Smith House Galleries Features Painting and Printmaking in September

HARRISONBURG, VA – Arts Council of the Valley (ACV) debuts two new exhibitions at Smith House Galleries in September, with an opening reception on Friday, Sept 5, during First Fridays of the Valley. An Edom Hills Almanac: A Year of Painting Outside features plein air oil and watercolors by Rebecca Gish; Print Stories, by Katelyn Wood, includes printmaking, drawing, and collage. Visit the reception (5-7 pm) to spend time with the exceptional artwork, chat with the artists, and enjoy light refreshments.

Sponsored by The UPS Store #6595 (1322 Hillside Avenue), both exhibitions are on view through Sept 26, with in-person visits Monday-Friday, 11 am to 4 pm and on Second Saturday (Sept 13), 10 am to 2 pm. Each exhibition will also be available online
(valleyarts.org/smith-house-galleries-current-exhibition/).

Rebecca Gish is an artist living and practicing in the Shenandoah Valley. She lives on an old farm in Edom, VA with her husband Dave and three children, a dog, two cats, and a dozen chickens. She loves to spend time in the natural world, drawing inspiration for life and art. Her use of both watercolor and oil paints in plein air (outside, in the open-air) landscapes aims to capture the fleeting and ever-changing nature of all that is around us. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Eastern Mennonite University in studio art and teaching.

Gish’s featured artwork captures a year of painting outdoors on a farm in Edom, VA, on the outskirts of Harrisonburg. Each piece reflects not just the view, but the living presence of the day: the wind that flipped cups, bugs crossing canvas, and grass that got stuck in paint. Gish painted through seasons, from snow to spring bloom, tracking changes in light, sound, and sky. Gish shares, “I resisted finishing indoors; the goal was to keep the wild energy of the moment alive, including the imperfections. Look closely at each painting. You may see a stray straw or smudge, a real piece of the day, recorded in real time. Each one is a conversation between place, weather, and witness.”

Katelyn Wood, a printmaker from Broadway, VA, works as an adjunct professor at James Madison University (JMU). After graduating from JMU in 2012 with a BFA in Studio Art and a minor in Art History, Wood earned a MFA in Studio Art from American University in 2016. She has recently exhibited work in group shows at Sage Bird Ciderworks and Friendly City Real Estate Services. Now, she’s focused on publishing her Don’t Bust the Crust artist book and building a home print studio.

Wood’s artwork experiments with space, color, linework, and texture to build whimsical worlds. While she gravitates toward screen printing, she enjoys layering various printmaking processes that encourage play and chance in the final compositions. Wood transforms her printed works with collage and installation methods to expand the possibilities of how printmaking enters a space, sharing, “My goal is to create life and movement in my printed works, allowing a small escape into an illustrated world.”

Arts Council of the Valley is located at 311 South Main Street in Downtown Harrisonburg, Virginia. Programs are supported in part by ACV 25th Anniversary Presenting Sponsor Kathy Moran Wealth Group, and 25th Anniversary Visionary Sponsor Riner Rentals.

A 501(c)3 nonprofit, ACV is dedicated to cultivating the arts, creating experiences, and connecting communities throughout the City of Harrisonburg and Rockingham County. Since it was established in 2000, ACV has grown into a multi-faceted community organization that fosters innovative partnerships among area businesses, civic organizations, schools, and artists. Today, ACV manages Court Square Theater and Smith House Galleries, funds local art projects through its Advancing the Arts grant program (awarding more than $518,300 since 2001), supports public art initiatives, and coordinates monthly First Fridays of the Valley community gatherings.

ACV is supported in part by the City of Harrisonburg, the Harrisonburg Redevelopment & Housing Authority, and the Virginia Commission for the Arts, which receives support from the Virginia General Assembly and the National Endowment for the Arts, a federal agency. To learn more, visit valleyarts.org.

This press release was provided by Martha Hemingway at Arts Council of the Valley.