The Observer Newspapers | Artwork Inspired by Trips Overseas

November 21, 2008

Artwork Inspired by Trips Overseas

By Leslie Perales

Observer Staff Writer

Reston residents who enjoy European landscapes should love the Reston Art Gallery and Studio's current exhibit "World View - Greece and Italy." The exhibit features the work of two local artists, Ronni Jolles and Joan Kelly, who were inspired by the scenery when traveling abroad.

Jolles, who creates her works out of paper, said she spent time along the Mediterranean Sea and the villages and towns that she visited inspired her. "I call them my red roofs," she said. "It's one of my favorite themes." Jolles said her visit to Europe was inspiring and she enjoyed painting scenes that included parts of everyday life, even scenes of laundry hanging out to dry. "It's beautiful there," she said.

Paper is Jolles' preferred medium, but her work sometimes includes fabrics. "It's a very tactile art form," Jolles said. "I tend to be pretty messy, but with paper you can be messy without getting anything stained. Paper is really amazing."

Jolles said her artwork is often hard to explain to people and she has not seen many artists that use paper in the same way. "People always ask me Ôwho taught you this' or Ôhow did you learn this,'" she said. But no one taught Jolles her technique, she said.

To manipulate the paper, she just uses glue and her hands, she said. "Paper is very malleable," Jolles said. She started out using flat, colored paper, and then began finding different textured and colored papers when she traveled, she said. "It's really wonderful to work with," Jolles said.

In contrast to Jolles' work, Kelly's artwork is full of bright, vivid acrylics. Her displayed work was created on site while she traveled in Cortona and Tuscany in Italy. "They were all painted outside," she said, explaining that she would set up her tools whenever inspiration struck her.

"Cortona is a beautiful town, it's just charming," Kelly said. Her paintings include scenes with old buildings, cobblestone streets, bell towers, clouds, trees and other scenery. "Everywhere you looked there was a painting," she said.

Kelly's paintings use bright yellows, greens, blues and reds and she often painted with dark hues of purple and blue instead of black, she said. "When I look at things, my mind instantly translates it into this color palette," Kelly said. "I see color and I intensify it." She said bright colors help translate the excitement of her paintings, and she still has more paintings from her trip that she is working on.

Jolles graduated from Cornell University and has also studied at the Corcoran School of Art, The Almalfi Music and Arts program, the Art League School and the Boston Museum of Fine Arts.

Kelly's trip to Italy was sponsored by the University of Georgia, which she attended as an undergraduate. In addition to creating works of art, she also taught students at a University of Georgia art school in Italy, she said. While at University of Georgia, Kelly studied art education and art history. She received her master's in art history from Stanford University. During her career, she taught art in schools and worked with the Greater Reston Arts Center, developing its art education program.

The exhibit will run through Dec. 4. The Reston Art Gallery is open on Saturdays and Sundays from noon to 5 p.m. by appointment or by chance. Passersby are welcome to knock on the door if artists are working in the studio. Call 703-481-8156.