FREE Reception from 6 to 8 p.m. on February 23 Offers Opportunity to Meet the Artists

Winchester, VA 2/19/16…Humorous comic illustrations and vibrant paintings by Shenandoah Valley artists Paul Zdepski and Daniel Rioux are now on view in the Art in the Halls sections of the Museum of the Shenandoah Valley (MSV).

Open to the public, a free reception from 6 to 8 p.m. on Tuesday, February 23 will offer visitors the opportunity to meet the artists and enjoy complimentary admission to the MSV galleries.

According to MSV Director of Exhibitions Corwyn Garman, the new Art in the Halls displays offer an entertaining and visually engaging experience. In Lewis Hall, artist Daniel Rioux has assembled a display of ten psychedelic paintings, while an installation of 17 digital comics by professional designer and illustrator Paul Zdepski is now on view in Glaize Hall. Presented through April 17, these Art in the Halls displays are available for viewing free of charge; MSV admission is not required.

A Winchester native and self-taught artist, Daniel Rioux describes his work as “psychedelic surrealism.” His MSV display features eight acrylic on canvas works and two acrylic works on wood.  All the paintings on view feature bright, vibrant colors and patterns that result in optical illusions or perceptual effects reminiscent of 1960s psychedelic art.

A professional designer and illustrator, Paul Zdepski is a resident of Strasburg, Virginia. His MSV display is titled Corporal Punishment and is a humorous series of comic art influenced by Zdepski’s remembrances of growing up within a family of seven children. The illustrations on view in Art in the Halls were created using a complex digital process that begins with pencil sketches.

Along with meeting the artists and enjoying the new Art in the Halls displays, those attending Tuesday night’s reception may also tour the MSV galleries and exhibitions free of charge.

The evening will mark the final nighttime opportunity for visitors to tour the popular CUT! Costume and the Cinema exhibition. On view in the MSV Changing Exhibitions gallery only through this Sunday, February 28, CUT! takes an in-depth look at the art of making costumes for period films. The exhibition displays 43 costumes worn by such film stars as Johnny Depp, Kate Winslet, Heath Ledger, Emma Thompson, Robert Downey Jr., Anjelica Huston, and many others. In all, more than 30 actors and 25 films are represented, including Pirates of the Caribbean, Sense and Sensibility, The New World, Gosford Park, Sherlock Holmes, and The Phantom of the Opera. CUT! is organized by Exhibits Development Group, USA in cooperation with Cosprop, Ltd., London, England. The MSV display is sponsored by the Alamo Drafthouse Winchester and Shenandoah Country Q102.

A regional cultural center, the Museum of the Shenandoah Valley is located at 901 Amherst Street in Winchester, Virginia. The MSV complex—which includes galleries, the Glen Burnie House, and six acres of gardens—is open Tuesday through Sunday from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. The galleries are open year-round; the house and gardens are open April through October.  END

 

 

Top: Works by Shenandoah Valley artists Daniel Rioux (left) and Paul Zdepski (right) are on view in the MSV Art in the Halls program through April 17. In this photo, Rioux is holding his acrylic-on-canvas work Fire of the Waking Dream and Zdepski holds his digital comic Cow Plus Boy. The public is invited to meet the artists and tour the Art in the Halls displays during a free reception from 6 to 8 p.m. on Tuesday, February 23, at the MSV.

Middle: Psychedelic paintings by Winchester artist Daniel Rioux are now on view in the MSV Art in the Halls program. Pictured here is Rioux and his 2016 painting Recurrence of the Waking Dream.

Bottom: Digital comics by Strasburg illustrator Paul Zdepski are now on view in the MSV Art in the Halls program. Pictured here is Zdepski and his works Texas Tales–Magic Bullet 9 (left) and Texas Tales–Cover.

Photos by Rick Foster.