Printmaking and more at First Friday

Rivermont Studio owner John Morgan hopes his latest show will educate the public about print-making.

“A lot of people don’t understand what the art form is,” he says.

Printmaking is a process of making art by printing. Prints are usually created on a single surface — anything from metal plates for etching to stones for lithography to fabric plates for screen printing to blocks of wood for woodcuts.

The prints on display in Morgan’s gallery — from members of ONE/OFF Printmaking, a group of Virginia-based artists — vary in subject matter, style and color. They are of landscapes and people, some in black and white, others in bright, vibrant colors.

One linocut, a variant of a woodcut that uses a sheet of linoleum, was printed on a Japanese book page.

Formed in 1983 at the Richmond Printmaking Workshops, ONE/OFF originally had 12 members, but has grown to include more than 25. Their name indicates a wish to emphasize a shared interest in innovative approaches to printmaking; “one off” is a term that refers to a unique printed impression.

“These are the best of the best printmakers in Virginia,” says Morgan, who has worked with linocuts before.

“The nice thing about printmaking is there are always surprises,” he adds. “It’s just a wonderful medium.”

The show will open with a First Fridays reception from 6 to 8 p.m. and a Conversation with the Artists at 11 a.m. Saturday.

Other First Fridays events include:

The Academy of Fine Arts, 600 Main St.

The Academy Gallery will show the oil paintings of Richard Crozier, while the Up Front Gallery shows the work of Rita Jefferson and Phyllis Thomasson. The Arts and Education building will also exhibit the oils, acrylics and watercolors of Karen Bowden and the watercolors of Purnell Pettyjohn.

The reception, featuring Nelson County’s The Molimo Band and catering by Avenue Foods, will be from 5 to 8 p.m.

Avenue Arts Studio Gallery, 1206 Rivermont Ave.

Owner Kelly Mattox will show her own monotypes, oil pastels and Yupo designs in “Works on Paper,” with a reception from 6 to 8:30 p.m.

Artifacts, 4327 Boonsboro Road

The photographs of KG Thienemann will be on display, with a reception from 5 to 8 p.m. A New Orleans native who now lives in Lynchburg, Thienemann works in both black and white and color, with film and digital images from the United States, Europe and Asia. He has twice been named the National Photo Apprentice for the Spoleto Arts Festival in Charleston, S.C.

Beeswax Candle Co.: An Artisan Gallery, 109 13th St.

Tab O’Neal is the featured artist. He’ll be giving a live demonstration of reverse painting on glass during the dessert reception, which runs from 5 to 8:30 p.m.

Dancing Leaf Gallery, 409 Fifth St.

Elizabeth Gilliam and Peter Buchanan are the featured artists; she produces her work on large sheets of metal that are rippled and folded for added interest, and he shapes metal and wood into pieces inspired by the living world around him. The reception will run from 5 to 8 p.m., with a St. Patrick’s Day appetizer buffet and jazz and blues music by guitarist Cameron Ferguson.

Dance Theatre of Lynchburg, 722 Commerce St.

The newest organization to join the First Fridays line-up, Dance Theatre is hosting a performance by members of the Charlottesville Ballet from 5 to 8 p.m.

“They’ll be doing three different works during the evening, over and over again as people are dropping in,” says Dance Theatre Executive Director Keith Lee, adding that the dancers and pieces will change each month.

Light Wings, 849 Belmont St.

February’s show, featuring the work of Terry Arnold and Petr Litska, will continue through the end of March, with a reception from 5 to 8 p.m. Local band The Red Roosters, which includes Gene Temple and Glen McGrath of the Blue Newts, will provide the entertainment.
The Lodge of the Fisherman, 4415 Boonsboro Rd.

The landscape paintings of David Eakin will be on display, with a reception from 5:30 to 8 p.m.

The Lynchburg Art Club, 1011 Rivermont Ave.

“Three Women Revisited” is an exhibit featuring the work of Rosalie Short, Gay Tucker and Cindy Vener.

All three work primarily with oils.

Lynchburg native Tucker began drawing in her textbooks as a child but never pursued art until later in life. She started sculpting at first, then turned to oils.

Short, also from Lynchburg, used to own a small art store before going into interior design and furniture sales. After retiring, she rekinkdled her love for art and is a regular at Bath County’s Nimrod Art Camp.

Vener, a New York native, has lived here for 30 years. She began painting about 15 years ago for relaxation; now, her primary subjects are landscapes of the Blue Ridge Mountains and other places she’s traveled.

The First Fridays reception will be from 5 to 8 p.m. and the opening reception from 1:30 to 4 p.m. Sunday.

The Lynchburg Museum, 901 Court St.

The museum will now be open from 5 to 8 p.m. every month, with a featured topic and artifacts that are not usually on display. This month’s topic is “Aviation in Central Virginia.”

Riverviews Artspace, 901 Jefferson St.

The Craddock-Terry Gallery’s “Visions of History” will feature the work of Michael Wong, who is traveling from Minnesota to install an exhibition designed specifically for the space. It focuses on history and contemporary events that he chooses to comment on with his own versions of political cartoons.

The Coop Gallery will display the work of featured artist Jill Jensen, who has a unique approach to quilting and painting, while the Jefferson Lobby Gallery presents “local.vibrant .lynchburg,” a special collection from Lynchburg photographers. From commercial to art and fashion photography, these artists represent some of the current trends in photography. The Urban Art Bazaar will also be open on the lower level.

All events run from 5:30 to 8 p.m.