Currently on Exhibit 

Betty Caldwell

Arcylic on Canvas

1 June 2017 – 8 July 2017

Betty Puryear Caldwell, artist and art educator, lives in South Boston, Virginia, with her husband Jack. After completing her B.S. degree in Art Education at Radford University, she taught art PreK-12 at Halifax County Public Schools for thirty-one years at Bethel Hill Charter School for five years Kindergarten thru 6th Grade. Now fully retired, Caldwell is concentrating primarily on abstract and non-objective art using acrylic paint as her medium. She finds color, texture, line, and form to be the most important elements in her work at this time. Caldwell states that: “a non-objective painting has to speak to me through colors and form while creating depth of texture. Sometimes it’s hard to tell when the painting is finished, so I place it on the mantle for a few days and study the composition and colors. Getting lost in the painting is the best part of the painting process because I rarely start with an object in mind. Images seems to come to life as I paint from my imagination. Also, when people look at my work, I want each person to see something different, and if they do, I have accomplished my mission.”

New Artists Coming Soon!

Tomoko Gillespie

12 July 2017 – 12 August 2017

Tokyo native, Tomoko Usami Kress Gillespie, is both a skilled artist and violinist who is dedicated to her work. Her love of painting began in 1999 when she took a three-month long class for basic brush painting.  Since her introduction to painting, Mrs. Gillespie has been mostly self-taught; although, she says the best teachers are visits to art museums and attending art book studies. She uses the funds from her art sales to help children who have suffered from natural disasters, earthquakes, tsunamis, and war.

Mrs. Gillespie hold a strong desire to facilitate cultural, musical, and arts exchange Programs between the U.S. and other Nations including her native Japan.  After her music instructors expressed an interest in performing in Japan, Mrs. Gillespie arranged a highly successful tour of Japan where the group performed at several concerts. Following the success of this unique experience, Mrs. Gillespie founded Appalachian Dream Inc. in 2014 with the hope to continue to provide maintain this cultural exchange.  Now, Tomoko Gillespie will display her works on canvas which include a wide variety of still-life subjects.