Provided by Arches Gallery Artists
The Arches Gallery Artists is pleased to announce the winners of the February 2018 People’s Choice Award for the current exhibition in their gallery in Building W9 at the Workhouse Arts Center in Lorton. We have 22 artists of varying artistic disciplines. The People’s Choice winners were chosen during the monthly 2nd Saturday Art Walk on March 9, 2018. An increased number of members had their work selected for awards, with clear choices for first, second, and third.
The works and others will be on exhibit through March 31, 2018 in Building W9. The Workhouse Arts Center is located at 9601 Ox Rd., Lorton. Gallery hours are Mon.-Fri: 11:00 a. m.-6:00 p. m.; Sun: 12:00-5:00 p. m.
Here is information about the winning artists and their work:
Sandra McClelland Lewin (1st Place)
Artwork: “You Otter Be in Pictures”
Sandra McClelland Lewin received a BA in Advertising Design from Northeast Louisiana State University, but didn’t really begin her artistic career until many years later when she became a computer graphic artist for the Central Intelligence Agency. After retiring from the government, she began taking classes in fine art such as watercolor, colored pencil, and acrylics. Her body of work is primarily representational, inspired by the beauty of nature, and is not limited to any one style or medium. Her graphics background influences her methodology, ensuring compositions that are balanced in movement and color. She often chose a square format for her art to invoke a more contemporary aesthetic. Hobbies of photography and travel provide inspiration and abundant material for her paintings. Using bright, cheerful colors she hopes to elevate the spirit, causing the viewer to slow down, smile, and enjoy the moment. She considers her art a success if it motivates that sort of peaceful reflection.
About the piece: This painting, “You Otter Be In Pictures,” is a result of a photo I took on a trip to the National Zoo with my grandchildren about five years ago. I had planned to paint this photo for years, but just got around to it last month. I’ve always loved the subtle colors in the background stone and the convenient way the otters lined up for their photo op. It is done in acrylic on a 12” x 24” gallery wrapped canvas. I’m pleased with the way it turned out and I think the otters would be too.
John Hartt (2nd Place)
Artwork: “Balloon Boy”
John Hartt is an artist who lives and works in Manassas. He works in oils and leans toward a bright, colorful palette with his subject matter ranging from whimsical to “just plain weird”. His goal is simple he says, “I want my work to make people smile.” His work can be seen at Arches Gallery at the Workhouse Arts Center in Lorton and online at jortt.com.”
About the piece: “Balloon Boy” When I was a child, I got knocked on the head with a brick. The injury was so bad the doctors had to amputate my head in order to fix it back to a healthy state. So, for six months while they worked on my head, they put a bright red balloon in its place. How I miss that balloon.
Glenn Cook (3rd Place)
Artwork: “Sunset Silhouette”
Glenn Cook is a photographer, writer, and editor whose work has been featured in newspapers and magazines across the United States. A member of the Arches Gallery Artists since 2014, his fine art and dance photography has been exhibited in galleries and at events in Northern Virginia and Washington, D.C.
Glenn has a bachelor of arts degree in journalism from the University of Houston and has won more than 60 national awards for writing, photography and graphic design. He also won Best in Show in 2016 for the Workhouse Arts Center’s “Collector’s Showcase.”
About the piece: “Life on the Streets” is one piece in his “Resilience” show. Resilence is the process of adapting well in the face of day-to-day stress, adversity, trauma, or tragedy,” Cook says. “Often associated with cataclysmic events, it also is knitted through the web of everyday life. The photos in this show tell stories associated with resilience: from people trying to recover from some of our nation’s worst natural disasters, to dedicated artists and athletes battling through obstacles as they pursue their craft, to historically marginalized populations trying to survive and grow.”
You can find more information about the Workhouse Art Center at workhousearts.org. The gallery is located at 9518 Workhouse Rd, Lorton,. More about the Arches Gallery Artists can be found at facebook.com/archesgalleryartists and archesgallery.weebly.com/
