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"Weeds & Seeds: Observed Motifs" by Jennifer Duncan
The show highlights sixteen of her paintings created over the past two years, referencing a variety of plants—including the Russian thistle (or tumbleweed), considered an invasive species. Duncan first noticed tumbleweeds on the banks of the Potomac River in Southern Maryland in 2023 and began to draw their captivating shape. Since then, she has drawn and painted the intriguing skeletal shrub dozens of times, using a variety of techniques and materials.
Layering the silhouette of the plants and utilizing their intertwining branches to create pattern and visual texture has provided a framework for exploration and improvisation. Through the repetitive patterning of the weeds, new (and sometimes ambiguous) designs are created. The exhibit also includes some of Duncan’s small, improvisational landscape paintings that emphasize native plants through bright colors and gestural marks.
“I hope to capture the feeling of the place I was when I spotted these plants. Gusty winds blowing the tumbleweeds down the beach, the deep greens of the forest where the weeds were spotted as sunlight hit them from a certain angle,” says Duncan who paints from sketches, photos, and memory in her home studio.
Jennifer Duncan is a visual artist based in Reston, Virginia. Using paint and collage, she references the landscape through a process of mark-making and gestural drawing, layering motifs from nature that reflect the repetitive patterns and chaotic rhythms she encounters on her daily walks through the forest and along the nearby Potomac River. Her work can be seen at Reston Art Gallery and Studios, Studio Gallery DC, McGuffey Art Center, and Pea Island Gallery. She teaches painting and mixed media classes at Yellow Barn Studios.
Artist reception:
Sunday, September 7, 2-4 PM
Reston Art Gallery and Studios
11400 Washington Plaza West # B
Reston, VA 20190
Reston Art Gallery and Studios is open Saturdays from 10 AM to 5 PM and Sundays from 12 PM to 5 PM.
Event Links
Website: https://go.evvnt.com/3206134-0
