by Ellen Huddy
As summer days invite leisurely strolls down Main Street, please remember to stroll by the RAL Art Center Gallery Windows and check out the newest display of art. Jody Ball and Laura Edwards are oil painters who paint in very different styles; and our 3-D art window will feature the jewelry of Courtney Guerrant.
Laura Edwards paints in a very soft, abstract style and her paintings are described as "color and surface-driven, reimagined landscapes and seascapes”. All of her paintings are intuitive, having no real concrete subjects, but at the same time evoking a familiar image. A realistic image becomes evident from the abstract painting, almost creating a “painting within a painting”. There is an illusion: the painting you see and the one you imagine! Laura's technique is magical and unique, done on a variety of surfaces and using a wet-on-wet process that produces seamless fields of color within her composition. In the Gallery Window will be her painting titled, “Over and Out”, a large piece measuring 36” x 54” done in oil on canvas, which will test your imagination!
Laura maintained a working artist studio at the Torpedo Factory Art Center in Alexandria, VA for over 25 years. In 2020 she relocated to Irvington, VA and now works from her home studio there.
Jody Ball has painted her entire life and cannot recall a time when she was not creating. As a child, her parents enrolled her in art lessons with a prominent hometown artist after her mother declared that all she did was draw and color! Fondly remembering those classes, Jody passionately taught art to students of all ages for many years in a homeschool co-op environment and also in her studio when she lived in Ohio. Mainly self-taught, pastels and oils are Jody's favorite although she truly loves all mediums. Her paintings are representational, but “impressionistic softness” often works its way into her art.
The old-fashioned gardens at Colonial Williamsburg always inspire her, and was her inspiration for this painting, “Bubbling Blooms” . The nostalgic riot of globe amaranth flowers on display reminded her of her sweet grandma and the bouquet of these same types of flowers that hung upside down, drying in her old wash house. It’s funny the little memories that we never forget! Jody recently relocated to the NNK to be close to family and now lives in Deltaville, Virginia. She is happily married to her high school sweetheart, Ray, and has three daughters and seven grandchildren; says Jody, “ family is what brings us the greatest joy!”
Courtney Guerrant is our third artist exhibiting in the 3-D Art Window. Courtney likes to create jewelry pieces from pearls, stones and shells in a bold, unique style. Check her complete inventory in her display case inside the RAL Gallery.
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