Tappahannock, Virginia – Tappahannock Art Gallery (TAG) will kick off its new art exhibition “Photos & Fibers” – an exhibit of the work of fiber artist Barb Brecher and photo-journalist Michael Geissinger – on March 1, with an opening reception on March 8. The exhibit juxtaposes the soft florals of Brecher’s wearable art with the sometimes jarring images and street scenes of Geissinger’s photographs.
Barbara Brecher is an award-winning fiber artist and graphic designer and the owner of I Felt Fine DESIGN, a fiber design studio. Over the last 20 plus years, she has worked to develop a unique felting process. Combining both silk and wool, each piece displays a lively range of vivid color and captivating texture.
“Wearing my clothing is to wrap yourself in a piece of art,” says Brecher. “Each of my pieces incorporates a unique fusion of textures, materials and colors. These elements come together as I create the fiber. While I may begin with an idea and color direction for a piece, the flow of the materials guides my process to the finished product.”
A onetime White House staff photographer during the Lyndon Johnson administration, Michael Geissinger brings a sharp eye to scenes both familiar and new.
“My career in photojournalism has been directed by my desire as an actor to take the script being played in front of me and to use photojournalism as the medium to convey the essence of that script to an audience that wasn’t present,” says Geissinger. “Portraying the physical appearance of the situation and working to capture the emotional impact through the use of the photographic medium, much as an actor uses the stage, is the new challenge within each “scene” I have chosen to capture.”
In 1985 through a faculty exchange program at RIT he spent 10 weeks in China teaching and traveling while documenting China. The exhibit photographs represent a small portion of the almost 300 rolls of film shot during the time in China. The emphasis of the photographs is to observe the people and their lives in China at that time. A voyage on the Yangtze River began in Chongqing in central China and ended in Nanjing. The trip included the Three Gorges before the hydroelectric dam was built on the Yangtze.
The mission of TAG is to build and maintain a community art center, to promote artists and their work, and to offer opportunities for art education, cultural enrichment, and creative expression to all citizens and visitors by sharing and celebrating diverse talents, traditions, and lifestyles. TAG’s member artists exhibit their works in the gallery throughout the year, with 12 themed shows changing monthly.
This month’s featured member artist is Jackie Leavitt, an award-winning local artist whose works are infused with intense colors and a free style. Leavitt waited until her retirement years to actively pursue her interest in creating art. She works with pen and ink and pastels to provide detail with watercolor flow from a palette of primary colors.
Her initial step in her working years was to spend time in the art history books and museums. Once retired she enrolled with some continuing education classes in drawing and watercolor painting while spending winter in Florida. Her drawing instructor, artist Helen Terry, provided the professional training she needed to get started. Locally she participates with Rivah Country Painters and is a member of the Tappahannock Artists Guild.
TAG will host an opening reception on Friday, March 8 from 5:30 to 7 pm in the gallery at 200 Prince Street in Tappahannock.
