Regional SAQA exhibit at VisArts in Rockville, MD

The 2014 SAQA conference was held in Old Town Alexandria and was as energizing as the past 5 conferences. One of the breakout sessions was offered by Leslie Riley, who is a coach helping artists to grow their business. She had a lot of good tips. She talked about taking risks, and putting yourself out there. Leslie quoted Joseph Campbell "A door will appear where there was no door". A great attitude to have when we are facing challenges.

One of her admonitions was to "Take Action!" Leslie recommended that we take small steps consistently, working toward a goal, managing our time, staying focused, and being organized. These are all habits I aspire to gain!

Leslie was asked if she would organize a regional exhibit with other SAQA members, and although she felt she was very busy, she wanted to follow her own advice and step up for new challenges. She agreed to do it, and also made a quilt for the exhibit although she hadn't made one for almost 10 years. There is a great sense of accomplishment when the result is as concrete as an exhibit that shows great art, and is well attended.

After the conference in VA ended, I was able to visit the exhibit "Tarnish" in Rockville, MD at the Vis Arts Gallery. It's a lovely, open and well lit gallery on the second floor of the building.

The theme was "Tarnish", and as usual, a simple concept leaves a lot of possibilities for interpretation. The juror was Deidre Adams and I think she picked a very strong show with wonderful diversity in style, technique and subject matter. Deidre has a blog and has additional photo's and comments that may interest you. I've admired Deidre's work for a long time, and one of her works was included in the exhibit.

This is a detail from Deidre's artwork - just a teaser! If you'd like to see more, head on over to her blog or website to enjoy the color and textural quality of her work.

These are images showing a couple of walls. I don't think I could identify all of the artists, but there is a list of them on the VisArts site.

Seeing this exhibit, and the impressive quality of it made me think 2 things - I should help organize a regional visit, and I wish I lived in Maryland again so I could spend time with the talented artists there. Both Leslie and Deidre inspired me to take risks, jump in and get moving on my short and long term goals.