The Montgomery Museum of Art and History (300 Pepper Street) is showing the very different art work of three artist siblings: Annie Armistead, Chris Hudson, and Robin Poteet. The opening reception, free and open to the public, will be held from 5 – 7 p.m. tomorrow, July 11.
The Montgomery Museum of Art and History (300 Pepper Street) in Christiansburg, will host an afternoon art reception featuring siblings Annie Armistead, Chris Hudson and Robin Poteet from 5-7 p.m. tomorrow, Thursday July 11. The event is free and open to the public. The art will be shown through August. From left: Annie Armistead, turtle pendant; Robin Poteet, fountain; Chris Hudson, sketch.
While Annie, Chris, and Robin may have grown up together, they each take a unique approach to their artwork, tackling vastly different subject matters and mediums: Annie enjoys jewelry design, Chris focuses on architecture and home design, and Robin is a professional watercolor painter. The three grew up in an artistic family, but each of them found their specific area of passion separately, developing their personal style over time.
Annie’s passion for jewelry design began as an early interest in fashion. She explains, “Playing dress up as a child, I always loved going through my mother’s and grandmother’s jewelry boxes.” When she was older, Annie was able to put more time into her work, taking classes, doing workshops, and buying new tools and supplies. She used jewelry and fashion as a form of self-expression and built a portfolio that later got her into art shows where she won awards for her work. Now, she creates intricate pieces of jewelry that she displays at her art gallery, Troika, in Floyd, VA. When asked her favorite thing about the jewelry medium, Annie says, “I like that it is wearable art and becomes a personal part of the individual wearer.”
Like Annie, Chris showed an early interest in the style of art that later became his favorite. He showed a passion for architecture since he was “in the single digits,” as he says, looking at his father’s drawings and practicing with his own ‘Lincoln Logs.’ Today, Chris works on architectural design, focusing primarily on single-family homes. He explains that he likes designing these homes in particular, because “each project is unique, as it intersects the needs and desires of people (individuals or family) [with] a place on earth.” Chris now owns Cadence Architecture, PC in Roanoke, where he’s able to continue growing his passion for architecture and design.
Robin’s love for the watercolor medium began in her teens and she’s been fascinated with its unpredictability and quirkiness ever since.Her work has been featured in national magazines and books and she has won dozens of awards in juried shows. Today, she maintains a studio/gallery in downtown Salem.For the show, she’ll have an eclectic mix of watercolor landscapes, figure and still life.
This exhibit is sure to feature a wide variety of work from Annie, Chris, and Robin, from silver and gold jewelry, to hand-dyed silks, watercolor works, architecture drawings, and photography. Viewers will be able to see how each artist took their medium and brought it to life in completely different ways. “I’m in awe of how we humans manage to transform a simple piece of paper, or a lump of clay, or notes in our head into incredibly beautifully works of art,” says Robin about artists of every medium. “How do we do this?! Maybe I’m naïve, but I love the idea that artists produce things, seemingly out of thin air.”
The exhibit will run through August.
Alana Hassett,
Montgomery Museum of Art and History
