June 2026 First Friday:
“Gloucester artists”
featuring
Deborah Butler, Don Dransfield, Carolyn Dudley, Averelle Dylan, James Dylan, Janet Griffin, Rick Griffin, Patrice Hobbs, Kathy Klein, Sharon Mason, Harriet McGee, Gayle Merrill, Stacey Posner, Juli Schuszler
In celebration of the annual Gloucester Arts Festival, this special show highlights the incredible talent of artists who call Gloucester home. Featuring a diverse collection of works across painting, pottery, fiber arts, and more, the show captures the creativity, character, and artistic spirit of our local community. Each piece offers a unique perspective rooted in Gloucester’s culture, landscapes, and people. Join us in celebrating the artists who make our creative community so vibrant and inspiring.
We will be skipping the first Friday of the month to encourage everyone to attend the opening event for the Gloucester Arts Festival: Brews, Brine & Wine. The opening of Arts on Main’s June show will take place at Arts on Main on the SECOND FRIDAY of the month, June 12th from 5:30 PM - 7:30 PM. This event is free and open to the public. Live music will be performed by Ami Baker. Light bites will be provided while beer and wine will be available for purchase. The show will be on display until Saturday, June 27. The gallery is open Wednesday - Saturday from 12-5PM.
Many thanks to Arts on Main’s June Show Sponsor, Cook Foundation!
Live music will be performed by Ami Baker during the opening reception. Many thanks to Arts on Main’s Music Sponsor, Cook Foundation!
Ami Baker is 29 year-old female musician local to Gloucester VA. She is a singer-songwriter, lover of Jesus, and she enjoys writing songs to make people feel less alone.
ABOUT THE ARTISTS
Deborah Butler
“Born in Hampton Virginia, I have lived in many other places in the South and Midwest, but have returned home to my native state to enjoy its peace and beauty in my retirement.
I have been painting and drawing in many different media since 2009 when I began painting rural Indiana scenes in watercolor. Upon arriving back in Virginia in 2013, I have taken many classes in drawing, including graphite and colored pencil, my favorite of which is graphitint. Watercolor pen and ink is closely linked to these and I work in this medium often. In 2017 I began painting in acrylic and now find myself exploring compositions with acrylic and cold wax, a vibrant medium for many visual subjects.
As a visual artist, I am drawn to render natural objects (still life, vistas, animals). Nature captivates my imagination most, and I often move from realistic to impressionist styles, or from realism to fanciful or symbolic representations.”
Carolyn Dudley
“My artwork comes from my perception of the landscape and the people around me. Whether it be through realistic or abstract representation, the goal of my work is to not only document my experience in a setting but to create an experience for the viewer as well.”
Averelle Dylan
“Born and raised amid the tidal marshes of Gloucester County, Virginia, I approach my creative process as a continuous dialogue with the natural world. My art is a love letter to the river realm I deeply love. I begin in the field, using photography to capture the fleeting moods, textures, and rhythms of these magical coastal landscapes. These images serve as the foundational inspiration for my vivid acrylic paintings. The resulting works are vibrant translations of the sensory memories in these environments, the light, the heavy air, and the rhythmic tides. Moving fluidly between reality and intuition, I am balancing observation and interpretation, creating works that blur the lines between abstract and representational art. Ultimately, my work is an invitation; by leaving the composition open to interpretation, I hope to empower viewers to bring their own histories to the canvas and decide for themselves what truths and memories the abstract forms reveal.”
James Dylan
“My paintings explore the poetic interplay between light and shadow and quietly tell pieces of the Dylan family story. When I’m not in the studio, I am performing as the vocalist for a world-touring rock band. My artwork moves with the duality of my life, reflecting intimate portraits of family life in Virginia and in the Canadian wilderness, contrasted with visions of rock stardom.”
Janet Griffin
“Hi there, my name is Janet Griffin and I am a fiber artist. Specifically, I’d like to say I am a tapestry Weaver. I use a cotton warp background on my loom, and I inlay wool yarn to create an image. My Tapestry weavings are based on the techniques developed by Theo Moorman , based in England. Additionally, I find felted wool extremely creative. Felted paintings, felted bowls, felted flowers, felted purses work extremely well together. My favorite kind of fiber is Corriedale, Romney, and Merino wool or yarn, cotton yarns, Silk, Leicester locks , and Mohair. Feathers are kind of fun too. As you can tell I’m very much drawn into texture. I do love how wool can be soft and fluffy; and yet transformed into wet, thick fabric.”
Rick Griffin
“I am a Forensic Psychologist in private practice and I live in Gloucester on the Ware River with my wife Gail. About ten years ago I enrolled in art classes at Gloucester Arts on Main and received instruction in various mediums such as oil, watercolor, acrylics and began exploring various subject matter. As an avid sailor, boater and oyster grower I have a natural interest in anything that happens on or in the Chesapeake Bay. My subjects have ranged from catamarans to crabs. I love nature and enjoy immersing myself in the outdoors as often as possible. As I psychologist I have an innate interest in people and, consequently, portrait painting has had a strong pull for me as well.”
Patrice Hobbs
Patrice retired after 40 years working as an electron microscopist at William & Mary’s Virginia Institute of Marine Science, with a focus on fish pathology and harmful algal bloom species. She has been a life-long artist, studying art in high school and as an undergrad at Virginia Tech where she earned a B.S. in Biology. She has done scientific illustrations for the Virginia Sea Grant, The Beach Book, Science of the Shore written by her husband, Dr. Carl Hobbs, and illustrated multiple children’s historical fiction books written by Emilee Mason. An intense interest in the diversity in plant structure led to enrollment in the Certification in Botanical Illustration program at the Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden, which she completed in November of 2021. She is currently an instructor with Rogue Flora Salon in Henrico, Virginia, where she tutors in watercolor and works to promote an appreciation of the natural world through the discipline of botanical illustration.
“After a career in Marine Science, I decided to return my focus to art by enrolling in the Botanical Illustration program at the Lewis Ginter Botanical Gardens, which I completed in 2021. I am currently an instructor with Rogue Flora Salon in Henrico, Virginia, where I tutor in watercolor and work to promote an appreciation of the natural world through the discipline of botanical illustration. I continue to enjoy observing, drawing, and painting the diversity of plant structure and beauty.”
Kathy Klein
“Visually, my mixed-media paintings are evocative rather than naturalistic. Layers of color predominate whether paint or collage elements, challenging or lyrical. Hard and soft edges play off each other in the same piece. Although the works suggest a literal meaning, they can also be read metaphorically. The work leaves “gaps” to be filled in by the viewer using hints and suggestions found in the abstract forms. Although I frequently work in a series, each of the works has individual and specific resonance. And, when shown together, they play off each other for a cumulative effect.”
Sharon Mason
“My interest in any art medium rests on the tactile nature of the creating: the mixing of paint, the manipulation of yarn and other fiber, the bending and hammering of metal wire into jewelry. I truly believe that any person can create and whatever is created houses a piece of the creator.
My goal is to create beautiful reflections of nature or to give tangible representation of abstract ideas. I find that whether I work in metal, wool, ceramic, or paint, the techniques inform each other and there is a sort of transference of expression among my various projects. This is what keeps me coming back into my studio day after day - exploring new relationships and ways of reproducing what I see in my mind’s eye. And, of course, the pure pleasure of touching all of the materials!”
Harriet McGee
Harriet McGee says “Inspiration is everywhere and it ends up as an expression of what I experience.” She currently lives in the Tidewater area and travels extensively. Her works reflect her interest in different cultures, their art, and folklore. She has worked in multiple mediums: watercolors, papier-mache, acrylics, and polymer clay. Currently, she creates designs using a repoussé technique using lightweight metal. The design is made by pushing the metal from the back, giving it depth. Color or texture is then added to the front. One of her works hangs in the permanent collection of The Hurn Museum of Contemporary Folk Art.
Gayle Merrill
“I graduated from Va. Tech in 1973 with a major in Fine Art and a minor in Education. I taught Art and Art History on the high school level in Chesapeake, Virginia for ten years, while painting in watercolors and showing in various art shows. Won several Best in Show Awards as well as was commissioned to paint six paintings for the City of Roanoke, while we lived on Smith Mountain Lake outside of Roanoke, Virginia. We also lived in Raleigh, N.C. for ten years where I owned a ladies fashion boutique in a large mall. We had huge twenty foot windows where I used my interest in art and design and love of fashion in decorating them and the store.
I currently paint in oils, after moving to Gloucester, Virginia, full-time. My emphasis is on strong light and color. We live on the water, so enjoy painting all kinds of boats on the Mobjack and Chesapeake Bay. Besides the water, I love my garden and especially love to paint my flowers when the light dances across their petals. I want all of my paintings to express happiness and beauty and hopefully I can portray that to the viewer. I currently work in my studio with an abundance of natural light in my home in Gloucester, Virginia, on the North River.”
Stacey Posner
“I love the feel of the clay, the creativity of it, the ability to reproduce the natural beauty that surrounds us, particularly in Virginia. I like to focus on nature; beautiful plants, birds, animals that I can incorporate into pottery with carving, painting, or texture. I also like to make pottery that is strong and functional. It’s meant to be used and enjoyed every day.”
Juli Schuszler
Schuszler inherited her artistic talent form her Hungarian father. She began painting with oils at age 10. She received her BFA with a concentration in studio art from Old Dominion University, and her MAT from the Citadel in Charleston, SC, where she began a teaching career. Her career and travels have taken her to many beautiful places in both Europe and the Tropics. She especially loves the tropical climate for its vibrant palette and has traveled to Jamaica, St. Lucia, and throughout Florida for inspiration.
Schuszler resided in Miami for over 10 years, teaching and sharing her passion for art. While residing in Miami, she continued her advanced studies in studio art and art education at Florida International University, studying oil painting and pastels with David Y Chang. In 2003, she moved to Gloucester, VA to both teach and exhibit. After teaching in both public school and at regional community colleges, she retired in 2019 to focus fully on her art. Schuszler exhibits in regional shows and art centers and maintains a studio in her Gloucester home.