March Newsletter
A painting experiment, a winter hike, and an endangered species feature.
Hello fellow art and nature lovers,
There is excitement and beauty in the extended process of working with clay, glazes and the element of time as the clay dries and the kiln reaches temperature. While still feeling this spark for clay, I realized I have also been craving a creative change after focusing mainly on ceramics for the past thirty years.
I’ve always loved sketching and drawing, and these sketches have been an important part of the planning process for developing my ceramic work. I decided to spend more time on this part of the process to allow the sketches to grow into their own completed paintings. Bursts of vibrant color with paint and developing an image through layering gave me the creative balance and change that I had been seeking. After filling sketchbooks with practice, I branched out into completed paintings that complement- and sometimes are placed inside- my ceramic sculptures. I am immensely enjoying flowing from one media to another and between two- and three-dimensional interdisciplinary work as I explore imagery inspired by nature and by the area where I live in coastal Virginia. The fascination, curiosity and rejuvenation inherent in exploring nature and being near water fuel me, and my goal is to share these with you.
A Winter Outdoor Adventure:
One new painting in particular was an experiment. I layered torn paper to (hopefully) represent the foamy edge of the Chesapeake Bay at Kiptopeke State Park. I embarked on a hike to the beach with my watercolor set and my prepped wood panel collaged with the torn paper, unsure of what would result.
Check out the 1-minute video here:
See the hike that inspired the piece, Kiptopeke Waves, and the painting session as I began the piece on a sparkling day earlier this winter. A fun side note: the background music is original by my husband, C.J.
News:
It’s been an exciting stretch with lots of new work on display locally and in the region!
Lynnhaven River Ripples, mixed media on wood panel, 12” x 16”, 2024.
Intertidal Reflections, a solo exhibition of my work, is on view through March 9 at the Virginia Beach Art Center. You still have time to stop by and see my ceramic sculptures and mixed media paintings, including the pieces, Kiptopeke Waves and Lynnhaven River Ripples! Or come check out my free workshop with demonstrations at the art center on the last day of the show, Sunday, March 9, from 11am - 12:30pm.
Tidepool 4, porcelain, glaze, glass lens, and mixed media on paper, 6” x 6”x 3” 2024.
The wall-hung sculpture, Tidepool 4, is on display through August 31 as part of the Open (C)all Dear Earth Exhibition at the Virginia Museum of Contemporary Art in the Community Gallery.
Hopeful Resurgence, porcelain and underglaze, wall-hung, 7.5” x 10”, 2025.
Fresh-out-of-the-kiln, my sgraffito-carved porcelain piece, Hopeful Resurgence will be on display at the Main Street Station Gallery in Richmond, as part of the 2025 Restore the Wild artwork competition and exhibition, on view from March 7 through March 30. Opening Reception: Friday, March 7, 6-8pm. This year’s theme is the Atlantic sturgeon. The gallery is open to the public daily. The Gallery at Main Street Station, 1500 E. Main St. Richmond, VA.
Bay Creature Feature for March: Atlantic sturgeon
As I began sketching ideas for my piece, Hopeful Resurgence, I remembered spotting one of these prehistoric creatures on one of my first beach explorations after moving to Virginia in 2003. The sturgeon I came across at First Landing State Park was a juvenile, and only about 2 feet long, that had washed up on the beach dead. Though I haven’t seen once since then, the distinct shapes of its armored-plating scutes along its sides stayed with me. Have you seen one of these rare fish? I’d love to hear about it, please reply or comment with your story!
This endangered species is the featured organism for my recent sgraffito carved porcelain wall-hung piece and the subject of the DWR’s 2025 Restore the Wild Exhibition, with a mission “to restore and create natural habitat’s vital to the survival of Virginia’s Wildlife.”
About Atlantic sturgeon: They can reach over 400 lbs, growing to 16 feet long and living for 60 years. As adults, they live along the Atlantic Ocean’s continental shelf and return to their birthplace in freshwater rivers to spawn. They travel through the Chesapeake Bay on their way to the James River and other tributaries to spawn, and live in the bay’s brackish estuaries as juveniles. As Williams describes, “Atlantic sturgeon have been on Earth for tens of millions of years, and they might just survive even the worst damage we could do to them. Ghosts no more, theirs is a story of hope.” The full article “Ghosts No More” by John Page Williams, is found here: https://dwr.virginia.gov/blog/ghosts-no-more/ and describes the fascinating history, decline and the return of sturgeon to the James River.
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To Shop:
To purchase my work from my current solo exhibition, Intertidal Reflections, please contact The Virginia Beach Art Center.
Website: www.artcentervb.org
Phone: (757) 425 – 6671
Purchased artwork from Intertidal Reflections can be picked up or shipped at the conclusion of the show, after March 9.
For other work, including the piece, Tidepool 4, on view at the Virginia Museum of Contemporary Art or the piece Hopeful Resurgence from the Restore the Wild exhibition in Richmond, please contact me directly by replying to this newsletter, or reach out through social media.
Connect:
Connect with me on social media!
Instagram: @annavfreeman
Facebook: Anna V. Freeman Art
Thank you for subscribing and following my artistic adventures!
Warmly,
Anna
P.S. Have an idea for a bay organism for me to feature in future newsletters… and maybe include in my artwork? Send me a reply with your idea!