpret the incident then, but the image remained. The event took place in the 80s. It somehow resurfaced in recent months as an invitation for connection and calling to be acknowledged. Working on the Essence project allows me to do just that. I connected with my younger self trying to see what that girl was like. I found a piece of me in her. I recognized my curiosity, my concern for others, and my contemplative tendency from a very young age.
I have witnessed many events and processed many experiences through the years. Only now that I give myself more time to reflect on these events that left lasting images through the painting process. It’s like being on an excavation searching for something and not being sure what I will find at the end but the discovery along the way makes life worth living and sharing.”
Mini-solo show | Painting with heavy body acrylic and palette knife on canvas
Ivan reconstructs dreams, fairy tales, nursery rhymes, lullabies, and more that are a part of our lives. Capturing different emotions from the audience’s faces is something he obsesses over. When creating art, Ivan aims to convey the viewer’s emotions. He employs various techniques, materials, and surfaces to create intriguing pieces. Ivan shared, “Each piece of my artwork narrates a story. These stories have heroes, villains, action, and other elements that make my work exceptional. I create dynamic and unique artwork that offers a distinct tale every time one glances at it. In conclusion, I relish using and exploring diverse techniques to produce incredible artworks.”
The primary media he uses is acrylic and oil paints. However, Ivan likes to experiment with different mediums and techniques. Besides painting, Ivan used to do pencil drawings, murals, mixed media art, photography, graphic design, and more. Ivan Pesic was born in Blace, Serbia, and emigrated to Virginia, USA. His work has been seen in many galleries in Virginia, Washington DC, North Carolina, and Georgia.
Kessler create vessels and tend to abstract them in their form to evoke common language and moments of human experience. This is done through additive or subtractive techniques of clay building to achieve a texture, color, or composition that is relevant to the idea of the current work. His interest in clay vessels comes from the similarities they share with humanity. The vocabulary used such as “foot”, “neck”, “shoulder”, and “lip” to describe itself, but also their symbolic purpose of preserving and containing, as we contain words and actions of influence. Their ability of carrying and serving helps keep me accountable for my selflessness, and the heating process they endure to become strong and functional furthers my thought process of concept and design in vessel making with clay. Reflecting upon these comparisons, I quickly realize that I am a vessel. After all, bodies of clay and bodies of man both come from the dust.
Kessler moved to the US in 2019 far away from his home, the Samoan islands, to further his education. He majored in studio arts with an emphasis in Ceramics in Illinois, where he finished his undergraduate and graduate level learning in 2023. He is now a contractor as a teaching artist for a school in the city of Vienna, Virginia, creating art and community that clay draws.
Jenny Jisoo Park is a talented artist with a Master of Fine Arts degree from Ewha Woman’s University. She is deeply passionate about Minhwa, a traditional form of Korean painting that represents the daily life, beliefs, and values of Korean culture. Despite its waning popularity over the last 60 years, Minhwa remains a symbol of Korea’s cultural heritage, and Jenny is determined to revive its charm in Virginia. By bringing Minhwa to life in a modern context, she aims to increase appreciation for Korean traditional culture and bring happiness to people’s lives.
Jenny has had a distinguished career as an artist and has participated in multiple exhibitions at the Hana Art Gallery and the Seoul Modern Art Show in 2010. Additionally, she has worked as a professor at Seoul Arts Colleagues (SAC) and is currently in senior art classes. Encountering Minhwa is an occasion to honor and treasure the rich cultural legacy that it embodies. With her expertise and appreciation of Minhwa, Jenny’s work represents an excellent opportunity to engage with this traditional art form and appreciate its beauty.
mosaicARTs is please to present this new exhibition which highlights Women Artists Month. These women artists ignited a spark that inspired them to create, build, and establish a supportive art community for others. The collaboration aims to acknowledge the significant contributions of female artists while promoting gender equality and empowerment for women.
by Studio 10 Women Artists:The “Landscape: Spirit of Place” painting series by Studio 10 Women Artists is an awe-inspiring and breathtaking representation of nature captured from a unique perspective. This group of five contemporary painters pours their hearts and souls into their art exhibitions, using cohesive themes that inspire them to create stunning pieces. Each artist showcases their distinctive vision and style through various media, such as oil, watercolor, acrylic, ink, collage, and photography. Behold the impressive exhibition of diverse and stunning artworks, each piece holding the power to captivate you with something unique and inspiring.
These women artists have consistently won top awards and have been juried into numerous galleries and art societies. Their artwork has appeared in national and international publications, showcasing their exceptional talent and skill. They have held leadership roles in arts organizations, and their education from prestigious art and design colleges is evident in their artwork. Their group exhibitions have captivated audiences in DC and Northern Virginia, as well as online. They have drawn rave reviews and inspired others to explore nature through their art.
by Women Artists:
mosaicARTs and Debra Wright Studio have joined forces to commemorate the feminist art movement. These women artists ignited a spark that inspired them to create, build, and establish a supportive art community for others. The collaboration aims to acknowledge the significant contributions of female artists while promoting gender equality and empowerment for women.
In this collection, Maya Gorrez illustrates the freedom of creating outside of the traditional artistic box. “Unbound” seeks to understand the inner machinations of an artist driven by the compulsions and fixations of ADHD rather than the safety of repetition and practice. In this way, Maya aims to evoke dialogue about artistic stasis and the idea of constant evolution.
Maya Gorrez shared: “In the span of my artistic career, I may never be known for a style or a technique. But when someone experiences my work, I want them to be drawn into that moment and that moment alone, knowing that it is fleeting.”
Maya Gorrez is a painter and photographer based in Fairfax, VA. Her art aims to highlight the value of life and the beauty that we can find in ordinary things. She uses bold embellishments and abstract representations of truth to encourage the audience to interact with her work actively. She said: “My goal is to create a space where there is no right or wrong interpretation of my paintings.” Maya uses different colors, textures, and movement to elicit unique and personal emotions from each viewer.
Kara Aledort is a photographer who loves capturing nature, architecture, and human expressions. She enjoys improvising with her art form and takes inspiration from life’s candid moments. Her portfolio features photos taken in Charleston, SC, where she used to live, and in Washington, DC, where she currently resides. Kara loves to take images on road trips as they present endless opportunities to capture unique photographs that tell a story. She believes images can fill many possibilities, emotions, and characters that reflect her optimistic outlook. She said: ” I use digital editing to control my process of telling a story within an unscripted frame. I enjoy experimenting with non-structure, balance, storyline, movement, and lighting within my photos, allowing my craft to evolve continuously.”
One of Ithiar’s series, “Evanescence of Memory,” explores how memories disappear over time. She explained: “Objects, people, and activities form the foundation of our memories. However, we will forget them when they are out of sight. As time passes, we remember things differently. Some memories may fade away entirely. Ithiar’s project is a preliminary exploration of this phenomenon. It raises questions such as where forgotten memories go and why we remember things differently if we remember them at all.”
Ithiar loves working with analog photos as they evoke emotions and ignite memories. Her photographs aim to document what inspires her and reflect her view of the world. She wants her art to be memorable and meaningful. For Ithiar, photography is a way of communicating and is the driving force in her life. Ithiar Bertholet del Barrio is a photographer who lives and works in Fairfax, Virginia. She received her Bachelor of Arts degree in photography from George Mason University.
Karen captures the beauty of nature by cherishing special moments. She finds inspiration in peaceful moments during her sunrise walks along the beaches of Florida’s Treasure Coast. Her photos capture beautiful moments in time.
Karen, a retiree on Florida’s East Coast, enjoys creating lasting memories by taking photos of sun rises and nature. “We were standing there looking at the boat, and all of a sudden I saw that gorgeous reflection in the water, and just snapped a photo. That’s what started it all,” she shared.
Matt Makara is a versatile photographer who uses various techniques, including digital, film, and historic photographic processes, to capture the beauty of nature. He enjoys winter hiking and believes that black and white photography is the best way to showcase the coldness and overall feel of the season before the more colorful and warmer seasons begin. Matt shared: “Photographing in black and white allows me to simplify the image and highlight and enhance the more dramatic aspects of the scene.”
Matt often captures images of trees and water while hiking in national parks and the Swiss/German Alps. He loves experimenting with techniques like long exposure and intentional camera movement to enhance the dramatic aspects of the scene and expand his creative process.
James Jung is a multi-disciplinary creative based in Northern Virginia. He loves to mix a variety of artistic mediums including photography, fashion, dance, and software. As a photographer, he loves to spend hours exploring new areas and going on adventures. James mainly shoots street photography and portraits, but enjoys landscape photography as an escape into nature. Find more of his photography work at https://jung.camera.
“Over the past few years, I’ve found myself less focused on the technical aspect of photography. Instead, the act of taking photos has become a meditative experience of mental awareness. Appreciating the present. That’s why I do most of my photography in solitude. This series of photos is from the woods of Virginia where I grew up. A white forest that made me feel like I was walking through an abstract painting. Trees brushed with black ink, set against an empty canvas. Footsteps muffled in the fresh snow. A sudden spring shower turning a vibrant green forest into a gentle instrument. Rain falling onto streams, painting the water like oil on canvas. The sun still shining bright.
From my eyes to yours, I hope you enjoy these moments that brought me much peace.”
Kathleen is a local photographer who is always drawn to the outdoors. “Photography pulls me into the details of what I see outside–forces me to look critically at those details–particularly the light, the changing light. Then I look for movement, and sometimes I’m lucky.” Time outside with her camera keeps her active and in touch with the seasons (what’s in bloom), the length of days, the phases of the moon, Time out with her camera is needed and happy time alone for her.
“When creating pieces that are aesthetically self-sufficient and true to my visual language, my hope is to also challenge viewers to think beyond what is immediately perceptible.” Each of her artworks tell a story as Mari Calai approaches her craft with a life-long learning lens and open senses. While making cyanotypes, silver gelatin, platinum palladium prints, and collages, she uses different mediums, from vintage film cameras to digital cameras, handmade papers, canvases, wood, and gold leaf. The media and techniques often change based on her project, but her curiosity and passion to create remain the same. Mari welcome experimentation, especially in alternative photographic processes, since imperfection plays an integral part in her work. Her latest work embodies kintsugi, the Japanese art of putting pieces together using gold emphasizing the beauty of imperfection.
Mari Calai was born and raised in Romania, but she has lived in Italy, S. Korea, and now reside in Falls Church, VA. She have an inherent curiosity about life and cultures that she utilizes in her art, and mostly the unseen magic around us. Learn more about her work at www.maricalai.com
Michael is a photographer and graphic designer based in Alexandria, VA. Whether photographing in the neighborhood or while traveling, capturing what the eye and heart encounter creates moments of beauty. The simplest of things can hold a well of amazement. He is drawn to both the natural and the man made as well as how each one affects the other. Mike shared: “After growing up with a film camera, switching to digital photography released a reservoir of creativity I would not have known otherwise. I enjoy exploring elements I encounter in my travels. If something strikes me I work to capture that feeling through my photography, finding the best expression of that feeling in the moment. I love getting up close and personal with a subject.”
Verasak (Sak) Liengsiriwat was born in Bangkok – the City of Angels, Thailand – the land of smiles. Prior to his retirement, Sak worked for numerous agencies of the United Nations that took him to many wonderful countries around the world. In retirement, Sak lives in Austria, continues to travel and volunteers for several UN organizations by providing policy assessment projects. This photograph was taken when he and his secondary school classmate hiked at the famous lake region Salzkammergut in Austria, where the story and movie “The Sound of Music” took place. Sack shared: “While hiking in the mountains along the three connected lakes, the sky turned dark and covered with thick clouds over one of the lakes and like magic – heavy rain came down over that lake while other parts were completely dry. Mother Nature set stages for us to enjoy this spectacular scene which the photo in front of you is captured.” Enjoy and let your imagination run wild with Mother Nature.
MosaicARTs Gallery is currently closed on May 24th 2024 & May 25th 2024
