Outside, in February sleet, the sky is the color of dirty towels, but inside Mill Mountain Coffee & Tea it’s all auburn warmth and the comfortable clatter of coffee cups, laptop keys and conversation. Mill Mountain Coffee & Tea is not only a Blacksburg morning gathering place, it’s an art venue too and the wall beyond the coffee roaster gleaming like a locomotive in the center of the shop is currently displaying art work called “8x8x4.”
The thirty-six pieces are eight-by-eight frameless blocks of natural forms: poppies, puppies, sheep, oranges, birds, pots and bees in oil, acrylic and mixed media by four local artists, Mary Ratliff, Sue Hossack, Kathy Elich and Lisa Acciai.
Elich is a painter and a potter. “The size of the works are all 8×8 squares because we wanted to do affordable, small works and the square format made a nice grid on the wall. The “4” is in reference to the four artists,” Elich said on a winter morning in the busy shop. One of her pieces is eggs and a whisk in calm blues. There are barns and cardinals, Echinacea and bottles.
“We have such an abundance of local art work,” she said “It’s frustrating for an artist to do so much work. They want to get that work out there.”
Elich is married to Mill Mountain Coffee & Tea owner, Scott Elich and this cafe is a trail site on the Montgomery County Artisan Trail, and a member of ‘Round the Mountain Artisan Network.
“He’s always had local art showing on the wall,” she said. Her pottery is available and framed work by Blacksburg Regional Art Association hangs on the opposite wall.
For artists interested in exhibition at Mill Mountain, contact Kathy at millmtnartworks@aol.com
Sue Hossack displays and creates work at The Art Bank studio in Newport, Va. I currently have my work on display at Zeppolis through the Blacksburg Regional Art Association. I’m not sure if Mary or Kathy have there work on display anywhere else currently.
We did not have a theme for the show other than sticking to the size. We were all left to create whatever inspired us within the 8×8 format. I am a pet portrait artist so my work tended toward animals while Mary being a birder, has some birds and dragonfly’s on display. Kathy has still life’s among her work which incorporate beautiful handwriting and Sue has a mix of colorful pieces which include flowers.
Kathy Elich would be the contact for the coffee shop. Her email is millmtnpottery@aol.com
I hope you enjoy the show and feel free to email me if you have any other questions.
