Resident Gwen Lockhart exhibited some of her clay and bronze sculptures. Photo by Jessica McKay
On Thursday, Aug. 21, Greenspring retirement community celebrated American Artist Appreciation Month by hosting an art show for the many resident artists and artisans at the community to showcase their work. More than 35 residents exhibited at the show, which ranged in style from watercolors and oil painting to pottery and photography.
Resident Ruth Hancock Rollins displayed five of her original oil paintings; some of those included a painting of her son as a child, a ballerina, and her brother, who was a Fairfax circuit court judge. “I was just born to paint,” said Rollins. A painter since she was 15 years old, she also spent 27 years as a portrait photographer. She attended the Abbot School of Art and Winona Professional School of Photography, and studied both in Italy and Turkey, where she lived for several years. Rollins’ work took her to cities all over the U.S. including Chicago, Baltimore, Washington, D.C., Philadelphia, and New York. As a portrait photographer, she captured photos of presidents, world leaders, and dignitaries at the White House, including John F. Kennedy.
Resident Gwen Lockhart also displayed several of her own original sculptures. Her sculptures feature commissioned works, as well as those created from models and photos. While she prefers working with bronze castings, she also has used a variety of resin castings including onyx, marble, and granite. Lockhart sculpts in clay, plastilene, and wax, and focuses her energy on heads or busts, animals, and figurative works. Lockhart also has a permanent home for her sculptures at The Loft Gallery and Art Center in Occoquan. At the Greenspring art show, Lockhart displayed a variety of finished pieces including a camel inspired by the famed “Hump Day” GEICO commercial, as well as a commissioned piece still in progress.
Greenspring retirement community has over 200 resident-run and resident-coordinated clubs and groups including many dedicated to the arts such as a pottery club, a painters workshop group, a choral group—The Choristers, a drama group—The Greenspring Players, creative writing and memoir classes, a woodshop club, and knitting and crocheting groups, among many more. The groups are both intended to encourage residents to try their hand at something new and for veteran artists to continue with their passion.