Artist Spotlights

*To view the article with pictures, please click here. 

Written by: Camryn Collier

Becoming an artist, and making a career of your creativity, is often considered a gamble. We’ve all been there. Standing there, voicing our passion, and we’re met with raised eyebrows of speculation and sympathetic noises of feigned understanding. Art simply isn’t considered a profitable profession in a world where technology and advancement reign supreme. 

For Adrionna Cummings, the struggle between doing what is expected and doing what you love is exaggerated. Her Mom’s side of the family is full of artists and creatives going back to her Great-Grandmother. Her angels, she says, there have been many losses. Still, her siblings went to art school, her mom is an art teacher here in Winston-Salem, and they always heralded and cherished her creativity.

Except her Father never felt that way. Instead, he pushed her to pursue something that would “make money,” not something that would light her fire. Since her Father never found value in her art, she was always pulled in two different directions. Should she do what she loves or do what she “should?”

And yet…

I met Adrionna for her interview late one misty December night. When she opened the door, we shared a giggle because we had known each other for some time. Adrionna and I went to the same high school, but she is a year older than me. I have a few memories of her from that time. She used to be on color guard, and of course, being the true Southern Girl I am, I attended most football games. I remember her dancing and waving those bright flags across the field. Slim, fiery, like a comet bolt across the sky. 

“Moving here stopped me in my tracks,” Adrionna said while we reflected. She moved to Winston-Salem in 2007 from Northern New Jersey, years before high school. “It made me lose confidence in myself.” 

She was judged and bullied for a multitude of things, including her culture, race, and Northern accent, she recalls. Though her confidence dimmed, the artist in her never faded away. 

“I started with crayons,” Adrionna said, smiling fondly. “There were scribblings all throughout my household in New Jersey. The mediums I ended up loving through school were oil pastels and colored pencils. So still crayons at the end of the day.” 

As she grew older, the itch to explore other mediums caught her attention. When she got to college, she started exploring more with paintings in acrylic, gouache, and oils. However, her major at East Carolina University (ECU) was computer science. She needed to make money, right? 

“My Father never really believed in me,” Adrionna said. “He would say ‘art is never going to be your thing’ and that I would have to figure out some other way to make money.” 

Her original plan was to study computer science and do something with video games; that would mix creativity with profit and appease her Father.  But, something changed in her about midway through college. She disregarded his wishes completely and decided to forge a path towards art.

“At that time, I just thought I’m going to figure out some way to finish college with art, and if it doesn’t happen, then I would feel like I failed him.”  

After that, she dove into art and completed a study abroad opportunity in Italy, where she spent three months in the countryside around Tuscany. 

“I felt free there, and it was my first time ever being by myself,” she said. Much of that confidence she lost in her earlier years returned. But then, a tragedy. “I also lost my Dad the year after that.” 

At first, those words jolted me out of the interview. Here we were in a charming, cozy little corner of her living room that doubles as her studio. There was a big surrealist jungle tapestry behind her art vanity full of unfinished art, a journal, a small easel, and painting supplies. She sat on the bench, hair perfectly curled, a gold chain on her neck spelling out Virgo, a shining anklet, and cheetah print slippers on her feet. 

For someone who appeared so poised, she was saying words that would devastate anyone. To me, it felt like when she was finally taking flight from a cage, she was thrown into another.

We paused momentarily, but I recovered the interview quickly and touched on other topics. We got back to laughing and talking about her art. For a time, I was hesitant to ask her about her Dad's passing. But somehow, it felt inescapable and intrinsic to her story; the death of her Father was the one thing I kept thinking might answer her “why.” 

“I always felt like I need to be his perfect kid,” she explained when I finally broached the topic. “I never really got to know him. We just watched TV, and that was our thing. We would watch television, go get frozen yogurt, and that was it.” 

Shortly after returning home from Italy, rejuvenated and sold on her path towards art, Adrionna’s father had a stroke and was paralyzed from the waist down, she remembers. 

When visiting him in the hospital, Adrionna brought her sketchbook with her. Creativity is the outlet for her emotions, she explained. While sitting beside him before his passing, she laid her sketchbook down on the bed. During their last moments together, he lifted her sketchbook, flipped through the pages purposely, and showed interest in her talent—finally, he was showing faith in her, she said.

“I don’t remember another time beyond that, except for on his deathbed, that he believed in me.”

She promised him then and there that she would follow art. 

Now, Adrionna is embracing both sides of her family and is finally free to fully embrace her art, no questions asked. An independent artist, Adrionna joined the Associated Artists of Winston-Salem, Inc. (AAWS) in early 2023. Since joining, she’s been in Opposites, When We Were Kids and the Sounds of Music in Art Exhibitions. She also entered a collection into the Artist Spotlight 2024 Show, which she did not get juried into. Beyond AAWS, she is following her Mother’s path. Adrionna finished school with a degree in Graphic Design before becoming an art teacher here in Forsyth County.

“This is my way of continuing my promise to him and showing myself that I can live through my traumas, my struggles, and my disbelief.” 

Next up for Adrionna, she is showcasing her “Earth, Wind, & Fire” series with friend, Erica Butler, who is also a member of AAWS. They are currently displaying a duo exhibition called the Black&White Art Gallery at the CMPND, a recording studio, in Downtown Winston-Salem. The pieces she’s exhibiting are the ones that didn’t get juried into the AAWS Artist Spotlight 2024 Show. 

The series is largely inspired by her life experiences and growth. Symbols of luck, spirituality, ancestry, and roots are scattered throughout the series. A white elephant with its tusks raised (that’s important for luck and showing that she is standing tall and proud) is featured in “Junglebook Breezy.” A reignbow shines down on her Mother in “BlueJay Fall Destiny.” A baby picture of herself sits in the corner of her portrait, “Quarter Century Bearthday Wishes,” reminding her of where she’s been and where she’s going and that the world is yours on your special day.

“I’m taking my life back,” she said about her recent works. “With the art, exercising, eating right, I’m taking care of myself and romanticizing my life.” 

For every artist I talk to, there’s almost always a special “why” that takes a little digging to find. While I believe bringing together the legacy of both sides of her family is of the utmost importance, what stood out to me is her incredible perseverance. 

Before I parted with her that winter night, I felt compelled to say something. She was incredibly vulnerable with me, and our community, by telling her story. I was humbled. I needed to give her something in return or somehow commend her bravery. 

“I hope you never give up on exhibiting art,” I told her, holding a folder in my hand and a camera on my shoulder. 

A smile she tried to hold back twisted her lips, and for a moment, I felt silly. After everything she told me, why did I even feel the need to say the words? It’s evident to anyone who knows her; Adrionna never gives up, especially regarding art. In the face of bullying, opposition within her family, and tragedy, art has always found its way to the surface of Adrionna’s being. Art blooms for her even in the harshest conditions, even when it shouldn’t. Perhaps it was always written in the stars for her, guided by the ancestors who always believed in her and those who came around in the end.

She promised me that she would never give up, and as I walked under the yellow street lamps to my car, I couldn’t help but smile too.

She’ll make it someday. I know it. 

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For more on Adrionna, please visit her webpage at misscummingsart.com or on Instagram @misscummingsart.

 

______________________________________Written by Camryn Collier

The first time I met Maria Senkel, she shushed me almost immediately. I was bewildered—we had just met! 

But when I shot her a quizzical eye, she wore this small, secretive smile and a decidedly mischievous twinkle in her eye. As she pointed across the living room to her window, I suddenly understood.

A chipmunk, with his arms and mouth full of seeds, was in her window.

My jaw dropped as I crept closer. Maria has a window insert for critter watching with transparent panels that arc into her living room in a U-shape. A white panel on the bottom allows little guests to sit while they enjoy their snacks.

Because of my astonishment, I was not sly. The chipmunk saw me and skittered away before I could get too close. Still, what a delightful surprise, I thought as I turned to Maria with a smile. This beginning moment defined my whole experience getting to know Maria for the Artist Spotlight Blog—it was simply a delightful surprise. 

A self-proclaimed fantasy artist, Maria specializes in childlike, imaginative works. She joined the Associated Artists of Winston-Salem, Inc. (AAWS) in July for the “When We Were Kids” exhibition at the Masonic Center this past Summer.

That exhibition perfectly suited her since much of her work is inspired by fairy tales, fables, nursery rhymes, and anthropomorphism.

“Fairy tales are full of magic but also teach us about life,” Maria said. “They fire up my imagination and give me ideas for my artwork. I love how these stories bring to life characters and worlds that are just full of wonder. That's why my art often includes elements of humor, a light-hearted feel, and some moral lessons like those timeless tales.”

True to her word, I felt like a spinning top on the first day we met at her home. I was turning around in circles, oohing and aahing at everything in her studio. Sculptures of knights stood at attention, 3D paper dragons hung coiled on the wall, an animation-style blue unicorn sat in the corner, and an army of mushrooms relaxed on a platter begging for attention. 

My personal favorite, however, is her larger-than-life current project: an (about) 6-foot paper tree featuring 15 fairy tales and 42 nursery rhymes that light up and move. Every time a light flickered on, I gasped in amazement at the colors and charm. Princess and the Pea, Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star, and Cinderella were all brought to life right before my eyes. Maria laughed beside me, amused and excited that her art was achieving its’ goal, bringing out the little one in me. 

“Through my work, I aim to remind everyone that it's not only okay but vital to embrace play, creativity, and wonder,” Maria said. “My goal extends beyond just making art; it's about helping others find their way back to that place where imagination is limitless and where the simple act of playing can bring profound joy and refreshment to our lives.” 

The desire to share the magic of childhood wonderment comes from Maria’s later-in-life exposure to fairy tales. In her childhood, Grimm-like tales were not commonplace. Instead, her parents taught her lessons on practicality and safety through examples and experiences.

Even then, when she was young, Maria felt a spark for art. Her earliest memories include a box of colored pencils her mom gave her. Other memories from her childhood inspire characters in current works: walks to and from school with her friends, skipping classes to hike mountains, and details from the lavish dresses her mom created as a high-end, European-inspired seamstress for the community elite.

As Maria got older, she lived in Boston for a time and worked as an investor. Still, she yearned for a life of creativity. Finally, after a long career, she fell into the art world and took classes at the now-closed Art Institute of Charlotte.

“The real 'ignition' happened when I delved into art history. I was particularly captivated by European architecture, mythology, and the profound symbolism found in historic artworks,” Maria said. “This, combined with the emerging influence of movies, books, bedtime stories, and fables, fanned the flames of my creativity. Once I fully embraced this passion, what started as a spark grew into a persistent flame. Now, in retirement, I've been able to devote more time to stoking this fire, continuously creating and exploring my artistic side.”

Maria mostly works in wood carving, sketching, and watercolors. Each medium brings out a different side of her work, and she lets the narrative dictate the choice, she said. Watercolors enhance the magic, paper allows for 3D aspects, and wood and clay give substance to characters.

“Once I have the idea, I have to control my mind,” she said. “It goes in so many directions. It’s exciting. The start of the process is solidifying all the thousands of little elements into a narrowed-down idea. Then I plan my medium and evaluate how much detail I’m going to put into it.”

Each step of her process is heavily documented. This comes from her love for the process itself, she notes. She takes pictures of her inspiration, writes down the idea in multiple ways, lays out all the materials, sketches the design, drafts details, and intimately plans each aspect of the creation on paper. Usually, she also practices forms (especially if it’s a wood carving) a time or two.

One piece she’s most proud of is Out for A Ride, a wood carving currently on display in the AAWS Artist Spotlight 2024 show at Milton Rhodes Center for the Arts (some pictures above). She has files and files of her process for this piece. 

“This wood carving not only reflects my commitment but also my passion for highlighting the inherent beauty, flexibility, and expressive potential of wood,” Maria said. “It marks a significant point in my artistic journey, capturing my skill level at that moment. The artwork incorporates 15 exotic wood veneers, meticulously inlaid into basswood and carved solely with knives and palm tools.”

In her art career, she’s joined exhibits, received commissions, and even has permanent public art in Charlotte. However, she dreams big, and in the future, she hopes to have one exhibit all to herself, she said. She also hopes to give her nursery rhyme and fairy tale tree to a public library for children’s enjoyment. 

It came up again and again in our conversations: art made for public and personal enjoyment. But somehow, I found the notion odd and couldn’t figure out why. 

I remember struggling with this thought as I pulled away from Maria’s house after my first visit (I visited twice). If I hadn’t known she was in AAWS, if I had just passed her on the street, she wouldn’t strike me as an artist. Despite her immense creativity and talent, Maria is not an “art out loud” type of person. 

When you’re walking around Downtown Winston-Salem, the artistry of people is sometimes evident. Handmade clothing and jewelry, paint-splattered overalls, a camera around their neck, or a paintbrush tucked behind the ear, some people display apparent indicators. With Maria, there is no such thing. Even in her home, though there are hints of that childlike curiosity like her “critter” viewing window, the walls are blank. The atmosphere is filled with advanced technology rather than an artist's tools. Maria herself is always tidy in appearance.

But then, I began to realize as I drove down the streets of Lewisville, that’s the secret to her. Her art is not about living out loud; it’s an intimate, personal journey she’s brave enough to share with us. The details, documentation, and rewriting of the fantastical narratives in her style all leads back to her rediscovering her own inner child.  

But the true magic of her works is not the extreme detail or even the subject matter. Rather, the magic comes from imagining, just for a moment, that the burst of color, whimsy, and fun is something she imagined just for you. That play between the personal, the known, and the traditional with the Maria’s own redefined, unconventional, and sometimes secretive retelling is something truly special. 

“I have always seen art as mine,” she said. “It’s my personal space. It’s kind of like your place in society. In order to function in a society, you certainly have to follow rules, but when do you get to do what you want? To me, that space of creativity is my world and I am the one that makes the rules.”

And what a delightful surprise her works create for us all.  

“There’s something missing,” she said about fairy tales. “And that’s me.” 

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For more on Maria, please visit her website at mariasenkel.com

This year, the Artist Spotlight Exhibition was particularly competitive. For reference, the Main Gallery of Milton Rhodes Center for the Arts can hold about 60 pieces of art comfortably. Typically, that means about 11 of our members can have about 5-8 piece hung. Normally, this is about all the entries we get; every year only about 11 artists apply.  That was not the case this year. 

This year, we had 26 artists and over 230 pieces entered. We only were able to accept 22% of pieces entered, more than halfing our members chosen for this year too. We attribute this excitement to a lot of new members this year, some of which were chosen below. 

We want to thank, again, everyone who entered this year. It was incredible to see everyone's cohesive collections of what they think represents them. 

For the November Spotlight, here are the artists that made the exhibition:

• Maria Senkel

Working primarily with watercolors, ink, paper, clay, and wood, illustrator and sculptor Maria Senkel brings to life the boundless spark of imagination. As she puts it, “Imagination is the sparkle that fuels my art and creativity.” Maria’s love for creating began in childhood. Though her professional path initially took precedence, she set a goal to fully embrace her creative side, and twelve years ago, that dream became a reality. Since then, Maria has dedicated herself to her art, drawing inspiration from myths, fantasy, storytelling, and fairy tales. Her work, known for its intricate detail, carries touches of humor, lightness, and timeless moral insights. Through her art, Maria celebrates beauty as she sees it— layered, nuanced, and always in the details. She has exhibited her work in venues throughout the East, receiving numerous awards along the way. Featured in multiple publications and represented by galleries in North Carolina, Maria has also been awarded several grants from the Arts & Science Council of North Carolina.

• Frank Campion

when i was about 10, my mother took me to the museum of modern art in new york. i remember standing, stunned in front of a giant painting of a map of the united states by jasper johns. i also remember looking around at all the grown-ups studying the art on the walls and it occurred to me that this art thing was something adults took very seriously. this was the beginning of my art life.

i painted all through grade school, boarding school, and college as well. in 1981, my work was selected for the first large-scale survey of abstract painting in the boston area at the boston institute of contemporary art. over the next few years i had a number of solo shows and participated in significant group shows including one at the boston museum of fine arts. shortly after that i sold a painting into the museum’s permanent collection.

in the mid 1980s, i had what can only be described as a lover’s quarrel with the art world. as well as i seemed to be doing, i had no car, no house, and no health plan. i owed the art store a lot of money and the lease on my studio was about to lapse. i also had a deep philosophical falling out with the director of my gallery. to make a long story short, i put my art life in mothballs and took up a career in advertising. in 1989, i was recruited to longhaymes&carr in winston-salem and enjoyed a varied and very creative career.

in 2013, i retired to take care of my first wife who was gravely ill. before she passed, she made me promise to take a run at making art again. she had been one of most steadfast fans back in boston. and so it was that, with a heavy heart and no clue as to whether or not i would actually be able to try making art again, i took it on. it became immediately apparent that my mojo never really left me and before long, i built a big studio off the back of my house and went to town.

since 2014, i’ve shown my work in group shows and solos at galleries and museums in winston-salem, new york city, richmond, wichita, and washingtom, dc. whatever issues i had with the art world seem to have resolved themselves. my studio practice kind of picked up right where i left off. these days, i paint primarily for an audience of one. it turns out that whether the work is any good or not, is really someone else’s problem.

• Jane Dicus

My love of art, creativity and the natural world all came together when I discovered botanical printing with cyanotypes. Printmaking with cyanotype is a camera less photographic process using the sun as the UV light source. A light sensitive mixture of iron compounds is painted on watercolor paper and left to dry in the dark.

Botanicals are layered on top. For the “wet” process liquid is applied which creates different colors and effects. Pieces are then exposed to the sun for a varying length of time. I collect many plants from my walks and grow many of the flowers and herbs to be transferred onto paper or fabric.

I find beauty in the signs of the imperfect, the incomplete, the rustic and the organic disintegration of nature. As a gatherer of beautiful things and found objects, I use them in unfamiliar and unexpected ways. They always find their way into my art pieces.

All my past experiences have led to a love of the wet cyanotype process which is simple but unpredictable. Many variables affect the outcome, making each piece unique and one that cannot be duplicated. Wet cyanotypes are unpredictable and are always serendipitous!

• Michelle Schenker

Michelle was born and lives in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, with her husband and two rescue dogs. She has always loved being outdoors and spending time in nature. One person’s trash is reimagined into treasure. At the heart of Michelle’s pieces, you will discover found materials and breathtaking nature. Her artistic passions lie in finding ways to blend the two into new creations of beauty. Using paint, collage, printmaking, and lots of glue, Michelle unearths the unexpected magnificence that is all around us in our natural landscapes.

Michelle is a proud member of Associated Artists of Winston-Salem, Watercolor Society of North Carolina, Collage Artists of America, High Country Plein Air Painters, Special Agent Collage Collective, and Arts For Art's Sake. 

• Cheryl Powell

I grew up in Pittsburgh, PA, in a family that liked to make things. I learned how to sew, I loved to draw and I loved clothing. My first year in college was as a Fashion Design Major at Pratt Institute and I then transferred to Carnegie Mellon University where I graduated with a BFA in Graphic Design.

When we moved to Winston-Salem I stayed at home with my kids and set up my first studio in our Ardmore home, but a few years later a “real” job as a graphic designer took all my time. Thirteen years later, I left the full-time job and became a part timer which gave me time to make art again.

1999-2019: Painting from life including painting en plein air, doing figurative and portrait work from life in the studio during this time was a great way to learn. Studying with lots of great artists in workshops using various mediums also gave me a good foundation.

2020-present: Collage and semi-abstraction has become my focus but I am still drawn to the same subjects I always loved: people and architecture.

HOW THIS SERIES CAME ABOUT This series began with intuitive drawing in a 9”x 12” sketchbook using brush and ink. Trying to keep the freshness of these images was the tough part. I scanned them, enlarging them to fit my canvas, and then printed them out which gave me fat black lines. I cut the lines out to make stencils. The canvasses were recycled oil paintings over which I had painted with red-orange oil paint adding abstract marks with a brayer and scrapers. I then transferred the lines onto the canvas using the stencils and black oil paint. Adding more color and texture to the images brought them alive.

• Lynne Brown

Making art and appreciating the art of others has been a lifetime endeavor for me. I studied fine art at the University of Missouri in Kansas City, where I am from, before attending and graduating from the Art Institute of Atlanta. My artist career began in traditional graphic art, which at that time, involved layout and illustration on a drafting table. As the commercial art industry morphed into the computer-aided, interactive design practice it is today, I developed digital design skills. However, since childhood, I have always loved to draw and paint.

Fortunately, my life took a turn that has allowed me to be able to truly focus on my fine art and artistic development. Creating fine art, whether painting or collage, is my passion. My art is varied, inspired by my creative thoughts, ideas or subjects that inspire me. This may be people, a scene, a still life or a moment I connect with emotionally.

A love I have is painting florals in an expressive and abstracted way. Creating and mixing colors and making organically shaped strokes is very fulfilling for me. In this practice, I am seeking to capture the experience of encountering flowers, their essence, and not in the realistic rendition of them. That is the experience I hope people have when viewing my floral abstract paintings.

• Kelly Hodges

Kelly Hodges is a contemporary artist known know for her use of cold wax medium and oil paint. Born in 1965 and a native of Winston-Salem, Kelly worked in graphic design for 25 years before attending Salem College where she received a Bachelor’s degree in Studio Art. She is influenced by abstract paintings and color theory.

Currently, Kelly is working on a series of cold wax medium and oil paintings that explore how texture, mark making, and color in abstract art evoke emotional response and tell stories.

“Art is a part of who I am. It’s a collection of experiences that shape my perception of the world and I share these perceptions visually,” Kelly says.

• Sara Pollino

Sara Pollino is a Winston-Salem based photographer who explores evocative and abstract imagery. Sara earned her Bachelor of Fine Arts in Photography from the University of Florida. Her early work was film-based but currently, she uses digital format exclusively.

She has been included in several juried shows and been recognized in regional competitions for her photography.

Her process involves capturing thought-provoking images that are often missed, at first glance, in everyday environments. Finding beauty in the overlooked is one of her favorite pastimes.

• Marietta Foster Smith

Marietta Foster Smith is painter who has recently returned to the Piedmont Triad area where she was very active in the arts serving as Executive Director of Associated Artists of Winston-Salem and Coordinator of the Drawing & Painting Department at the Sawtooth School for Visual Art before moving to Salisbury. She completed her Bachelor of Arts degree in Arts Management at Salem College. Her studio arts education was completed at UNC-G. In Salisbury, she served as Executive Director of the Rowan Arts Council and was the founding member of Rail Walk Studios & Gallery. She still maintains a studio there and continues to work on her watercolor paintings. She teaches private watercolor lessons and several workshops each year.

She is a signature member of the Watercolor Society of North Carolina and has been accepted in their juried exhibitions receiving awards in two of their shows. She has also been accepted and awarded in juried shows at Waterworks Art Museum, Davie County Juried shows receiving First, and Second place and Honorable Mentions, Juried exhibit at Art and Soul, an Invitational Exhibit at Heart of Salisbury and accepted into the Dimensions Juried Exhibit in Winston-Salem. Her art has been published in numerous magazines and textbooks.

Although she has created art in a many media including oil portraiture, clay and direct applied cement sculpture, she is always drawn to the loveliness of watercolor and is inspired by the beauty that can be achieved with layering transparent washes allowing the paint to complete the strokes as it will.

• Deborah Petermann

Deborah Petermann lives in northwestern North Carolina and has been doing artwork all her life. Following her retirement from NC State University and the move to Western North Carolina, she has devoted her time to painting landscapes of Western North Carolina, Southern Virginia, Switzerland and France. “I have always been moved by the beauty of nature and feel the need to cherish and promote the preservation of natural areas.”

Primarily a landscape painter, her works also include printmaking, figurative painting, abstracts, and portraiture. She has hundreds of portraits in private collections and numerous other works hanging in corporate and private collections in the United States and Europe. Deborah is primarily a self-taught artist. She studied printmaking with established master printmakers Phil Garrett and Steve Chapp. She was awarded three merit scholarships to the Greenville County Museum School of Art. Her works were exhibited at the Greenville County Museum of Art in 1987 and 1988 and she was previously represented by the Mary Praytor Gallery.

Twenty-five percent of the proceeds from any sales of Deborah’s work will go to Western North Carolina Hurricane Relief.

• Deliece Blanchard

“I am a painter who loves nature, color, and pattern. I climbed trees as a 10-year-old and imagined I could fly. Sometimes, I draped my body over the limbs of a big tree and pretended those tree arms were holding me. Nature has always been where I feel alive, alert, and at home. As for color and pattern, I look back to when I learned to sew. There’s nothing as enjoyable as wandering through the fabric aisles, imagining your project. These days, you can find me painting outdoors or in the studio, sometimes just mixing color and creating a “swatch” journal.”

Deliece Blanchard paints landscapes with lyrical and rhythmic marks that reveal her background in music. A cellist as well as an oil painter, she is a member of the Oil Painters of America, the American Impressionist Society, and American Women Artists. Highlights in 2024 include a solo show “A Love of Landscape,” in Lynchburg, Virginia, a first-place award at the Cashiers NC Plein Air Quick Paint and being juried into the OPA National Exhibition and the OPA Eastern Regional Exhibition, which is currently on view at the Centerpiece Gallery in Raleigh. She has been awarded fellowships from the Virginia Center for the Creative Arts, the Cook Foundation, and the Tyrone Guthrie Center in Ireland.