In celebration of the upcoming 20th Anniversary of the Campus, distinctive works from local GW Alumni artists will be on display in three exhibits throughout the year. The first exhibit, featuring approximately 30 pieces of artwork by distinguished GW alumni, includes the following artists:
Frank Demes
Artist / GW Alumnus
By Frank Demes —Capitol Study, 18"x32"
Although Mr. Demes works primarily in oils, he also enjoys water based media, etching/intaglio, drawing and metalwork. He has served as an adjunct faculty member at the Columbia Art Center, in Columbia, Maryland; The Maryland College of Art and Design, in Wheaton, Maryland; The Washington Studio School, in Washington DC; and The George Washington University, in Washington, DC. He has a Master of Fine Art in Painting from The George Washington University, and a Bachelor of Art in Studio Art from the State University of New York. He lives and works out of his studio in Ellicott City, Maryland.
Dean Taylor Drewyer
Artist / GW Alumnus
By Dean Taylor Drewyer —Evening, Summer Solstice, 28"x44"
Over the past two decades, Mr. Drewyer's work has focused primarily on the landscapes found in and around western Loudoun County, the close-by stretches of the Potomac River, and the area around Lake Meddybemps in the furthest reaches of Downeast Maine. His drawings, watercolors, and oils can be found in private collections throughout the mid-Atlantic region. After 32 years, he has recently retired from teaching art at Loudoun County Public Schools. He received his Master of Fine Arts degree in Painting from The George Washington University, and while studying at the university was awarded the David Lloyd Kreeger Purchase Award for painting. He makes his home and painting studio with his wife, Paula, and his son, Dustin, in the old Hughesville Church and School, just outside Lincoln, Virginia.
Ann Noel
Artist / GW Alumna
By Ann Noel —Summer Harvest II, 22"x28"
Ms. Noel uses color to create drama and tension in her works. Paintings are planned with a narrative something has happened or is being planned, figures in contemplation or conversation or in the moment. While her creativity is an ongoing process throughout the painting, her goal is to have the viewer stop and think about the moment, the setting, the movement. Her painting has transitioned from very large abstract paintings created in her studio at the Torpedo Factory Art Center in Alexandria, VA, to smaller paintings created at her studio in Leesburg, VA. She has returned to large and small figurative renderings, landscape and still life works. She is a founding member of King Street Studios in Leesburg, VA and currently gives private art instruction to teens and adults. She received her BA from The George Washington University.
Sherry Zvares Sanabria
Artist / GW Alumna
By Sherry Zvares Sanabria —Cahors Steps, 40"x32"
Born in Washington, DC, Ms. Sanabria is an artist of national and international reputation. For most of her career, the focus of her luminous paintings has been those spaces and locales where people have experienced profound moments in their lives, places that seem to hold the spirits of those who inhabited them. During her professional life, she has had 30 one-person exhibitions at public and private spaces and over 40 group exhibitions. Her paintings have been featured in many publications and in the books, Fixing the World and The Ashen Rainbow by Ori Soltes. Her works can be found in the permanent collections of museums or other public spaces, as well as in numerous corporate and private collections, both nationally and in Europe. She received her BA from The George Washington University, and her MFA from American University.
Kurt Schwarz
Artist / GW Alumnus
By Kurt Schwarz —Iris, 14"x14"
Mr. Schwarz is a realist painter specializing in portraiture, still life and landscape. The exploration of color harmony and spatial concepts are equally important in Schwarz's creations. His skill in capturing the complex nature of his subjects has contributed to his reputation of being one of Loudoun County's finest artists. His career highlights include six solo exhibitions and publication in fine art magazines, including the international publication The American Artist. Schwarz is a faculty member of the Art League School in Alexandria, and at the Loudoun Academy of the Arts/ArtSquare in Leesburg. He has also taught at The George Washington University. He earned his BA from The George Washington University. He currently resides in Loudoun County with his wife who is a fellow artist.
Antonia Walker
Artist / GW Alumna
By Antonia Walker —Golden Shenandoah, 38"x38"
A recent visiting artist to the American Academy in Rome, Ms. Walker has become known for her paintings of the Virginia countryside, as well as scenes from her travels abroad to places like France and Italy. She has studied painting in Brittany, France, and drawing and anatomy in South America, traveled through Tuscany and Umbria with sketchbook and watercolors, and has painted landscapes in Provence. Her work has been represented in many corporate and private collections throughout the country and can be seen at the Susan Calloway Gallery in Washington, DC, the Handwright Gallery in New Canaan, Connecticut, and ArtSquare in Leesburg, Virginia. Antonia received a BFA from the University of Georgia where she studied painting and printmaking and later attended graduate school at The George Washington University.