Art Notes

Last hurrah for 2008

l The Mill Gallery

Artisan Joan Griffin will have an opening reception from 5 to 6:30 this evening to show her latest work,  “Tapestry: An Interpretation of the Natural World.” A full-time studio artist, Griffin divides her time between hand-weaving tapestries for exhibitions and commissions. She recently had a tapestry selected by the U.S. State Department Art in Embassies program for an exhibit in the U.S. embassy in Managua, Nicaragua.

Her degrees include a MFA in textile design from Antioch University and a bachelor’s in art education from S.U.N.Y. College.

The Mill is an Artisans Center of Virginia gallery. This one is in the Lander Creative Office at the Ix Building. The exhibition will remain on view through Jan. 15.

For details, call (540) 946-3294.

l Art Upstairs Gallery

The gallery is celebrating the grand opening of its new location during its annual party and member show tonight. Highlighting the show is a six-foot tree decorated with “small works” by 18 artist members.

Guitarist Mike Rosensky and clarinetist Dave Kannensohn will be playing jazz at tonight’s opening at 112 W. Main St. , Suite 3, in the Shops at York Place.

The opening reception runs from 6 to 8 p.m.

For more details, call 923-3900.

l Fellini’s No. 9

Ambha Lessard is returning to the Nine this month with a photography show of fall and winter scenic views.

An opening reception is planned from 5 to 7 this evening.

For more information, call 979-4279.

l Virginia Artists in Action

Cosmic paintings by Deborah Justice will open with a reception from 5 to 7:30 tonight.

The new VAIA Gallery is at 1924 Arlington Blvd., behind Old Navy.

Virginia Artists in Action is Charlottesville’s hybrid of art and social consciousness. A percentage of all sales helps support Virginia nonprofits.

Justice lives and works in Nelson County. Her paintings will be featured along with other Virginia member artists through December.

For more information,  visit http://www.virginiaartistsinaction.org or call 989-5480.

l Studio 27

Photographer Kathryn Wagner is releasing a new collection of photographs from her travels this summer during an opening reception from 5:30 to 7:30 this evening.

The gallery is on the second floor of McGuffey Arts Center.

The exhibition includes photographic prints of Jockey’s Ridge. Wagner has recently shown and sold at the Pen and Brush Gallery in New York. She is a Charlottesville native who received her BFA from Virginia Commonwealth University in photography and film.

For more details, visit http://www.wagnermediaworks.com.

l Second Street Gallery

New York artist Steve Keene returns to Charlottesville for a unique show two-month show.

The exhibition will feature hundreds of his signature colorful paintings installed salon-style on the gallery walls. In conjunction with the show, Keene will set up a studio in the gallery space, creating new works that will be for sale, ranging in price from $10 to $15.  An opening reception will be from 5:30 to 7:30 this evening, with a gallery talk at 6:30 p.m. You also can watch his open studio from Saturday through Dec. 12. For more details, call 977-7284.

l The Bridge PAI

Three photographers who met in New Orleans — Aaron Farrington, Jenny Bagert and Zack Smith – will be featured in the exhibit, “Everybody Shoot: Pictures from New Orleans and Everywhere Else.” There will be an opening reception from 6 to 8 tonight. The show will remain on view through Dec. 28.

l Migration: A Gallery

Oregon artist Randall David Tipton is exhibiting his new watercolors, “Naturescapes.”  He lives in Portland and teaches all over the West. His show opens today with a reception from 5:30 to 8 p.m. and will remain on view through Dec. 23. For more details, call 293-2200.

l Les Yeux du Monde

Clay Witt’s “The Peaceable Kingdom” is the gallery’s final show of the season. A visiting artist with the University of Virginia, Witt was born in Belgium, grew up in England and studied sculpture and printmaking at UVa, among others. It opens tonight with a reception with the artist from 5:30 to 8 p.m.  He also will participate in the Feast on Art lunch at noon Wednesday. The lunch costs $10. Call 973-5566 to reserve a spot.

l Gallery at Fifth and Water

There will be an opening from 5:30 to 8 tonight to unveil Isabelle Abbot’s new paintings, “Reminiscence.” For more details, call 979-9825.

l New Dominion Bookshop

The local bookstore is holding a reception tonight from 4:30 to 7:30 to unveil new paintings by Blake Hurt. “Venice and the Dalmatian Coast” will be on view throughout the rest of the year.

l La Galeria

It’s time for the annual Holiday Art Show with a variety of subjects in various media. The show by the Piedmont Pastelists will get under way with a reception from 5 to 8 tonight.  Call 293-7003 for more information.

l Sidetracks Music

The music store has an ear for the arts, too. There will be a reception from 5:30 to 7 tonight to showcase the recent oil paintings by Laura Bell. Music will be provided as well. Call 295-3080 for more details.

l Spring Street

Creative fashion photography is what’s in store at this shop through the end of December. Liza Bishop, Jack Looney, Dan Purdy and Corey Daniels will open their show with a reception from 6 to 8 tonight. Call 975-1200 for information.

l Kluge-Ruhe Aboriginal Art Collection

Quentin Beresford, a visiting fellow at the Virginia Foundation for the Humanities from Western Australia, will give a lecture at 7 tonight. Space is limited and reservations are required.  The gallery also will host a holiday sale from 1 to 4 p.m. Saturday.

Call 244-0234.

From staff reports