MAIN GALLERY:

SACRED FLESH: SUSAN SINGER

Visual Art Studio is pleased to announce the Opening Reception First Fridays, October 1, 2010 of Sacred Flesh, the newest series of paintings to come from the brush of the talented Susan Singer. Coming several years after her provocative and very successful life size pastel series, 12 Naked Men, Sacred Flesh is meant to awaken the viewer to the beauty of the female form in all of its variations. Singer has exquisitely painted women from age 23 to age 89, from the excruciatingly thin to the quite portly, all of them emanating the power of their individual form and being.

In today’s society, the media seems to be in charge of creating the image people have of the “perfect” woman’s body. Singer hopes to crash through the belief that a woman must be tall and rail thin to be beautiful. She presents women who are beautiful because they feel gorgeous. They live authentically within their own skin and feel great about themselves. After viewing her show, Singer hopes that people will look at women, including themselves, in a new, more accepting, compassionate way.

Singer writes about her work, her process, art, and her thoughts about women’s body image frequently on her very popular blog, Exploring Women’s Bodies, at www.susansingerart.blogspot.com.

FRANK HART MEMORIAL GALLERY:

Chasing the Light, new PhotoImpressions on canvas by Susan Lamson

continues through Friday October 29th. This new series features hand detailed fine art giclees in triptych, multiple and single panels by one of Richmond’s most popular artists. Best known for her painterly photo manipulation of scenes in and around Richmond, these new one of a kind compositions build on Susan’s love of color.

In an effort to discover the hidden and overlooked elements of nature, Susan has begun experimenting with texture, light and shadow. The result is lyrical, often exuberant, and always highly interpretive.

As a departure from her limited edition prints, Susan has begun combining canvas prints of her photographs, with encaustic, resins, and oils. Susan feels this mixed media approach makes each piece more defined and personal.

New works include landscapes and imagery from Maymont Park, Williamsburg, Savannah, and Costa Rica. Expect to see large oversized canvases as well as diminutive jewelry miniatures featuring Susan’s new imagery.

FIRST FRIDAYS: OCTOBER 1, 2010; 7PM-10PM

EXHIBITION: OCTOBER 1 - NOVEMBER 29, 21010