PURCELLVILLE, Va. January 12, 2018—The eighth in a series of months-long art exhibits in Purcellville’s Town Hall features the works of two local artists, Anne Stine and Kitty Johnson. The show runs from early January through the month of March, 2018. A Meet-The-Artists reception will take place at Town Hall (221 South Nursery Avenue) on Wednesday, January 24 from 5:30 to 7:00PM. The public is welcome to join Anne Stine, Kitty Johnson and the Purcellville Arts Council for an evening of art, discussion and light refreshments. The show may otherwise be seen according to regular Town Hall office hours (Mon - Fri 8:00AM - 5:00PM except holidays).
ABOUT ANNE STINE
Anne Stine, who grew up in the northern Virginian area, began painting at a young age and developed a love of working with a variety of media. After a career in Arts Marketing, her passion for painting lead her to leave a conventional career and open her first creative business, Anne Stine Decorative Painting in 1999.
For many years, Anne delighted residential and commercial clients with her murals until 2014 when she shifted her focus to original artwork. She concentrates primarily on the ancient wax based medium of encaustic paint (beeswax mixed with resin and pigments). She first melts the medium at a high temperature and incorporates oils, pigmented shellac, pastels, papers, and found objects as part of the creative process. The manipulation of the molten wax with blowtorch and hot gun allows her to evoke a realistic element in her contemporary landscape paintings as she captures the beauty of nature through vivid color, rich texture and multiple transparent layers of wax. Anne switches from blowtorch to palette knife when painting with cold wax (beeswax mixed with turpentine paste) and oil paint. Anne volunteers her time and talent to area public school theater programs as a set designer for their productions, and participates in community fundraising art projects throughout the year.
Anne’s work was exemplified by her painted bench, “Playing Koi”, in front of the Purcellville Train Station this past summer (Painted Benches/Planters were the non-profit, Discover Purcellville’s Community Art Project for 2017). Anne’s work has been exhibited at Sichuan Contemporary Oil Painting Institute, China; Downing-Gross Cultural Center, Newport News, Virginia; Salamander Resort, Middleburg; AiM Gallery, Middleburg; Tryst Gallery, Leesburg; The Gateway Gallery, Round Hill; Everyday Elegance, Purcellville; 8 Chains Winery, Purcellville; Franklin Park Arts Center, Purcellville; Western Loudoun Artist Studio Tour 2016, 2017; Catoctin Holiday Art Tour 2016, 2017. She is a member of the Loudoun County Artisan Trail, Loudoun Arts Council. Anne lives in Purcellville with her husband and three children. She offers group and individual instruction in encaustic and mixed media painting from her home studio. You can find her work online at www.annestinepainting.com, Facebook: annestinestudio, Instagram: annestinefineart
Anne was asked about the opportunity to exhibit in Town Hall and stated, “I love how the town's art initiatives bring local artists, businesses and residents together with the goal of making Purcellville a special place to live and work!”
ABOUT KITTY JOHNSON
Kitty Johnson hails from Tidewater Virginia where her appreciation for natural beauty was forged on the banks of the James River. Life on the edge-water instilled a contemplative perspective from which to view and interpret nature that has influenced her art throughout her life. As a Loudoun resident, her keen eye turned to the bucolic grandeur of her rural surroundings. Her art visually reflects a natural purity that is often missed in the day to day frenetic pace that now drives the Loudoun lifestyle. Kitty’s passion for animals leads her to look deeply into still life moments from fields and paddocks to reveal emotive scenes. Her art captures the distinct presence that exists behind the eyes of animals particularly in the farm settings that represent a way of life as it reemerges in sustainable ways. “Many of the animals I photograph and paint have their own personality, charm and even humor…my hope is to share that personality with the viewer.”
On the Town Hall exhibit, Kitty said, “As a longtime Purcellville resident it is an honor and a pleasure to be able to display my work in the town hall. I appreciate the opportunity the town gives individuals like me....fostering a sense of community and providing avenues for the local art community to grow and thrive - helping make Purcellville a strong destination for art in Loudoun County."
The first floor corridors of Town Hall have a gallery-caliber hanging system which creates and opportunity for local artists to exhibit their work. Art exhibitions in Town Hall ensure that all members of the public have access to art. Exhibits are currently booked through June of 2018 and the Purcellville Arts Council is accepting submissions for future shows. All artwork is decided upon for suitability by an outside jury. Please send inquiries to the Town of Purcellville, attention: Arts Council at arts@purcellvilleva.gov.
