New Mark’s first ever resident Art Show was an eye-opener. More than 20 of our neighbors shared their creative spirit with the rest of us at the Clubhouse in March – painters, sculptors, textile artists, photographers ….
We saw funny crocheted creatures by Michelle Neal, who gives many away to charity. An ambitious eight-year old, Valerie, who takes courses at Rockville’s VisArts, draws with black glue in some of her work (see the portrayal of fish) and plans to pursue art as her life career. Astonishing wildlife photos from Ardis Fisher and Sally Guardia. Stacks (!!!) of quilts from Bonnie Dunmeyer. Sculptures from Shana Kohnstamm. Whimsical abstracts from Barabara Quinn. Black and white photography from Ben Payes, who is working with old-style film because he prefers it to digital!
Kids were welcomed to the side room to put their imagination to work crafting little tea lamps and other things – under the supervision of two German School students who got community service credits for their help.
Lori Newman, along with Gerri Kochan, headed up organizing the exhibit, a product of brainstorming with the Villages group and working with the Social Committee. Lori’s own artwork was nestled in a corner near Bonnie’s quilts – the product of her knitting and sculpting work, but you almost never found her there since she was busy chatting with other artists. Gerri displayed her intriguingly colorful paintings.
Some of the dozens of visitors stopped in the chilly foyer outside the warm exhibit hall to see the leaf paintings by Kathleen Moran – she uses real leaves – and the mysterious painting, “Veils”, by Alex Belida. “Veils” is a play on light, accentuated by the late afternoon rays which struck it. Kathleen is current Board president, and although she was not running for re-election, she stood next to a ballot box and offered blank ballots to homeowners ahead the March elections – aiming to achieve quorum ahead of the annual meeting. Alex, no longer a Board member, served seven years with Kathleen at
one point.
Ed’s note: Photos by Ben Payes, Pat Reber, Colleen Stewart and Derek Thomas. Text by Pat Reber.
