Opening Reception for Two If By Land

In keeping with the tradition of Thomas Jefferson's model and the McIntire School of Commerce's vision of developing well-rounded students, we support the diversity of art and its interaction with commerce. The John P. and Stephanie F. Connaughton Gallery, located on the third floor of Robertson Hall, is the perfect space for showcasing art generated by McIntire and UVA students. Featured exhibits in this art gallery are on a rotating basis and contingent upon the McIntire Art and Commerce (MAC) Committee's approval.

Current Art Exhibit: Two If By Land

Kevin H. Adams, Artist
Giselle C. Gautreau, Artist

On Exhibit: Aug. 15 to Dec. 14, 2018
8 a.m. – 5 p.m., Monday through Friday

Kevin H. Adam's Artist Statement

Kevin’s paintings are regularly on display across the United States, including solo and juried group exhibitions in California, New York, Montana, Minnesota, Arizona, and Washington, D.C. The U.S. Department of State, through its Art in Embassies Program, selected a number of Kevin’s American landscapes to hang in embassies around the world. The U.S. Department of the Interior has twice commissioned significant collections of Kevin’s work. For the 75th anniversary of the Grand Canyon National Park, Kevin created a series of paintings of the inner gorge of the canyon, and for the 85th anniversary of Glacier National Park, he produced a series of paintings of the park’s back country. Exhibitions of these series were held both at the parks and at the Department of the Interior museum in Washington, D.C. For the 75th anniversary of Shenandoah National Park in 2012, the Park Trust commissioned a limited edition giclée print of Kevin’s iconic “Old Rag and the Piedmont,” and he was named Artist-in-Residence at the park in 2017.

An officer and combat artist in the U.S. Marine Corps, at the invitation of the Soviet government in 1989, Kevin accompanied a traveling solo exhibition of his work across the Soviet Union. “I have always been drawn to the landscape, and especially to the unique light of a particular place, for my paintings,” Kevin observes. “In recent years, I have become engaged with architecture and its place in the landscape—what that architecture says to and about the people who live in a particular location and how the land is used. In these paintings, I wanted to capture the lines, shapes, patterns, and texture—the essence of what I saw and experienced while painting en plein air. I want to share my artistic relationship with the part of Virginia in which I live, with the Blue Ridge Mountains and Shenandoah National Park as my backdrop. I hope this work communicates insight into the important role light plays in how we see color and form.”

Kevin grew up in Oxford, Md., and studied painting at the American Institute in southern France and the Minneapolis College of Art & Design. Kevin also has designed theatrical sets, including for the Washington National Opera. Kevin resides and keeps his studio in the historic town of Washington, Rappahannock County, Va. Kevin currently is represented by Gay Street Gallery (Washington, Va.), Watergate Gallery (Washington, D.C.), and The Inn at Little Washington Gallery in Virginia. To purchase a painting, contact Kevin directly at kevinharrisonadams@gmail.com or 540-522-9688. Follow the artist on social media via Instagram (kevin_h_adams) and Facebook (Kevin H. Adams Studio).

Giselle C. Gautreau's Artist Statement​

In my work, I paint with multiple layers of oil or encaustic paints using translucent and opaque layers to achieve visual effects of depth and luminosity and a sense of atmosphere. I frequently turn to nature for my imagery and inspiration, both in the landscape and in other observations. My work is informed, in part, by my experience as a former beekeeper. My background and training are in oil painting, but in recent years, I have explored encaustic as a medium. Encaustic is an ancient technique that uses heated beeswax mixed with damar resin. With encaustic, I use heated tools and a torch to fuse the paint and wax layers to a substrate, essentially painting with fire. With oils, I employ more traditional means to create contemporary landscapes from Old World techniques.

Giselle Gautreau lives in Charlottesville, Va. She is a resident artist at the McGuffey Art Center, where she maintains a studio and teaches painting workshops.

Giselle is originally from New England, born into a French Canadian family. She received her BFA from Maine College of Art, where she majored in painting. Giselle went on to obtain her MFA in painting from Virginia Commonwealth University School of the Arts.

Giselle has received awards for her work, including a Professional Artist Fellowship from the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts and an Individual Artist Fellowship from the Virginia Commission for the Arts. Her paintings are included in corporate and private collections.

What is Encaustic?

Encaustic, meaning “to burn” in Greek, dates back to the fifth century B.C. Used as a contemporary medium, it is a versatile method of painting with a beeswax-based paint kept molten on a heated palette. Using an absorbent and sturdy support, artists mix colors, apply wax, fuse, etch, layer, collage, transfer photocopied images, and incorporate found objects. The translucency of the wax lends itself to exciting effects not achieved in other mediums. It is, essentially, an ancient technique with contemporary applications.

McIntire Juried Photography Exhibit

The 2017-2018 photography exhibit is on display in the 200-level hallways of Rouss & Robertson Halls. The committee unveiled its first juried photography exhibit, which features photography by McIntire faculty, staff, and students, in August 2010.

McIntire Art Committee Members

Karin Bonding
Emma Candelier
Karen Gellner 
Al Hoover
Susan Howell
Dot Kelly
Pam Malester (guest member)
George Sampson (A&S faculty member)
Rob Tharpe
Angie Turner

Images: 

Kevin H. Adams
Filtered Morning Light 

Giselle Gautreau
In Flight