Art Show Depicts Oatlands and Surrounding Areas

Once an old horse stable, the historic Carriage House at the Oatlands Plantation has been transformed into an art gallery during the month of July. The thirteenth annual art show and sale officially began on Monday, July 4, which features well over 100 pieces of art created by 65 local artists.

Director of Operations Carolyn McCarthy said there is a wide variety of artwork on display including oils, watercolors, pastels and photography, all of which are on sale to the public.

Each artist demonstrates an amazing level of talent, McCarthy said, and it’s exciting to see what artists enter into the show each year.

“We have so many artists who always want to come out here and paint, or take pictures, or whatever, so we thought maybe we should put a show together that’s driven by the idea,” McCarthy said. “We had a lot of our regular artists enter into the show including a number of new artists. So that’s exciting. All of the artwork in the show is on sale and [a number of pieces] have already been sold.”

This year’s show features images from the “Journey Through Hallowed Ground” portion of Route 15, which begins in Gettysburg, PA and ends at Monticello in Charlottesville, VA.  It also showcases work from the Mosby Heritage Area, as well as Oatlands itself. Artists were also encouraged to submit works depicting barns and agricultural scenes as well as images of England and France, as well as New York City, Washington, DC and New Mexico.

“Oatlands is committed to bringing the arts to Loudoun County, and we are pleased to be able to hold such an exceptional show this year,” said Oatlands Executive Director Andrea McGimsey, in a press release. “Each year the show increases both its quality and diversity of art and continues to enjoy enormous support from the region’s art community.”

Gift Shop Associate Jane Thomey said she helped hang each piece before the show opened to the public on Monday. There are so many pieces in this year's show that it's hard to pick a favorite, she said.

“I think it’s wonderful," Thomey said, describing the show. "The quality is very high on the pieces that we have entered. We have more new artists that have joined this year and we have the ones who have been here every year. I like the variety of subject matter and it’s original art that’s from our area.”

"It’s a beautiful setting to see both the plantation and the artwork," McCarthy said. "The Carriage House is basically an old stable. It was built as a barn, it has beautiful paneling and the artwork on their just looks so beautiful. It’s a really special place to see art displayed.”

The art show is free and open to the public Monday through Saturday from 10 am to 5 pm and Sunday from 1 to 5 pm now until July 31.

On the last day of the show, McCarthy said a special tea will take place, which will feature some of the artists who will be available to talk about their work. The tea is scheduled for 1 pm and reservations are required.

All proceeds from the art sale will benefit Oatlands, Inc., a non-profit organization that maintains exhibits and interprets the cultural and historical significance of the Oatlands property to the public. Call 703-777-3174, ext. 107, for more information.