February First Friday
"The Art of Food" 🍲
featuring
Jason Abbott, Judy Bumgardner, Marcie Evans, Mike Haubenstock, Lawrence Hollingsworth, Valerie Johnson, Joann Sybil Lawson, Doris Roland, Heather Salvador, Karen Thuermer
Opening Reception:
Friday, February 6
5:30 PM - 7:30 PM
The Art of Food is an exhibition that celebrates the creative dialogue between the visual and the culinary. This exhibition features a selection of works that elevate everyday meals, ingredients, and culinary traditions into works of art. Artists reinterpret the familiar through form, color, and texture—turning plates into palettes and kitchens into studios. Each piece reflects how food connects us to memory, culture, celebration, and creativity. The exhibition invites guests to slow down and savor the artistry found in the ordinary.
The show’s food theme was inspired by our February fundraiser, Taste of the Arts, taking place on February 21, 5-8:30pm. Together, the show and the fundraiser invite guests to enjoy food-inspired art while savoring delicious dishes — creating a shared experience for both the eyes at the appetite!
The opening of this show will take place at Arts on Main on Friday, February 6th from 5:30pm - 7:30pm. This event is free and open to the public. Live music will be performed by Ami Baker. Light bites will be served, and beer + wine will be available for purchase. The show will be on display at Arts on Main until Saturday, February 28th. The gallery is open Wednesday - Saturday from 12-5pm.
Thank you to our February Exhibit Sponsor, Linda M. Wahlman!
Live music will be performed by Ami Baker during the opening reception!
Thank you to our First Friday Music Sponsor, Lourdes and Don Parker!
“Singer. Songwriter. Musician. Lover & Follower of Jesus. Writing songs to make others feel less alone”
ABOUT THE ARTISTS
JASON ABBOTT
“Art has always played a major role in my life. It wasn’t until recently that I decided to share my art. I am a self-taught artist. I have spent my life experimenting, learning, and building my technique. My desire is to create art that evokes an emotion in the observer.”
Judy Bumgardner
“I began my career creating polychrome sculpture from found materials. During a sabbatical from teaching while living in San Miguel de Allende, Guanajuato, Mexico I began painting in watercolor exploring transparency and the paradox of imagery of the face and the mask. The image and symbolism of the metamorphosis of the butterfly came into play. Further travels in Belgium and Spain led to an interest in the tradition of still life. The foods and the painted tiles of Mexico and Spain were an inspiration. The juxtaposition and interplay of color and form are an integral part of still life painting. Throughout history food has conveyed symbolic import in religious ceremonies and secular traditions art and poetry. I hope that my work celebrates the pleasures of the table with the communion and joy of the human spirit.”
Marcie Evans
Based in Poquoson, Virginia, Marcie Evans is a sculptor and potter whose work balances practicality with a playful, irreverent spirit. A native of the Hampton Roads area, her artistic journey is rooted in a diverse background of visual communication and organic design.
Working primarily in stoneware and porcelain, Marcie Evans creates pieces that are inherently utilitarian but distinguished by a sense of whimsy and humor. This distinctive "functional fun" is born of years working as an artist and sculptor, an Associate's degree in Graphic Design, and a prolific career as a floral designer and flower shop manager. Years of arranging botanicals have instilled a deep understanding of form, balance, and the relationship between a vessel and its contents.
Today, Marcie blends these disciplines into ceramic works that invite touch and evoke smiles, ensuring that even the most everyday object carries a spark of personality.
Mike Haubenstock
Mike Haubenstock, based in Glen Allen, Virginia, is known for his luminous oil paintings of landscapes and still lifes. Inspired by architecture, natural scenery, and vibrant everyday moments, Mike began his artistic journey nearly two decades ago.
His work stands at the intersection of timeless tradition and contemporary resonance. Rooted in the legacy of representational art, Mike’s still lifes and landscapes celebrate the quiet poetry of daily life—wildflowers catching morning light, sunsets glowing through the forest, or fruits and vegetables painted with striking realism.
In a world often driven by abstraction or conceptual trends, Mike’s paintings offer a refreshingcounterbalance. With vibrant color, expressive brushwork, and layered textures, he invites viewers to slow down, savor detail, and reconnect with beauty as a form of emotional refuge. His art speaks to a modern desire for works that soothe, ground, and bring a sense of calm and joy into living spaces.
By merging classical subjects with a vivid palette and palpable energy, Mike creates paintings that feel both comfortably familiar and strikingly alive—bridging past and present, tradition and the evolving needs of today’s collectors.
LAWRENCE HOLLINGSWORTH
Lawrence Hollingsworth, a native of Norfolk, Virginia, derived his inspiration to paint from Country and Coastal landscapes and museum visits during his travels as an antiques importer in Europe and the U.K. He studied the styles and painting techniques of a wide range of past and present painters such as Turner, Corot, Courbet and Schmid, et.al. His primary medium is oil on canvas or linen and has patrons both in the Continental U.S. and Europe. He received his Doctorate Degree from the College of William and Mary in Virginia and he currently resides in Gloucester, Virginia.
Valerie Johnson
Settled in Smithfield, Virginia, Val works primarily in felted fiber art, though don’t hold her to it. “I love creating in a variety of different mediums, from paper mache sculptures, costuming, automata, and ceramics. I use whatever medium gets me to my idea. I like the challenge of working in different mediums and incorporating new ideas and concepts into my art. I may begin a felted project that starts as a “painting”, evolves into a sculpture, and in the end is realized as a piece of costuming. I feel that these kinds of zigs and zags require a pretty good sense of humor, which leads to the whimsy often seen in my work
Joann Sybil Lawson
“I like painting flowers, fruits, and vegetables and making a painting that someone might enjoy. I try to do work that I can respect myself for, and, hopefully, be respected for. Through guidance and excellent instruction, I have come to realize that a good painting is not necessarily the result of great talent or technique, but of patience and perseverance.” Joann has exhibited several times in Hampton, VA, at the Charles H. Taylor Art Center, the International Miniature Art Show, Seaside Art Gallery in Nags Head, NC, and participated in the Daffodil Festival Poster Competition in Gloucester.
DORIS ROLAND
“I have considered myself an artist since I was five years old. However, I have only been engaged fully in creative art for the last ten years. I work with oil, acrylic, watercolor and mixed medium. I have studied with award winners James Warwick Jones, the late Bettye Anglin, Holly Etheridge, Jan Ledbetter and numerous others. I have received many art awards. Two paintings were purchased by the City of Hampton and are on permanent display at the Hampton Roads Convention Center. Two more recent awards include First Place in the 2018 Regional Juried Show at the Williamsburg Contemporary Art Center and 2019 Honorable Mention Award at the Charles Taylor Visual Arts Center Small Works Exhibition. I was invited to display and sell my artwork at the Williamsburg Winery and was quite successful. I also met my goal for 2025, I sold more than 10 pieces of art.”
HEATHER SALVADOR
“I make abstract, expressive paintings driven by bold color, movement, and texture. Painting grounds me and puts me in a state of flow, where each piece becomes an experiment in emotion and curiosity. My work isn’t about realism — it’s about energy and the freedom to be different.”
Karen Thuermer
“An international journalist for 45+ years, my art mirrors my search for interesting people and places both locally and globally.
I am an accomplished plein air landscape painter who is equally skilled at still life and figurative compositions. My work is often described as impressionist.
My primary medium is oil. I also work in watercolor, graphite, pastel, and engraving. I also am an award-winning photographer.
Many of my works are accepted into juried shows, including those at the Art League Gallery in Alexandria, VA; Bay School Community Arts Center, Mathews, VA; Torpedo Factory Artists Association’s Art in City Hall in Alexandria, VA; the National Arts Program at the National Press Club in Washington, DC; Oxon Hill Manor in Oxon Hill, MD; Stacy C. Sherwood Community Center in Fairfax City, VA; Upper Marion Cultural Center in King of Prussia, PA; Del Ray Artisans Gallery in Del Ray, VA; Great Falls Art Center in Great Falls, VA; Strathmore Art Center in Bethesda, MD; Williamsburg Contemporary Art Center (WCAC) in Williamsburg, VA, Links Bridge Vineyards in Thurmont, VA, and other venues in Ohio and the Mid Atlantic.”