March 2026 First Friday
“Those Who Teach Us”
featuring
Jody Ball, Ronda Bowden, Jan Finn-Duffy, Sara McCourt, Doug Mock, Juli Schuszler, Lauren Sowder, Christopher Wagner, Rebecca West
“Those Who Teach Us” is a special exhibition celebrating the artists who shape, inspire, and guide our creative community here at Arts on Main. This show highlights original works by the very instructors who lead classes within our gallery—offering a glimpse into their personal artistic practices beyond the classroom. In the classroom, they demonstrate technique, encourage experimentation, and help students find their artistic voice. In this show, we see their personal expressions—works that reflect their individual styles, inspirations, and artistic journeys.
Those Who Teach Us celebrates the profound impact of mentorship in the arts. It’s an opportunity to honor the makers who guide, inspire, and remind us that art is meant to be shared. Join us in recognizing the mentors behind the masterpieces—and experience the work of the artists who make learning possible.
The opening of this show will take place at Arts on Main on Friday, March 6th from 5:30pm - 7:30pm. This event is free and open to the public. Live music will be performed be Something Different Duo. 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, March 28th. The gallery is open Wednesday - Saturday from 12-5pm.
Thank you to Arts on Main March Exhibit Sponsors, Cheryl & Jim Woodward!
Live music will be performed by Something Different Due during the opening reception!
Many Thanks to our First Friday Music Sponsors, Cheryl & Jim Woodward!
“We are a father /daughter team providing quality easy listening of popular music spanning several generations.”
ABOUT THE ARTISTS
Jody Ball
Jody Ball’s artistic style tends toward a blend of realism with a softened impressionistic edge, combined with subjects that excite her heart. Truth, honesty, and a sense of peace are the underlying messages she desires to communicate in her work, and the beauty of creation is her guide. Sometimes she likes to use a more straightforward approach to challenge herself and keep her drawing skills in check.
Jody has had a very limited history of formal training, taking a one-year course in commercial art at the University of Cincinnati in the early 1980s. As the years passed, she volunteered her artistic abilities for many church, school, and local community organization projects. She created stage settings for a variety of events, was asked to draw her hometown church and the local historical society building, she painted storefront windows, and even the town firehouse!
Finally able to settle into her first love of fine art, she is now able to show her work and has accumulated many awards and honors over the years. In addition to showing her art at Gloucester Arts on Main, she displays her paintings in Mathews at The Bay School Community Art Center and the RAL Art Center in Kilmarnock.
Ronda Bowden
Ronda Bowden is a paper flower artist who focuses on realism and whimsical arrangements.
Jan Finn-Duffy
“I have been making art instinctively and passionately since I was a child. Every artistic endeavor has been a learning experience, each building upon the next to bring me to the point where I am today. I have learned how to paint from university classes, from extensive independent study, from workshops, but mostly from trial and error … and trial and triumph. It is one of the biggest joys in my life. In the words of Albert Einstein, which I have borrowed to apply to my view of art, each painting is a way of “opening up yet another fragment of the frontier of beauty.” I paint in my studio and en plein air. For the past 15 years, I have had the honor of teaching watercolor skills to beginners and those wishing to develop their artistic skills. A few of my paintings have been accepted to the National Watercolor Society show, the Northlight publication “Splash” which features watercolor artists from around the world, and the international watercolor magazine “The Art of Watercolor”. God has given me the gift of being able to paint, and it is a privilege to share what I have been given with others who also love art.
Sara McCourt
An avid knitter, Sara found that the needles in her hands were the gateway tool to a deeper passion: fiber. Wondering about the sourcing and processing of her mail-order wools led her to complete her Master’s Spinning Certification program at the Olds College in Alberta, Canada. She then began to use her handspun yarns first in knitting and then in weaving. This of course led to the use of natural and synthetic dyes in her work. Now, Sara spins and dyes her own yarn, fibers, and fabrics for use in her various fiber arts. Besides teaching spinning and dyework classes, she is the owner of Arborglyph Fiber Arts, LLC, where she sells hand dyed yarns and spinning fibers. She is also a contributing writer to Ply magazine.
Doug Mock
Doug Mock is an award-winning watercolor artist and teacher living in White Stone, Virginia. Born in 1966 in Central Pennsylvania he was raised in a small dairy farming community where strong work ethic, love of family and appreciation of nature were of major importance. Doug is mostly self-taught, with significant influence by figurative watercolorist Mary Whyte. Mock creates art inspired by people and nature. His work is characterized by unique design, bold color and creative subject matter. Capturing life’s simple moments, Doug’s art connects with collectors on an emotional level. Doug has been juried into and regularly appears in shows and exhibitions throughout the United States. His work is appreciated and can be found in private collections throughout the country. He is a member of prominent watercolor organizations and is a signature member of the Virginia Watercolor Society and the Southern Watercolor Society.
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.
Lauren Sowder
Lauren Sowder is a multi-media artist based in Newport News, Virginia. She works primarily in watercolor, printmaking, and film photography. Her work delves into themes of personal growth and resilience while celebrating the connection between humanity and the natural world, fostering connections with others, the past, and ourselves.
Lauren is largely inspired by the local ecology in the southeastern United States, predominantly the Tidewater region of Virginia and North Carolina. She finds inspiration by immersing herself in nature, incorporating photography into her practice by taking photos to use as references for her linocut printmaking and paintings. Lauren’s most recent art practice is also partially shaped by the limited studio space in her home, which has driven her to create smaller pieces that experiment more with technique and color.
Christopher Wagner
Christopher B. Wagner is a sculptor originally from Kentucky but has lived and worked all over the country. In the summer of 2022 he relocated from the West Coast to Williamsburg, VA to work at William & Mary University. He received a B.A. in art history and sculpture from Georgetown College after which he studied Sculpture at Edinboro University in which he graduated in 2010 with an M.F.A. He has been making and exhibiting his art ever since his work can currently be seen at Linda Matney Gallery in Williamsburg, VA, Guardino Gallery in Portland, OR, Imogen Gallery in Astoria, OR, and the Compound Gallery in Oakland, CA.
Along with his own active studio he has worked as a Shop Manager for Eichinger Sculpture studio in Portland, OR; along with serving as an instructor and technician at numerous institutions including Gonzaga University, Mission College, De Anza University and most recently William & Mary University. His awards have included a Jurors Choice at Cherry Creek Art Festival, exhibitor at the Smithsonian Craft Show, the Glean Artist Grant, and the Emerging Artist Award from Portland Open Studios.
His work focuses on recycled or reconstituted wood as the medium. Utilizing traditional carving skills in the creation of contemporary sculpture. The reclaimed lumber he predominantly sculpts in provides a sense of history that influences what he creates.
Rebecca West
“I have been an artist since birth. Mostly I paint, but sometimes I sculpt. I believe life is art. Creation is art. Most of my adult life has been lived in the sky as a professional pilot. I have drawn inspiration from the ever-changing skyscape and many visits to breathtaking landscapes. I paint to create something new that wasn’t there before. I sculpt to give form to my ideas which could or could not have a basis in reality.
Art is freedom”