Category: Exhibitions

September 12 – October 4, 2008
Nicholas Colasanto Center; Alexandria, Virginia
Map and Gallery Info

Megan Coyle’s “The Artist from a Distance,” “Self Portrait Posed in Front of Pink,” and “Figure in front of Window” were on display in the Nicholas Colasanto Center for a self-portrait exhibition. The exhibition was a Del Ray Artisans all-member exhibition, featuring the work of several local artists whose work ranged from photography to painting. The artwork showcased many different interpretations of what makes a self portrait a self portrait.

One of Megan’s collages, “The Artist from a Distance,” won Best in Show for the exhibition.

Well Crafted Word Newsletter

August 6 – September 2, 2008
Art League Gallery; Alexandria, Virginia
Map and Gallery Info

Megan Coyle’s “Open Skies” collage was on dislpay in the Art League’s annual landscape juried exhibition. The group exhibition showcased the diversity in the approach to an old fashion subject matter – landscapes and cityscapes. Works ranged in materials, with mixed media pieces, paintings, photograhy, charcoal drawings, and more.

The exhibition was juried by Walter Bartman.

694 works of art were entered into the exhibition and only 158 were accepted.

The Art League created a juror’s statement with Walter Bartman. The statement included the following:

When Walter Bartman juries a landscape show, he seeks to select pieces that are atypical landscapes.  “If you’re going to paint landscape, you have to go beyond the obvious.”  Bartman felt that many of the pieces submitted were repetitive, ordinary renderings of water, sunsets, or trees.  He wanted to see more artists approaching “landscape” with a fresh, unanticipated point of view.

“I was looking for something unexpected, something surprising.  Landscape is all about the use of space.”  Pieces in which the artist uniquely used space, pattern, scale, and angles were some of the elements Bartman looked for.  In “Little Washington #2,” by John Mallos, Bartman was drawn to the play between abstraction and representation, scale, striking angles, and simplicity.

Unexpected color choices, like in Jane Hahler’s, “Before Dark, Lima Peru,” can add an emotional element to a work.  “In this painting, you can feel that you’re in the city and it’s a hot summer evening.”  The artist has succeeded in portraying a sense of mood. Awarded The Jay and Helen Risser Award, “Leftovers,” by Fred Markham, “is an example of a strong black and white piece, with strong tonal values that is beautifully done.  The perspective and angles in this piece are interesting.”

“North Shore Autumn,” by BJ Anderson, captured the Potomac Valley Watercolorists Award.  “This is a memorable piece.  Unique in perspective and scale, you don’t typically see landscapes like this.  Multiple layers of pigment were applied to achieve the intense saturation and vividness of color.  The artist was able to retain a sense of flatness which is interesting.”

Bartman has juried for The Art League several times, and has been critical of the work previously.  But this time he found the most variety of unique work he has seen at The Art League, and a group of highly competent artists.

He thought photography was among the weakest media, with many “snapshots” submitted and fewer abstracted, creative compositions presented.  However he did select and award an honorable mention to “New York Reflections” by Alexandra Scannell.  “I like the perspective and the break up of space in this piece,” he stated.

Bartman has worked in the Bethesda, MD area for over thirty years.  Nationally acclaimed landscape painter and instructor, he received his BA in Art Education from the University of Maryland and his MFA from American University.  He is the Founder and Director of the Yellow Barn Studio and Gallery at Glen Echo Park in Maryland.

July 9 – August 3, 2008
Art League Gallery; Alexandria, Virginia
Map and Gallery Info

Megan Coyle’s “Figure Seated by the Counter” collage was on dislpay in one of the Art League’s monthly juried exhibitions. Megan’s portrait collage was awarded an Honorable Mention by the exhibition’s juror, Nan Haid.

627 works of art were entered into the July All-Media Membership Show and only 120 were accepted.

The Art League created the following juror’s statement with Nan Haid:

When jurying a show, Nan Haid first responds to composition and technique. Though Haid was drawn to and selected a variety of pieces for the July 2008 All-Media show at The Art League Gallery, many seem to have an introspective, contemplative feel.

“I have juried for The Art League on many occasions, and there is always a consistent strength to the work, particularly among the drawings and watercolors.” Haid comments that perhaps this proficiency is a nod to The Art League School classes. “This month, the prints also stood out as being strong and interesting.”

As an educator, she feels that artists have to understand the grammar, the structure, the language of drawing, painting, and creating before they can move on to working abstractly or subjectively. “You have to see, understand, and create works objectively before you can work subjectively.” For Haid, having a strong foundation in representational drawing is very important.

Haid selected “Nova Scotia Wetlands” by Frances Metcalf for The Larry Kirstein Award. “I like the fresh quality and the color in this piece. It has a sense of innocence and spontaneity. It is framed well – the mat and frame are in good proportion to the print.” The pieces awarded Honorable Mentions all have a charming, expressive, and subjective quality. Deron DeCeseare’s execution of “Coastal Pines IV,” “demonstrates his proficiency and know-how as an artist. To be able to successfully pull off a piece that has so few elements takes a lot of skill,” she remarks.

Haid avoided the selection of work with issues compositionally, technically, or with presentation. “Many pieces had overly prominent signatures. It’s a problem when a signature becomes so distracting for the piece, or when it become an element of the work,” she remarked.

“The quality of work at The Art League is always strong. Continue to believe in yourself as an artist and in your work. Continue to persevere. Confidence shows in your work.”

Haid last juried for The Art League in June 2006. Professor Emeritus of Art at NOVA’s Woodbridge campus, Haid has juried for many shows throughout the region. Her own work has been exhibited several times at the National Museum of Women in the Arts. She exhibits extensively throughout the region.

July 3 – July 26, 2008
Nicholas Colasanto Center; Alexandria, Virginia
Map and Gallery Info

Megan Coyle’s “Dancing in the Nude” gestural drawing was on display in the Del Ray Artisans’ exhibition that was dedicated to the nude figure. Megan’s drawing created during one of the live model drawing sessions that the Del Ray Artisans holds on a weekly basis. It was a result of a series of quick five minute poses by the model – where Megan had just enough time to capture the basic shape and line of the figure’s body.

This exhibition was an opportunity for local artists to showcase their work. The show displayed artwork that ranged from photographs to paintings to collages.

The curators described the theme for this exhibition as follows:

“Since the beginning of time, artists have attempted to capture the human figure in all its diversity. Ancient drawings and sculptures may have been symbols of fertility or of great bravery. The human figure was depicted as deities and in religious rites. As time went on, artists drew, painted and sculpted the figure in ways that represented both the ideal and everyday life. For centuries artists and art students have studied the human figure, using the live model, as a way of developing their skills. Today, artists continue this tradition, as we use our art to explore the infinite variety and beauty of the body or to comment on the human condition.”

April 30 – May 23, 2008
Belk Galleries; Elon University, North Carolina

Megan Coyle’s “Samantha” portrait collage was on display in Belk Galleries. The show was run by and exhibited the artwork of senior art students. A select few artists were chosen for this exhibition, where they displayed one or two pieces of their artwork. The show had work that ranged from representational to abstraction and included two-dimensional pieces as well as three-dimensional sculptures and ceramics.

Megan created her collage portrait, “Samantha,” specifically for this exhibition. It gave Megan a chance to continue exploring the human form after completing the portrait study for her senior thesis exhibition.