Marcia C. Chaves Solo Show
February 28 -- March 27, 2026
Artist's Bio
Raised in the heart of old Fredericksburg, I was born on Sophia Street in the old Mary Washington Hospital, and spent my early years at our home on Lewis Street. I attended Lafayette Elementary, which is now the Rappahannock Regional Library. As a teenager, my family moved to Argyle Heights in Stafford County. After graduating from James Monroe High School, I studied at Agnes Scott College, the University of Madrid, and Mary Washington College. There I earned my BA in Spanish Language and Literature, then my MA at the University of Virginia, where I began my teaching career as a graduate assistant. There I met my husband, Juan Chaves, an architect and native of Havana, Cuba. I have taught Spanish language and literature at Mary Washington College, Germanna, and James Monroe High School. We have two talented children, Sara and Juan Carlos, and seven beautiful grandchildren.
Although teaching Spanish has been a lifetime career, as a young child I was encouraged to pursue art, and took classes with well known local artists, Elizabeth Githens and Betty Lou Embrey. In later years, I studied painting and drawing with MWC professors John Lamph and Julien Binford. I have explored drawing, watercolor and now I work exclusively in oils. I paint and garden in the Payne cottage in Falmouth, the former home of “Miss Julie” and “Slickpot” Payne, along Falls Run and the Falmouth Canal, by the Rappahannock River.
My paintings are also on display at the Artists’ Alliance Jarrett Thor group in Colonial Beach, Mary Washington Hospital Gallery and Frame Designs in Fredericksburg.
