Lost, Found and Looking Forward

The City of Rockville and the Rockville Art League are proud to present an art exhibit to complement the premiere performance by the Rockville Concert Band at the F. Scott Fitzgerald Theatre of an original commissioned concert piece created by world-renowned composer Johan de Meij to honor those lost to COVID and offer a breath of hope as we head to the future.
The theme of this art exhibit "Lost, Found, and Looking Forward" is the pandemic and the hope for the aftermath. The pieces in this show capture an element of the unique times of March 2020 until now, and as we look ahead: what we Lost, what we Found and our hope as we are Looking Forward.

Glenview Mansion is open weekdays Monday - Friday, 9:00am - 4:30pm. Special note: Glenview will be closed to the public on Thursday, May 5. The last day to see this noteworthy show in person is Friday, May 6.

We are honored to have Therese Capal assign prizes of recognition and we thank her for all her work on this show.

Therese Capal's remarks:
I am honored to judge the submissions to Rockville Art League’s latest show, which is a look back at our experiences over the past two years and our hopes for what comes next as we wait for a return to life as we remember it. This period of time has inspired a wide range of emotions; fear, loneliness, sickness, frustration, hope. The inspiring works submitted express a unique artistic view of the thoughts and processes found inside us all during this unusual time.

As I viewed all of the entries, I was not surprised to see that the subject matter was as widely varied as the range of emotions felt by so many of us. There were so many beautifully executed pieces that narrowing down the selections has been extremely difficult. I tried to choose pieces that were skillfully rendered yet went beyond by suggesting inner thoughts and ideas.

1st Place: "Solace" by Karen Lantner
A deceivingly simple image. Skillfully painted folds of cloth with shadows and elegantly rendered tassels laying over an open book. A simple outstanding still life at first glance. More is added to this picture at closer look. The colors and tassels reveal a prayer shawl. The book could be a bible, or other words of inspiration. This image evokes powerful emotion. Not only is it a beautiful painting, it offers the message that so many of us turned to our faith to offer strength and guidance.

2nd Place: "Fam" by Cynthia Rivarde
This grouping painted with confident loose strokes speaks to the small circle of immediate family many of us have been living with during the height of the pandemic. The love and appreciation of our small groups shines through in the eyes of these three people and the slight smile of the young woman on the left. We have held our loved ones close during this time. The three apparently peaceful figures hold hidden depths.

3rd Place: "Remembrance" by Barbara Bell
A beautiful watercolor which at first glance could be read as simply a lovely floral painting. However there is so much more to this work. Vibrant tones in the background create a base for a branch with flowers and leaves that have lost much of their color in the center foreground. This center branch appears to be fading away, dying. The image brings sadness and reminds us of time, memories and friends or family we have lost.

Honorable Mention:
"Carousel, Masks Required" by David Allen
"Moving Through Uncertain Light" by Chris Luckman
"Enough Streaming Already!" by Myra Ryan
"Zoom Fatigue" by Linda Sherman
"My Pandemic Horizon" by Stacy Yochum

I thoroughly enjoyed viewing the pieces submitted to this show. The exciting submissions once again renew my admiration for the talent found here in Rockville. Thank you to Rockville Art League for allowing me to present my choices.

Therese Capal

3D Design & Graphic Design
Rockville Cultural Arts Commission
Art in Public Places Subcommittee
BFA - Printmaking & Drawing, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
BA - Graphic Design, University of Maryland, Baltimore County