The Jewish Community Center of Northern Virginia

The JCC of Northern Virginia is showcasing the creative work of our local talent in an effort to support our own neighborhood and its artists.

New Light

September 8—November 3, 2009

Ronni Jolles is “an artist known for innovation” in her use of paper as her medium. Color and texture are also the essence of her work as she uses different papers that have been gathered from all over the world, including Nepal, Japan, Egypt, Thailand, Italy, Mexico, India and Tibet.

Varda Avnisan showcases her wonderful fused-glass pieces. She has a new body of work to share with us and we welcome her colorful and creative use of this difficult medium. Her sense of design makes for special functional and ornamental pieces to use and enjoy.

Multicolored

November 3—December 22, 2009

This Exhibition represents three contemporary artists that use different media to express their individual visions. Unity is found in their strong use of vibrant colors that draw-in the viewer and excite the eye.

Cynthia Goldner creates one-of-a-kind, handcrafted clocks using recycled computer, CD, circuit boards and more for backgrounds. “Each clock offers a whimsical view of our rapidly changing technology, preserving it as art rather than landfill,” says Ms. Goldner one of two artists/creators of MAKIN’ TIME Clocks.

Liz Langsfeld, of Mad Hatter Ceramics, describes her pieces as reflecting her passion for all things whimsical: “I love creating pieces inspired by Alice in Wonderland’s Mad Hatter’s Tea Party.” Her favorite pieces merge form and function as artfully designed objects that can be used in everyday life.

Loren Rosenstein is a talented, local artist whose modern abstract paintings are both joyful and uplifting. All of her works are original paintings on paper and show great depth and layering of colors, creating uniquely vibrant contemporary pieces.

Remembrance

December 22, 2009—February 12, 2010

Sarah D. Samuels is a gifted artist who states: “The Concentration of my work involves images that are traditionally figurative, focusing primarily on women in my family. I have always found the comparison, between their lives and the past and my own life and the future, to be an outlet for my own self-discovery.” Her images are created using various media, from oil paint on wood or paper, to bookmaking, drawings and printmaking.

Janine Bland travels the world collecting unique pieces to make into her special collection of jewelry. A charm, a token, or an antique buckle can be greatly enhanced with her talent for combining beads, stones or silver amulets into adornment of a different sort.

Visions

February 12—April 13

Mina Oka Hanig’s paintings consist of small squares that create a mosaic-like effect. Ms Hanig says: “I make each square different from the others—like words—and arrange them on canvas like phrases in a book”. This is done with acrylic paint and mixed media on canvas and paper. The combination of the repetition and unlimited variation of the form of the square leads to an infinite variation of color and design possibilities.

Cherie M. Redlinger creates abstractions from her life’s experiences and captures them in her oil paintings and hybrid art forms. Cherie says: “I attempt to bring out the beauty from my dreams for freedom, prosperity and happiness.” These feelings come from the heart and can be colorful and whimsical, but are always a reflection of the artist within.

Fran Abrams creates her images out of polymer clay. This synthetic medium is skillfully blended, shaped, carved, textured and baked to be mounted on canvas, paper or left on its own. Ms. Abrams states: "The artwork interprets...the fluid sense of fabric caught at a moment in time."

The Two of Us

April 13—June 3

This husband and wife team of artists adds up to a whole lot of major talent. They work in different media, but each brings their unique creativity and style to their art.

Stephanie Firestone is a sculptor who is as comfortable with sensitive gestural poses of the figure as with the one-of-a-kind vessels she creates using the Raku firing process. Whatever, the form or surface of her clay pieces she uses, Stephanie shows an appreciation for earthen tones that reflect her wonderful sense of color and design.

Bill Firestone uses “unexpected color, active brushstrokes, a penchant for abstraction and sometimes a little touch of humor” to create his paintings. Bill’s pieces incorporate his illustration and fine arts background into strong images that are appealing and reflect his unique interpretation of what he sees.