Portraits of the Blues
ON DISPLAY
February 3 - April 28
RECEPTION
Join us at the reception for Portraits of the Blues on Thursday, March 27 from 5 - 7:00 PM! Live Blues music will be performed during the reception.
Collaborative Context: History of Music in Montgomery County
Visit this art exhibit for a glimpse of the Blues - featuring a special collaborative highlight on local music with Christiansburg Institute, Inc.
This art exhibit features the works of Ken Pease and Anne Waldrop
Ken Pease
Ken Pease is an artist, and an art teacher at Harding Elementary School in Blacksburg. He has been an artist for the House of Blues for 25 years with his work being sold in multiple locations. His art has been shown at major Folk Art shows around the country including Howard Finster's Paradise Gardens and Kentuck.
“My artwork is inspired by music, specifically with these pieces, Blues Music. I love it for the history, the stories, and the energy. I try to capture all of this in my work.” - Ken Pease
Anne Waldrop
Anne Waldrop grew up in Virginia, left in her late teens and attended Parson’s School of Design in NYC. New York had a tremendous affect on her as an artist as it offered not only an art education but a real artist lifestyle as well . Anne was very much involved in the downtown art scene of Manhattan during the rise and subsequent fall of Jean Michel Basquiat. It was an extraordinary time to be at the epicenter of this meteoric event. Later she went on to receive her Master’s degree at MICA. She is currently living and working full time on her painting in Roanoke , Va.
“In my eyes, it is the goal of any artist to find his or her own unique ‘voice.’ Although I am a visual artist, I feel a very strong kinship to musicians. I am looking for, in paint, what a singer/songwriter would be looking for in a singing style. . . . I have realized the impact these blues musicians have had on many artists, including so many other genres like rock and roll, the British Invasion, Soul, R and B and so on. It was/is my intent to use my visual ‘voice’ to capture these artists in all of their individual glory and to thank them for what they brought to the world through music.” - Anne Waldrop
