Great Falls Studios Exhibit at Life with Cancer

I'm one of 19 Great Falls Studios artists exhibiting at the Life with Cancer Center at 8411 Pennell Street, Fairfax, VA 22031. The exhibit runs through December 31 and 20% of proceeds of the sale of art benefits Life with Cancer. There's a reception this coming Wednesday, November 10, 7-9pm.

A bit about Life with Cancer's Center:


Life with Cancer’s Dewberry Family Center, also known as “Carolyn’s House”,  is a free-standing resource center for cancer patients and their families. The new 16,000-square-foot facility combines the comforts of home with a place for cancer education and support of cancer patients and survivors at no additional cost. It is the only health system affiliated resource center of its kind in the Northern Virginia region.

The Family Center features a cancer information center, comfortable classrooms,  private and group counseling rooms, children’s and adult art therapy studios, a large exercise room for classes specifically designed for cancer patients, a teen lounge, a reflection garden with a waterfall, and a large dine-in kitchen for healthy eating cooking demonstrations.

Partially funded by the generosity of patients, survivors and community members, the Family Center offers a variety of education and support programs for anyone affected by a cancer diagnosis.

My pieces being exhibited include (from top to bottom): "Sunflowers II", "Sweet Temptation Cupcakes", and "Il Gatto".

"Sunflowers II", oil on linen, 30"h x 30"w, copyright Jill Banks 2008.
"Sweet Temptation Cupcakes", oil, 12"h x 12"w, copyright Jill Banks 2008.
"Il Gatto", oil, 16"h x 12"w (I think), copyright Jill Banks 2010.

Web: www.jillbanks.com
Blog: jillbanks.blogspot.com
Email: jillbanks1@aol.com
Phone: 703.403.7435

"Sweet Temptation Cupcakes" in the October Exhibit at the Art League

The theme for this month's exhibit at the Art League in "Interaction of Color." My painting "Sweet Temptations Cupcakes" was juried into the show.  The theme is right up my alley. I continually explore and experiment with color ... and know just how powerful a tool it is. It plays a major role in most of my paintings. Still, come receiving day for this month's show, I had few that I was comfortable taking away from my studio and other exhibit/show commitments.

See, I have the Great Falls Annual Studio Tour coming up in less than two weeks. On Saturday and Sunday, October 17 & 18, from 10am-5pm, hundreds of people visit the studios of 44 artist members of Great Falls Studios. I'm one of those 44. You will find me in the Artists' Atelier, 1144 Walker Road, Suites D&G, Great Falls. VA. In addition to filling up the galleries, salon style, from floor to ceiling, we will have bins of artwork, temporary screens of additional work. The space will be overflowing.  I want my work around me... to sell and show.

Two people have shown great interest in "Sweet Temptation Cupcakes". It was hard to submit it. What if those hundreds of people show up for Studio Tour and they all came to see that one. Unlikely. But, artists' minds seem to be wired differently.

Then, on October 19, I'll hang a new solo show in Maison du Vin's tasting room -- a  unique wine store in Great Falls. If I didn't need to plan for those two events, I might have paired "Sweet Temptation Cupcakes" with "Rooster Ruminations" as my Art League entries. Color was on my mind throughout "Rooster Ruminations" creation. It plays a critical role in its composition, and I believe that color is handled more deftly in it than in any of my other paintings. Well, at least it is in the top tier of color handling.

"Sweet Temptations Cupcakes," oil, 12"h x12"w, copyright Jill Banks 2009. Check out my earlier post about this painting.

Web: www.jillbanks.com
Blog: jillbanks.blogspot.com
Email: jillbanks1@aol.com
Phone: 703.403.7435