Washington Street Artists Cooperative

For Jewell Hellems, it’s color that inspires her paintings. “I love color,” she says. “I think people who love color also love nature.”

© Jewell Hellems

As could be expected, then, a brilliant palette illuminates Hellems’ paintings, including a very pink watercolor pig, that are part of the Washington Street Artists’ Cooperative member’s exhibit.

Abstracts in particular provide a freedom of expression based on how colors are put together. “I love painting because I love to watch colors on paper merging together,” she says.

Hellems first came to oil paints 44 years ago when she was expecting her daughter. She had always designed things –flowers, dried flower collages, entire gardens – and painting seemed to be an extension of that desire to establish a link to what is beautiful in nature. But it took a while before she was ready to jump in. “I had a friend in Fairfax,” she explains, “and we used to say we would take a watercolor class after we finished our quilt.”

Years later when she moved to Charles Town, Hellems’ neighbor was an artist who gave her books and encouraged her to take a class called Summer Sampler. Elizabeth Smith taught that class and after it, or during, Hellems knew she wanted to paint.

“I know you learn technique from classes,” she says, “but to be a painter, you have to paint. It’s more about a feeling than knowing all the technical things.”

© Jewell Hellems

When she is working on a painting, she keeps it in her kitchen where she can look at it and think about it as she goes through the day. But she is a busy person with many connections to the community and each personal interaction gives her another opportunity for inspiration. “One of the things I like about meeting people is that you take something away with you,” she says.

A social person, Hellems also credits being part of a group of artists as a source of inspiration. Whether a painting starts with a photograph or something she sees, she has to be inspired. “There’s something about the space you’re in that influences painting,” she says.

Jewell Hellems hopes that her paintings speak to people and that they bring joy, and she hopes “they’re being looked after” because, after all, they speak for her.

- Ginny Fite

One of our artist members, Rip Smith, won a Juror’s Choice Award at the Cumberland Valley Photographic Salon at the Washington County Museum of Fine Art.

Grain Elevators, Rolette County, North Dakota by Rip Smith

The annual juried photography exhibition is on view January 28 through April 29, 2012 with an Opening Reception and Awards Ceremony on February 12, from 2:30 to 4:00 p.m.

The Washington Street Artists’ Co-op welcomes three new juried members, bringing the co-op to 28 members.

Anna Gibson, photographer, has an eye for beauty. The icy lace of trees in winter reflected in a frozen pond, a pendulous crimson bud hanging from its stem, the visual abstracts of buildings caught at the right angle are part of the work Anna has brought to the Co-op gallery.

Joe Bourgeios, furniture maker, began working around professional woodworkers in 1960 as a part-time job through high school.  After graduating with a B.A. in history from Harvard University, he worked for 20 years as a teacher and then as a pastor, raised two children with his wife, and kept at woodworking as a hobby. Returning to his first love as a handyman and then as a general construction contractor, Joe began building custom furniture 15 years ago.  Now, Joe and his wife, Sharon, a retired United Methodist Pastor, live in the front of a 30′ by 50′ furniture shop he built in Bunker Hill, WV, where he runs Bourgeois Furniture, Cabinets & More.

"Chasm" - Malcom Hally

Malcolm Hally defies categorization. He and his family lived in Rockville Maryland for over ten years before moving to Shepherdstown in 2009. His work used to be concerned with kinetic sculpture but he stopped making kinetic sculptures in 2006. Malcolm is now concerned with molten wax and plastic pictures and the intricacies of pop up book mechanisms.