Nancy Dahlstrom exhibit at Hollins University

Roanoke, VA  USA

One final email before I pack my computer.  I’m so glad my friend Sarah and I discovered the Eleanor D. Wilson gallery at Hollins University.  We went to see the exhibit of Nancy Dahlstrom’s work.  Sarah had taken an intro to drawing with the artist.  My friend Martha had also so we had to send lots of photos to Martha in Brookline.  I’m sending a few now so those in Roanoke might be tempted to visit the exhibit or the upcoming one that I’m sorry I’ll miss.  There is visitor parking just near the museum and an elevator if you need to avoid stairs. 

Ru

DoraMac

http://www.nancydahlstromstudio.com/  is the artist’s website

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Nancy Dahlstrom exhibit at the Eleanor D Wilson Museum at Hollins University

“Nancy Dahlstrom: Luminous Spirit   December 8, 2014 – February 21, 2015

       The Eleanor D. Wilson Museum is pleased to present Nancy Dahlstrom: Luminous Spirit, a major exhibition showcasing a wide variety of recent and older works by Hollins professor emerita Nancy Dahlstrom. Whether printmaking, drawing, or painting, Dahlstrom creates art that celebrates the vitality and spirit present in the natural world. An avid gardener, she finds inspiration for her detailed and intricate images in the many gardens that surround her home and studio in Fincastle, Virginia. Her extensive travels have taken her to France, Norway, Scotland, Greece, Malaysia, and along the length of the Trans-Siberian Railroad. In 1995, she spent time in Kyoto, Japan, drawing and photographing the city’s Zen gardens. Upon returning to her studio, she created Fuzei: A Breeze of Feeling, a series of monotypes celebrating the beauty and quiet energy of the spaces she visited.

     Dahlstrom was professor of art at Hollins from 1973 – 2013, and holds a B.F.A. from SUNY at Buffalo and an M.F.A. in printmaking from Ohio University. Her work has been exhibited extensively in the United States and abroad. The recipient of many awards, she was honored in 2011 by the Arts Council of the Blue Ridge, Roanoke, Virginia, with the Perry F. Kendig Award for Outstanding Visual Artist, for her contributions to the local arts community.”   http://www.hollins.edu/museum/exhibits/current/

“An avid gardener, she finds inspiration for her detailed and intricate images in the many gardens that surround her home and studio in Fincastle, Virginia.”

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Final artwork about 3 inches by 2 inches if I remember correctly which isn’t necessarily so but it was quite small for all of the detail

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A step by step set of images showing how the work was created.  The book itself is a work of art and gloves are necessary for looking through the pages.

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Uncommons Box Turtle

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The actual etching

Sketchbooks

There were so many that one could spend hours with them.

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My friend Sarah and I are really enjoying the gallery and I look forward to visiting quite often when we move home.  Here is info about an upcoming exhibit. 

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Upcoming Exhibitions

New Acquisitions

January 15 – April 25, 2015

     The Eleanor D. Wilson Museum’s permanent and teaching collections include artwork in a wide variety of styles and media. This exhibition features holdings acquired in 2013-14, including large-scale prints by Andy Warhol, a delicate egg tempera painting by Roanoke-based artist Susan Jamison, a portfolio of prints based on online source material, and a painting by Garo Antreasian given by the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. We are pleased to share the museum’s growing collection with the community.  http://www.hollins.edu/museum/exhibits/upcoming/

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While in London I took a life drawing class and really enjoyed it.  And that’s where I met my wonderful friend Coleen!  And her husband John.  Not being so brave I’d  opt for the clothed model and might give it a whirl next time we’re home.  It’s not easy as you have to hold some poses for quite a long time and must learn to adapt to the students’ needs.  But if you have some spare time….