Muse - An Exploration of Inspiration

works by Sue Henshaw and Rebecca West

February 22 – March 26, 2019                

Presented by Custom Comfort by Winn, Randall Kipp Architecture, Gloucester Toyota, Storybound Construction, Mobjack Bay Marina, Booth Furniture, Richmond Scale, Cindy Barnett of Long & Foster Real Estate, Haynes HVAC/Electrical, Roane's Antiques at the Cottage, Jane Cargill & Peggy Sue Long of Long & Foster Real Estate, Ruthie and Gordon Penick, and Ruth and Tim Morgan.

In her book Pilgrim at Tinker Creek, author Annie Dillard quotes a poem by Michael Goldman,
When the Muse comes
she doesn’t tell you to write;
she says get up for minute,
I’ve something to show you,
stand here.

 

This show explores the magic of creative inspiration – where ideas come from, and how those ideas find their way into form.

Sue Henshaw was a career potter for over 40 years, running her business from Roanoke and Richmond. She originally honed her skills at Virginia Commonwealth University, from there moving on to be Potter-in-Residence at the Roanoke Museum of Fine Arts for ten years, and the Roanoke City Artist-in-Residence for two years. Her award-winning pieces have been shown in art and craft shows along the eastern seaboard. The ceramic pieces in this show were largely inspired by stories and graphic novels written by her son, Clay McLeod Chapman.
Rebecca West is a self-taught representational artist who has explored a variety of mediums and subject matter ranging from sculpture to oil paint, from portraits to abstract. Most influential to her work are forty-five years as a professional pilot, participating in the magic of the sky, and twenty-five years living in the mountains of New Mexico on the Mexican border. Also influential is an interest in psychoanalytic psychology, fueling exploration into the psyche, drawing inspiration from Jung’s archetypes, and creating pictures of things beyond words. Rebecca’s work has been shown in a variety of venues including Santa Fe, Las Vegas, Angel Fire, and most recently in Gloucester, Virginia.