First Friday Artist: Randy Harman

First Friday Artist: Randy Harman

by | Nov 20, 2023 | artwork, community, First Friday

On Friday, December 1st from 5:00pm-7:00pm, we are thrilled to host a First Fridays Gallery Opening and special Holiday Party at The Depot which will feature the talented artist Randy Harman! Join us to view Randy’s exhibition, a bold pop of color of poured painting, and to enjoy refreshments and community. Get to know more about Randy and his art below, and RSVP on Facebook here.

Also, don’t miss our other featured artists and vendors with their work for sale, Russ Eanes, Wood and Wool, and David Sutton with music by Red Wing Academy.

Artist Randy Harman

Bio:

Randy Harman is a native of Harrisonburg and the beautiful Shenandoah Valley in Virginia. Randy has worked in the real estate industry since 1996—first as a Realtor, then three years later obtaining his Principal Brokers license and founding Harman Realty, Inc.

Mirroring his own colorful personality, he birthed a lively and family-focused corporate culture while maintaining a strict dedication to the personal and career development of each of his employees. It was this combination of ingredients, coupled with a technology-forward approach, that would prove to be Harman Realty’s special recipe—fueling its sustained growth for decades to come.

Outside of the office, Mr. Harman has many hobbies; but the greatest of these has been his love of art. He has an eye for color usage, as evidenced by his most recent passion for, and the subject of this display, the abstract method of painting called poured or fluid painting using the highest quality of acrylic paint. Randy has been an artist in many areas of his life including palette knife painting with heavy body paints, silk painting using alcohol paints and inks, as well as the art of Shibori which is an ancient method of silk dying and forming colorful permanent pleats in the fabric. Randy also enjoys working in several aspects of art within the use of various textiles, ie fabrics, strings, cords, etc. Randy continues to evolve and expand his artistic ventures but has found much joy and satisfaction in his most recent conquest, the poured or fluid method of painting.

Randy lives in Harrisonburg with his husband Kyle, travels often to visit his daughter attending college in Miami, all while running his business and exceling and expanding in his art! Randy can be reached at his email which is Randy@HarmanRealty.com or his mobile phone which is 540-246-4300. Randy also has an Etsy store where he displays many of his latest paintings, so feel free to find him there. The address for his Etsy shop is www.etsy.com/shop/RandyHarmanArt .

Randy Harman Signature. CEO Harman Realty, Inc.

This event is free and open to everyone. Refreshments will be served and we look forward to seeing you there! See the event page and RSVP here.

Each month we host a new artist in our building’s 2nd floor gallery at the Chesapeake Western Depot at 141 W. Bruce St. (second floor entrance is on Chesapeake). Artwork will remain on exhibit through the month. Come view the show anytime and get a tour the Depot! We will have food and drink available!

Celebrate the Holidays at the Depot!

Celebrate the Holidays at the Depot!

by | Nov 20, 2023 | community, First Friday

It’s once again the time of year when the cold begins to creep onto your windows and as you peer outside, your breath fogs over the glass. The smell of spices and holiday pine greenery begin to fill the air. There’s a tease of snow on the horizon. … You get the picture.

At the Depot, we’re already in the holiday spirit, and we can’t wait to celebrate with you! On Friday, December 1st, join us at the Depot for a special Holiday Party and First Friday event filled with artists galore, craft vendors, refreshments, community, music, an appearance by Santa himself, and more!

Artists featured on the second floor will be Randy Harman, showing his poured acrylic work; author Russ Eanes with copies of his newest book available for sale and signing; Wood and Wool, needle felting and woodturning for sale by Lynn and Phil Adams; and David Sutton of Port Farm, selling his hand-turned woodwork. This is the perfect time to buy local, handmade gifts for the holidays. Also, don’t miss a group from Red Wing Academy who will grace us with their appearance as they fill the space with music.

This is a free and kid-friendly event, and everyone is welcome and invited to join. A special thanks to our neighbors R.S. Monger and Sons Inc. and Herr & Co. for co-hosting this community event. RSVP for the event on Facebook here.

Christmas tree and decorations. Christmas decorations.
Invitation to Holiday Party and First Friday Event on December 1, 2023.
First Friday Artist: Joe Fitzgerald

First Friday Artist: Joe Fitzgerald

by | Oct 24, 2023 | artwork, community, First Friday

On Friday, November 3rd from 5:00pm-7:00pm, we are thrilled to host a First Fridays Gallery Opening at The Depot featuring the talented photographer Joe Fitzgerald! Join us to view Joe’s exhibition, “Sense of Place,” and to enjoy food, refreshments, and community. Get to know more about Joe and his art below and RSVP on Facebook here.

First Friday artist Joe Fitzgerald's headshot

Biography:

I’ve been a newspaper editor, Harrisonburg mayor, political hack, reporter, writer, programmer, photographer, webmaster, tech writer, and a night clerk in a 7-Eleven. Not all at the same time. I’m retired now, so I’m only doing two of those – photos and writing – and only when I want to. Like everybody else, I’m trying to keep my cool while the world doesn’t. I’m married to Deb, economics professor at BRCC and the only person I know of to chair both the city’s School Board and its Planning Commission. She spots photos for me, tells me when I’ve processed one too much, suggests which ones to print, and helps me hang them. I do the rest, including pointing the camera, choosing the f-stop, and taking the credit.

Artist Statement:

“Sense of Place,” photos by Joe Fitzgerald. “We travel, and Deb says, “Look over there,” and I have a camera with me. Beyond that, the photos have to speak for themselves, even if I’m never sure what they’re saying.”

photograph of mountains by Joe Fitzgerald
photograph entitled, "Mosco Street"

This event is free and open to everyone. Snacks and refreshments will be served and we look forward to seeing you there! See the event page and RSVP here.

Each month we host a new artist in our building’s 2nd floor gallery at the Chesapeake Western Depot at 141 W. Bruce St. (second floor entrance is on Chesapeake). Artwork will remain on exhibit through the month. Come view the show anytime and get a tour the Depot! We will have food and drink available!

First Friday Artist: Angela M. Carter

First Friday Artist: Angela M. Carter

by | Sep 26, 2023 | First Friday

On Friday, October 6th from 5:00pm-7:00pm, we are thrilled to host a First Fridays Gallery Opening featuring artist Angela M. Carter! Angela is a multi-talented artist with many works – published, spoken, performed, and visual. Join us to view her exhibition “Rewaken (to become awake again)” and to enjoy food, refreshments, and community.

First Friday Artist Angela M Carter.

Bio:

Angela M. Carter is a mom, author, poet, novelist, motivational speaker, spoken word performer, visual artist, and advocate/activist. She is the owner of 2nd Avenue Press, and is the author of Memory Chose a Woman’s Body (unbound CONTENT, 2014) and a forthcoming book, Love is the Dying Dog (2023). Angela is a 2014 Pushcart Prize nominee, nominee for the 2015 Virginia Library Literary Award (poetry), and has been featured in a multitude of venues, including The KGB Club in Manhattan and Busboys and Poets. Her publications include Silver Birch Press, Deep Water Literary Journal, Whurk, Vox Poetica, the Plath Poetry Project, Premiere Generation Ink, City Lit Rag, The Word Ocean, Worst Week Ever, Our Stories Untold, Gutsy Living, and several anthology publications. Angela is the Programs and Initiatives Manager for JMU X-Labs.

Rewaken (to become awake again):

Medium: Abstract acrylic and ink paintings on canvas, various sizes.

This show embodies a transition from treading to floating atop the turbulence life has recently handed to me, and finding newfound gratitude in the aspects of my life that I feel blessed to have: motherhood, new beginnings, self-love, art, literature and acceptance.
This is my new beginning. My rewakening.

Rewaken poster by Angela Carter for her First Friday gallery opening event.

This event is free and open to everyone. Snacks and refreshments will be served and we look forward to seeing you there! See the event page and RSVP here.

Each month we host a new artist in our building’s 2nd floor gallery at the Chesapeake Western Depot at 141 W. Bruce St. (second floor entrance is on Chesapeake). Artwork will remain on exhibit through the month. Come view the show anytime and get a tour the Depot! We will have food and drink available!

First Friday Artist: Cassie Martin

First Friday Artist: Cassie Martin

by | Sep 25, 2023 | First Friday

On Friday, October 5th from 5:00pm-7:00pm, we are thrilled to host a First Fridays Gallery Opening at The Depot featuring artist Cassie Martin! Cassie is a talented mixed media artist with skills in a wide variety of mediums, including ceramics, which she will be showcasing. Join us to view her powerful vases that “give voice to those who felt like they couldn’t speak” and to enjoy food, refreshments, and community.
First Friday artist Cassie Martin.

Biography:

Cassie Martin is a mixed media artist with contemporary practices, skilled in a wide variety of mediums in the two-dimensional form and three-dimensional form. She is currently a senior at James Madison University pursuing a Bachelor’s Degree in Fine Arts with a painting and drawing concentration, a General Business Minor, and an Art History Minor.

Artist Statement:

These vases give a voice to those who felt like they couldn’t speak up. I sent a question to many of my female friends asking what is something they wanted to say but didn’t at the time whether that’s because of a bad relationship, work environment, or just a situation. The first vase has the responses. The second vase represents how those words were silenced, so they are in Morse code. The final one shows the opportunity women have to empower each other.

A portion of a vase by Cassie Martin. There is a crack in the pottery with an imprint of a kiss overtop. Vase by Cassie Martin imprinted with words. Three vases by First Friday Artist Cassie Martin. vase with morse code
This event is free and open to everyone. Snacks and refreshments will be served and we look forward to seeing you there! See the event page and RSVP here.

Each month we host a new artist in our building’s 2nd floor gallery at the Chesapeake Western Depot at 141 W. Bruce St. (second floor entrance is on Chesapeake). Artwork will remain on exhibit through the month. Come view the show anytime and get a tour the Depot! We will have food and drink available!

First Friday Artist: John A. Hancock

First Friday Artist: John A. Hancock

by | Aug 23, 2023 | artwork, First Friday

On Friday, September 1st from 5:00pm-7:00pm, we are thrilled to host a First Fridays Gallery Opening at The Depot featuring artist John A. Hancock! John is a talented artist who wears many hats, including Studio Artist, Urban & Plein-Air Sketcher, Artist-Teacher/Artist-Mentor, Independent Curator, & Consultant. Join us to view his exhibition opening, “Interrupted Landscapes: Studies & Compositions,” and to enjoy food, refreshments, and community. RSVP for this event on Facebook here.

Below, John shares about his work and journey as an artist.

First Friday Artist John a Hancock

To see more of John’s work, check out the links below:

Websites:

https://www.johnahancock.com/

https://visualasides.wordpress.com/

https://sketchingalways.wordpress.com/

 

Instagram:

@hancock_john_a

 

Resume:

Link to PDF attachment

Bio:

 

About the Artist

Born in 1956, I have lived throughout the Southeast and Midwest (from Atlanta to Wichita, from the east coast beaches of Florida to the piedmont and mountains of Virginia). Before moving to Virginia in the fall of 2000, I had begun my career as an artist/professor in eastern North Carolina. Besides making art and teaching, I take an avid interest in walking through old neighborhoods and the countryside. I really enjoy bird watching, reading, and cooking. In my active parenting years, I had a bit less time for bike riding, playing chess, attending concerts and plays, and working on community service projects. Now those are finding their way back into my life.

 

Professional Background and Service

I began my serious study of art as a teen in adult-professional classes. I later received my B.F.A. in Art from Valdosta State University and later completed an M.F.A. in Painting at East Carolina University.

For more than 35 years I worked in both community arts management and as a full-time college art professor. Even before retiring, I had begun to teach adult sketching classes and workshops both locally and within the region. In the past few years, I have had the privilege to be invited to teach sketching workshops in Chicago and San Francisco and around the country.

 

About The Art Work

I work outside often, avidly sketching rural and urban spaces. sometimes the image is a wide vista; other times it a view of an intimate detail of nature. Sketching informs my later work in the studio; I also find that it frequently stands on its own as completed works of art.

Most of my artwork has been created by drawing and/or painting on paper or panels using mixed aqueous and dry media. Over the past decade, I expanded my drawing to the use of installation scale, Mylar. Whether working on Mylar, paper, or panels, I seek to do so with a passion for nuanced and powerful mark-making, color, and design.

 

Recent Exhibitions, Publications, Awards, and Honors

In the past few years (2020-23) I have had several solo exhibitions including one in the Lula B. Rackley Gallery at Barton College (NC) and the Arts Council of the Valley (VA). Other recent exhibitions have included shows at Troy University (AL), Mary Baldwin University (VA), North Carolina Wesleyan College (NC), Elizabethtown College (PA), and the Nichols Gallery (NC).

In the past few years, I have been featured in two publications, 100 Southern Artists, by E. Ashley Rooney, Schiffer Press and The Natural World: A Postmodern Perspective, Mt. Saint Mary’s University.

This event is free and open to everyone. Snacks and refreshments will be served and we look forward to seeing you there! See the event page and RSVP here.

Each month we host a new artist in our building’s 2nd floor gallery at the Chesapeake Western Depot at 141 W. Bruce St. (second floor entrance is on Chesapeake). Artwork will remain on exhibit through the month. Come view the show anytime and get a tour the Depot! We will have food and drink available!