The Berkeley Arts Council (BAC) announces the award winners for the Contemporary Printmaking juried exhibit, an exhibit of works in various printmaking techniques. The purpose of the exhibit is to introduce the community to the versatile medium of printmaking.

The exhibit is on display from June 29 to August 6, 2022 at the Berkeley Art Works, 116 North Queen Street, Martinsburg, WV. The gallery is open every Wednesday – Friday, 11-5 and Saturday 11-4.

The juror, Matthew McLaughlin, selected five award winners.

The Best of Show went to Brandon Williams from Nashville, Tennessee for his copper plate etching entitled, “From the Ground Up”.

Merit Awards were given to Mitch Eckert from Louisville, Kentucky for his copper plate etching “Still Life with Inedibles”, and Ginny Fielding from Midlothian, Virginia for her lithograph “Upper Crust”.

Honorable Mentions went to “Downstream” a lithograph by Elizabeth Fontenot from Beaumont, Texas and “They’re Near You When You Sleep”, a zinc plate monotype by Mark Goodmanson from Crystal Lake, Illinois.

The juror, Matthew McLaughlin, is a mixed media artist and curator who explores the human relationship with their environments, specifically urban and suburban spaces. He is a Senior Lecturer and teaches printmaking at the University of Maryland. He received his Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Fine Arts from Ringling College of Art and Design and his Master of Fine Arts degree in Printmaking from Arizona State University.

There are 26 works by 19 artists from 15 states in the exhibit. “In making my selections, the versatility and breadth of printmaking and its processes continued to surprise me. For an art form to have such a wide range of capabilities and be able to produce such a variety of imagery astonishes me again and again. The submissions for the exhibition did not disappoint either. With pieces created through so many processes, it was difficult to decide upon the selections for the exhibition. The prints spoke to me in many ways. For some it was through their craft and cleanliness, while for others it was their gestural quality. Whether it be the crisp quality of a relief print or the tonal subtlety of photogravure, the scope of what an artist can accomplish with print continues to expand with each generation. In the exhibition, I choose to emphasize the range of printmaking’s abilities through the pieces. From photographic work to abstract, from small scale to large, the works bring forward the full gamut of the medium in both process and concept.”

The juror’s selections are in for the Watercolor Expressions national juried exhibit and we are pleased to announce the accepted artists. There were a total of 63 works submitted by 26 artists in 9 states. The juror, Lynn Ferris, selected 32 works by 23 artists.

Juror’s Statement
“Watercolor Expressions” 2021

While judging this show I was inspired by the creative energy, the many points of view, creative techniques, and insightful observations of the artists. There were more award worthy paintings than awards, making my decisions exciting but also difficult.

As a judge, the first thing I look for is a painting that is compelling; one that draws me in. It may be a powerful design, a quiet voice, or sheer observation of beauty. Sometimes it’s a sense of place, an emotion, or a unique vision. Sometimes it’s an intriguing narrative. In other words, a strong painting has a point of view. Technical accomplishment is important, but it’s not the sole goal. It provides the language to tell the story, but it is not the story.

Thank you to everyone who participated and thank you for having me as your judge.

Happy Painting!

Lynn Ferris, AWS, NWS, TWSA

The exhibit will be open beginning Wednesday, October 13 through Saturday, November 20.  Awards will be announced and a virtual awards presentation will be scheduled while the exhibit is in the gallery.  You will be notified when the date is set, and a Zoom link will be sent out closer to the event.

Watercolor Expressions Accepted Artists

Please click through for the important information below regarding the shipping/delivery of accepted work.

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The Berkeley Arts Council announces the opening of the The 9th Annual Eastern West Virginia Juried Exhibit, on display September 1 through October 9 at the Berkeley Art Works, 116 North Queen Street, Martinsburg, WV.  The gallery is open every Wednesday – Friday 11am to 5pm and Saturday 11am to 4pm.

This annual juried exhibit focuses on artists who reside any of the eight counties that comprise the Eastern Panhandle of West Virginia.  This year, 48 works were submitted, primarily from Berkeley, Jefferson and Morgan counties, from which 21 were selected in drawing, painting, photography, fibers, glass, mixed media, and assemblage.

The award winners for the exhibit are:  Tracey Donnelly Franklin of Shepherdstown – the Best of Show for her photograph, Dreamer and Jeanne Marie McClure of Kearneysville – the Merit Award for her watercolor, 17 Years to Light.  Honorable Mentions are given to Heather Hendry of Bunker Hill for her pastel drawing, Spring; Tom Nebel of Shepherdstown for his oil painting, Windswept; and Carol Williams of Shepherdstown for her fabric/mixed media piece, Mourning in America.

The juror for the exhibit was Ally Christmas, a visual artist living and working in Shepherdstown, WV, where she teaches lens-based arts and coordinates the Photo Bachelor of Fine Arts program at Shepherd University.  Much of her work revolves around notions of selfhood, virtuality, and lived experience.  Her hybrid practice involves a number of forms including digital video, still photography, tintypes, palladium prints, bookmaking, gifs, cinemagraphs, and installation.  Her work has been shown at a variety of venues in the U.S. and Canada.  Ms. Christmas earned a Bachelor of Arts in Studio Art from the University of Virginia.  In 2018 she received a Master of Fine Arts in Photo/Video from the University of Georgia, after which she spent two years teaching video art and photography courses at Grinnell College as the Mellon Postdoctoral Fellow in Video and New Media.  About the show, Ms. Christmas said, “It was truly a pleasure to see such a wide variety of works from this community.  I found it quite difficult to narrow down the selections as there was so much talent present throughout the entries.  Ultimately, I honed in on threads of commonality that led to the final grouping of works.  After a year that has felt like 5 years, I found myself gravitating towards the pieces that invoked either a sense of peacefulness or a sense of whimsy – perhaps surreality or wonder, too.  When brought together, these artworks may provide an escape from our harsh reality and offer some respite, no matter how brief.  They are needed.”

For more information about the Berkeley Arts Council and the Berkeley Art Works, visit us on the Web at https://berkeleyartswv.org, on Facebook at BerkeleyArtsWV and on Instagram @berkeleyartscouncil_wv.

The Berkeley Arts Council is a 501(c)(3) non‐profit organization incorporated in West Virginia working to ensure that Berkeley County has a vibrant, vital arts environment by promoting awareness, understanding and appreciation of the literary, visual and performing arts in the Eastern Panhandle of West Virginia.  The Berkeley Arts Council supports local and regional artists, brings quality arts experiences to the community, and provides a wide range of arts learning experiences for local residents, artists and artisans.

Retirement Idyl:  Artwork by Mary Jo Sims and John Turner is an exhibit of paintings, drawings, collage, prints and mixed media artwork by two Berkeley Arts Council members, on display at the Berkeley Art Works, 116 North Queen Street, Martinsburg.

John Turner loved to draw during his grade school years.  Until he attended classes through the Berkeley Arts Council, he had never taken an art class, or received formal art instruction.  “My experience with the instructors has stimulated a strong desire on my part to explore, risk, and discipline my artistic efforts.  The courses are conducted in such a manner that the studio time is encouraging, educational and socially engaging,” he says with enthusiasm.  He finds great pleasure in line drawings and vibrant colors.  Mixing media such as watercolor, ink, acrylic and colored pencil allows him to connect representative elements in an organic manner with more abstract vignettes.

Mary Jo Sims majored in fine art in college, where she was influenced by American Abstract Expressionists.  After reading Wassily Kandinsky’s Concerning the Spiritual in Art, she became interested in the deep connection between the spiritual and the aesthetic. She explored that connection while attending Wesley Theological Seminary in Washington, DC, in their Department of Religion and the Arts.  “I continue to resonate especially with Kandinsky’s improvisations, pieces that are divorced from subject matter and rely completely on color, line, and shape for meaning.  Color, and the lines and shapes formed by the juxtaposing and mingling of colors, provide the meaning of my recent works.  While there is some intentionality to the color application, I allow the initial flow of color on the paper surface to dictate much of the direction of the painting.”

The exhibit displays several of their individual works, but John and Mary Jo also collaborate on work and gain inspiration from each other.  Collaborative works in the exhibit show a beautiful harmony in their artistic styles and interests.  Retirement Idyl:  Artwork by Mary Jo Sims and John Turner is open until August 7th.  Business hours at the Berkeley Art Works are Wednesday – Friday, 11am to 5pm and Saturday 11am to 4pm.

The Berkeley Arts Council is a 501(c)(3) non‐profit organization incorporated in West Virginia working to ensure that Berkeley County has a vibrant, vital arts environment by promoting awareness, understanding and appreciation of the literary, visual and performing arts in the Eastern Panhandle of West Virginia.  The Berkeley Arts Council supports local and regional artists, brings quality arts experiences to the community, and provides a wide range of arts learning experiences for local residents, artists and artisans.