Catalog || Flier || Juror's Talk
In the winter of 1986 John Nichols Jr. approached Fredericksburg area artists to seek members for an exhibition group. Originally formed as “Art Shop”, the group’s first venture began that summer as a co-op in the middle gallery of the Silversmith House/FCCA. By August of that year the group transitioned into its present form. No longer a co-op; the name “Exposure Unlimited” was adopted by the group. Early exhibits occurred at local community colleges and at a Fredericksburg Fine Arts Festival exhibit which was held in the DuPont Galleries during December 1986 and January 1987 at what is now the University of Mary Washington. In the spring of 1988 the group returned to the Fredericksburg Center for the Creative Arts (FCCA) with an exhibit titled “Risk Takers”. Exposure Unlimited would return to FCCA for their 20th, 25th and 30th anniversary exhibits and now in October of 2021 the current membership will celebrate 35 years of exhibitions and camaraderie with their 35th anniversary exhibit at FCCA. Over the years membership in the group has changed, but three of those founding members who continue with the group today are Cathy Herndon, John Nichols Jr. and Bob Worthy. Other current members include local artists Jimmy Butler, Joan Limbrick, David Lovegrove, Tarver Harris and Retta Robbins (Emeritus).
James E. Butler
Residing in Stafford County Virginia, of which he is a native, Jimmy uses materials, native to Stafford County.
Jimmy studied at Rocky Mountain College of Art and Design and received a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from Virginia Commonwealth University.
Tarver Harris
Artists Statement—Raw Emotion and The Shifting Tide
Hidden in every emotion is a story just waiting to be revealed. Revelations come
from connecting with our stories false or true it’s only up to the individual
living/animating them to decide. And yes these sensations are ALIVE within our
physical structures. The only way I know how to let them free is to paint them with
a fervor in which they inhabit me.
Artists Bio—Tarver Harris is an artist working in abstraction. To her painting is an exploration into the unknown to discover something new, oftentimes an emotional journey. She revels in the pure joy of squeezing paint onto a surface and moving it around with sponges, brushes or squeegees creating unique colors and textures. In this manner multiple layers are built up and then sanded or scrapped away to expose what is underneath giving her pieces a sense of antiquity. As she delves into this tactile experience animating the design elements of color, shape and form her life is art and her inspiration is the everyday occurrences of nature.
“This intuitive process is so exciting because each piece reveals itself to me and the outcome is a complete surprise. I enjoy the tactile and visual experience that art brings to my life creating a sense of wonder and excitement. Each piece facilitates a shift in my perspective as it naturally unfolds before me, nothing is by chance yet neither is it planned.”
Tarver graduated from Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Communication Arts and Design. She is an award winning graphic designer who worked in advertising and magazine publication creating a extensive print portfolio. Currently living in Stafford, VA with her husband and dog along Accokeek Creek.
Member: Fredericksburg Center for Creative Arts (FCCA), LibertyTown Arts.
[email protected]
https://tarver.studio/
703/203-8286
Cathy Herndon
Portholes 2021
Circles and partial curves have been a theme throughout my artwork for decades. They first occurred while using gold leaf to make partial halos in many pieces depicting a mix of religious architecture, natural elements, realism and abstraction. The curve brings your eyes into the center of thought and reality.
The theme of Portholes came about from the large round window in a stateroom while on a transatlantic trip. For many days there was nothing to see but the sea with it’s rocking and rolling waves that changed constantly depending on the time of day, the glorious light of sunrises, sunsets, the ever-changing weather and finally the different approaches to landscapes and ports. My urge began to expand in materials using paint, pencil, collage, watercolor and a variety of surfaces and size. Soon realistic elements quickly changed to a mix with visionary abstraction. Eventually I included a broader scope from here and now to compassions in life and emotions; seeing all of these ideas through and around circles. Everywhere we went I saw portholes.
I would like the viewer to see these as a kind of “tunnel vision” that makes you focus on the subject and your own interpretation. Hopefully the connection will make you come full circle.
Biography
"Art is something I think about all the time and ideas come from personal compassion, a color, phrase, song, memory, or passing life glimpses. Ideas grow in my head a long time, taking many directions and becoming an energetic frenzy that lasts until I finish the piece."
In Cathy’s artwork a serious interest in primitive cultures and folk art can be noted as she uses a 21st century context with diverse materials such as neon lights, assemblage, paint and mixed media. Murals, jewelry and sculpture are also a large part of her art making.
A native of Ashland, Virginia, Cathy earned a B.S. in Art and Drama from Radford University and an M.S. in Art Education from Virginia Commonwealth University. She has taught art in public schools, universities, and privately for over 40 years, earning accolades with a Fulbright Memorial award to Japan, a teacher exchange to London, England, State Middle School Art Teacher of the Year, artist residencies in Virginia and Auvillar, France at VCCA and exhibitions in Greece, France, Germany, England, the US and Italy in 2022.
Her award-winning artwork continues to be exhibited throughout the U.S. and Europe. Cathy is a founding member of Exposure Unlimited art group, , a founding member of Art First Gallery and an artist member of Libertytown Arts in Fredericksburg, past president of Fredericksburg Center for Creative Arts. Currently she is on the Board of Directors for Fredericksburg Schwetzingen Germany Alliance and Fredericksburg/Frejus, France Sister City, and past BOD of Fred-Este Assoc. Este, Italy and Fredericksburg-Kathmandu Exchange.
Cathy Campbell Herndon, PO Box 7955, Fredericksburg, Va, 22404
[email protected] www.cathyherndon.com Instagram: cathycampbellherndon
540/373-6763 mobile 540/424-5633
Joan Critz Limbrick
CREATION BEGINS WITH IMAGINATION FOR ME.
Whether I am inspired to paint, write or work in clay, I give myself permission to allow my imagination to guide me in the making or the doing.
Biography
Joan Critz Limbrick’s imaginative style has unfolded over the years as she has continued to be influenced by her study of bio-energetic healing and her curiosity about life. She is an award winning painter, a potter, a published poet, and an illustrator and author of children's books. A Transpersonal Hypno-therapist and Reiki Master, she currently facilitates Reconnective Healing.
A BFA graduate of Mary Washington College, she lives with her family in Fredericksburg, Virginia where she paints and writes in her home studio and pots in her clay shed.
All forms of art inspire her as is evident in the variety of work that she produces. She enjoys an unlimited range of expressive materials in her work and continues to explore new ways of getting her ideas across to the viewer. Her rich travel experience blended with her transpersonal studies are woven throughout her works.
David Lovegrove
All my artworks are derived from my own observations, sketches, and photographs of the human-made or natural world around me and from ideas that enter my head at any time. Many of the objects and the places they inhabit may be worn, broken, neglected, or under construction. I rarely sketch or take photographs of things that are beautiful or polished because I am not interested in making pretty pictures or in reproducing nature.
I am interested in the action and visual appearance of mark-making, layering, movement, and depth in my artworks, and in also seeing these elements in other artists’ works. Further, I feel the need to create a complexity of marks and colors, in many instances to the point of abstraction; however, it is just as important for me to maintain some degree of realistic and skillful drawing in the work.
The artworks in the exhibit are comprised of three of my ongoing series of artworks. The series are derived from photos and drawings of a park in Richmond, an iconic neon ice cream cone sign, and an old fort in San Juan, Puerto Rico called El Morro. The art media are digital photographs, acrylic drawings, and monotypes.
John Nichols, Jr
Statement—“Picturing Three Areas of Spatiality” #1, 2 & 3 as well as the air filter pieces relate to a strong thread in my work – negative space has weight. “Bull Winkle”, the decorated attaché piece, is a production guided by a late 2020 message from (while returning to my home after a trip) Pleiadians that I first experienced during late October 2017 (overnight) near Little Stoney Man Trail along Skyline Drive. There is a body of literature related to Art History, Art Theory and Art Criticism. Titles given artworks by the producer can be possible contributions to that literature controlled by the artmaker. This is not a new thought by me. A title, lengthier than usual, allows the artist to embed some production psychology or other concept regarding the work. In my case this shows up as obsessiveness about placement (which is life-long), ie: texture vs weight vs color vs color vs distance vs distance etc. in the same work.
Biography
Life resident of Fredericksburg, Virginia
Education:
BA from Emory & Henry College (Political Science & Philosophy & Religion
Post BA studies at MWC & VCU
Careers:
Public mid & high school teacher
Direct service mental health worker
Artwork Recognition:
1966 - 2nd Place – Painting Category
Fredericksburg Annual Fine Arts Exhibition
1980 - 2nd Place – Collage Category
Fredericksburg Annual Fine Arts Exhibit
1981 – Juried into large group exhibit at VCU (Juror – Dore Ashton)
2004 - 2nd Place FCCA juried exhibit (Juror – Lorene Nichol)
2 Honorable Mentions FCCA juried shows
Bob Worthy
Bob Worthy’s paintings create a question and are often inconclusive. His blending of painting and collage is inspired by found papers, and man-made and natural textures. Oil paint with cold wax medium or acrylic paints are applied over layers of collage or elastomeric compound resulting in a textured surface.
His paintings don't offer easy answers, often creating an opportunity for the viewer to complete the image. It is the ambiguity of these artworks that lead to individual interpretations. With strong influences from both landscape painters and the Abstract Expressionist era, his personal imagery often results in a conflict between representation and abstraction. It is an uncomfortable space for some, that sense of not being quite sure of what you are seeing.
Worthy holds undergraduate and graduate degrees in Fine Arts from Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU). He received his Masters of Inter-disciplinary Studies in Fine Art (MIS) from VCU in 1999 and subsequently taught there from 1999-2016. Worthy was recognized at the Fredericksburg, Virginia Regional Arts Awards in 2000, as an individual artist, for outstanding achievements and contributions to the cultural life of the greater Fredericksburg region. He also received a Certificate of Recognition from the Virginia Governor's Awards for the Arts during the same month. Worthy was juror for “Square City” at the PonShop Gallery and has been a guest curator for the Louisa Art Center. He currently serves as Assistant Curator for the Frederick Gallery at the Fredericksburg Center for the Creative Arts. His work can be found in private and public collections in both the United States and internationally.
