The Shadow
CLIFTON FORGE – Martinsvllle artist Jane Iten’s Watercolor exhibit “A warm Golden Light” is currently on view at the Alleghany Highlands Arts and Crafts Center, 439 E Ridgeway Street, Clifton Forge through April 30.
Jane Iten’s favorite subject matter, the quiet domestic spaces around her, is something many of us might overlook or regard as too ordinary.
Iten however, uses the sights of home to convey the emotional aspect of the light within the interiors as her inspiration.
The convenience and familiarity of those spaces allows her to make quick, accurate renderings of them so she can slowly and deliberately explore the light and color in a more expressive manner.
She has a great capacity to convey a sense of her own life experiences and connects with the viewer by showing us the value in small moments of everyday life.
Who among us has not nested down into the couch on a quiet Saturday morning, or stopped to admire the warm golden light pouring through our own windows? Even if it is just a fleeting minute we understand her appreciation of the beauty in those flashes.
Iten encourages us “not to wait to be inspired, for that comes as the work progresses. I move from room to room making small pencil sketches that are neither precious or time-consuming. As I begin to see the possibilities, themes and ideas develop and compositions take shape.”
Iten sets up her easel and supplies directly in front of her subject, finding direct observation is “when those exciting visual surprises take place, allowing me to respond and create the reality of the moment.”
A recognized watercolor artist and founding member of the exhibiting group The Virginia Eight, Iten has produced and exhibited her work for over 25 years.
She holds a BA in Art from Averett University in Danville and an MA with a concentration in studio art from Hollins University in Hollins.
She also has taken watercolor workshops with nationally recognized instructors including Judi Betts, Tony Couch, Skip Lawrence, Carrie Brown, Christopher Shinck, Joy Schott, Frank Webb, Pat Deadman, Carla O’Connor, Jack Beal and two with Sondra Freckelton in Italy and England. Iten has spent a great deal of time independently studying the master artists as well. She lists Pierre Bonnard, Edouard Vuillard, Edgar Degas Johannes Vermeer, Henri Matisse and Farifield Porter among those she most admires.
Iten’s paintings have been seen in local, regional, and national exhibitions, including: Southern Watercolor Society, National Watercolor Society; Watercolor West, Virginia Watercolor Society’ Danville Art League, and the Piedmont Arts Association, Martinsville.
She is an associate member of the National, Southern, and American Watercolor Society, and is a juried member of Watercolor West, and member of the Lynwood Artists in Martinsville.
Iten has been a Signature member of the Virginia Watercolor Society since 1998, and has served as area representative for the Society for several years.
Currently she also heads the Creasy-Johnson Foundation of the VWS, which offers smali grants to groups who advance the study of watercolor studies by young people.
Iten has had solo exhibitions at Piedmont Arts Association, Martinsville and at Eden City Hall. Eden, N.C.
Select group exhibitions include: Wake Forest University; Davidson County Community College; Mustoe House Gallery in Hot Springs; Carnegie Hall, Lewisburg, W.Va.; The Arts Depot in Abingdon; Alleghany Highlands Arts & Crafts Center, Clifton Forge; Lynchburg Fine Arts Association, and the White House Gallery, Roanoke.
She has won awards in many of these including: PM Expressions Regional Exhibition, Watercolor Award (2004-03, 01 and 2000); VWS Shenandoah Watercolor Award, PAA’s Lynwood Artist Exhibition Best In Show; Second Place and President’s Award; and several Merit Awards.
Her work is included in the collections of BB&T Bank; Piedmont Trust Bank; Ford, Moore and Cobbe, CPAs; Danville Orthopedic Clinic; and numerous private collections in several states.
In 2004 her work was included in “The Best Kept Secrets of 7 Interior Painters” in International Artists Magazine.
In addition to her active exhibition and commission schedule, Iten is a consistent advocate for the visual arts, devoting many years of service to Piedmont Arts Association as a member of the Board of Directors, Lynwood Artist President, Exhibits Committee Member, Chair of the Scholarship Committee and Co-Curator of the Upstairs Gallery. She also served as an advisory board member of the Virginia Commission for the Arts.
“A Warm Golden Light” will continue through noon May 1.
55 Tasty Bites “Fifty-five Tasty Bites,” – Art About Chocolate is also on display. These original works by area and regional artists are created each year to done to accompany the Arts and Crafts Center’s Annual Chocolate Festival. Just because they are so wonderful we could not let the fun and enjoyment end at the conclusion of the Chocolate Festival, commented Director Nancy Newhard-Farrar.
“The artists have been so very clever in their use of materials! technique and ways of thinking about the subject.
We hope everyone will have a chance to enjoy these fun pieces – and maybe even give one or two a new home. Proceeds from the sale of these panels benefit both the artists and the Center’s education programs. Come see which you think qualify as a special treat!”
The work will be on display until noon, May 1 also The Alleghany Highlands is supported by its members, contributors, the Town of Clifton Forge, City of Covington, Alleghany County, the Virginia Commission for the Arts, the National Endowment for the Arts, and the Alleghany Foundation. It is open at no charge Tuesday through Saturday from January through April from 10 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. and Monday through Saturday from May through December, 10 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.
The Alleghany Highlands Arts and Crafts Center is located at 439 E. Ridgeway Street, Clifton Forge.
For more information call 862-4447.
