Creativity Abounds This First Friday

Local artists displayed a wide variety of art this First Friday throughout the downtown galleries. From photography, to talismans, to collages, to scarves, viewers were able to explore many types of mediums and creativity. 

At Liberty Town, former student Sarah Perry exhibited her graphic prints on aluminum, as well as a series on talismans. Perry moved to France five years ago, and has been collecting photographs ever since. 

“I like to change the focus of the object in my work,” she says. “I take ordinary things and change the perspective.”  

Perry always has her camera on her, and is taking pictures constantly. The graphic photographs in her exhibit are able to stand alone, without a frame or glass in front of them. 

Her exhibit also features a talisman series. 

When Perry first moved to France, she worked in a small caravan, and so all of her work had to be tiny.

“I found a lot of broken and discarded objects,” she says. “I like to create a whole new world from those objects.” 

The talismans are small creations, full of creativity and interest. 

In the Member’s Gallery at the Fredericksburg Center for Creative Arts, Leslie Brier’s “Cabinets of Curiosity” are on display. Based on the old Victorian curiosity cabinet, Brier creates a modern interpretation with nautical and circus themes. 

Each cabinet contains a unique collection of items collected by Brier. 

“I find pieces all over, and mostly at thrift stores,” Brier says. “Once I have a collection, the ones that speak to me and I create a piece of art.” 

Brier’s pieces contain a wide variety of items. Dolls, jewelry, fish, postcards, pictures and more make up her creations. Brier has also created artwork for clients as a visual representation of family heirlooms. The series on display this month features a grandmother, grandfather and an aunt. Each representation hosts a medley of personal effects from each person. 

A cabinet creation can take Brier anywhere from a week to six months to create. 

This month, Brush Strokes Gallery is celebrating the season of Autumn with Merian Stevens’ show “FALLing in Place.” As a Brazilian painter, Stevens focuses on the color and hope of the season, rather than the thought of summer’s end. 

“Fall always seems to have a negative connotation, with the end of a season and the dying leaves,” she says. “I want to create an expectation for a new, good change.”

To Stevens, the change of the season can be the beginning of zest, vibrancy and expectation. Her work exhibits the bright colors and wonder that Fall brings into everyone’s life.  

“I want to celebrate the Autumn season, and show people new life and new beginnings,” she says. 

Through her colorful silk scarves and bright paintings, Stevens captures the vibrancy and hope of the new season. 

Right next door in Art First Gallery, Linda Warshaw’s work is featured. Her paintings revolve around birds, and each piece has a unique story. The painted mockingbird was one that had nested in her bushes by her mailbox, where Warshaw mistakenly disturbed it. For many days afterwards, the mockingbird swooped down onto her head each time she went out for the mail.

Another bird fell from a nest into a barn full of horses. Warshaw rescued it from the trampling hooves, and brought it home. Although she kept it alive for a short while, the bird never got over the trauma. She memorialized it in her work. 

Most of the bird paintings are from her home. Each morning, Warshaw fills her feeders and welcomes her inspiration. 

All of these exhibits and more will be on display throughout the month of September. Explore the creativity that Fredericksburg has to offer - there’s something new in every gallery.