Ode To Eisenhower – Paintings by Elaine Nunnally
On display May 18-September 5, 2016
About Elaine Nunnally
“My work is inspired by beautiful things in the world around me. I try to use good design to create order out of chaos, which is, after all, the job of the artist. I also like to take the mundane and make it resonate with others; to get people to see things in a new way. This is what I am trying to do with my Interstate Series, which I am having a lot of fun with. Driving along a high speed highway is a common experience for all Americans in our daily lives. I use bright colors, heavy application of paint, and fun techniques such as layering, graffito, and printing. I hope that when people see these works, they will think,‘Wow! I never thought of highways like that.” --Elaine Nunnally
Some background about the paintings on display
Persons traveling through the United States today may find it difficult to imagine our country without the Eisenhower Interstate Highway System. It was not until June 29, 1956, when President Eisenhower signed the Federal Aid Highway Act, that interstate highways began to meet the challenge of the growing number of automobiles on the nation’s highways.
While in Europe during World War II General Eisenhower viewed the ease of travel on the German autobahns. That, coupled with the experiences of a young Lt. Col. Eisenhower in the 1919 Transcontinental Convoy, convinced the President of the overwhelming need for safer and speedier highways. The President also felt that the newer, multi-lane highways were essential to a strong national defense. – from the Presidential Library in Abilene, Texas.
About the Artist
Elaine Nunnally has been painting all of her life. She has undergraduate and graduate degrees in Art Education from Radford University and V.C.U. respectively. Mostly working in oils and acrylics, she turned to watercolor after taking a workshop through J.M.U. in 1985. She fell under the spell of watermedia and loved the brilliance and translucency of the paint and the ease with which paints can be applied.
She is enthusiastic about teaching art and helping students of all ages tap into their own natural creativity, believing that all people have a basic need to express themselves and make art in some form or fashion. She taught art on the secondary level for 40 years in Loudoun County, VA, before retiring 5 years ago.
She also teaches adults and has led painting trips in the summer to her favorite village, St. Cirq Lapopie, in southwest France. “The most beautiful village in all of France!” Her paintings have won many awards at national and international shows. Elaine is a signature member of the Virginia Watercolor Society, the Baltimore Watercolor Society, and Missouri Watercolor Society, the San Diego Watercolor Society, and the Potomac Valley Watercolor Society. In the summer she paints “en plein air" with the Loudoun Sketch Club.
Contact the artist at [email protected] or visit her website.
Gallery Information
The exhibit is on display at the GW Virginia Science & Technology Campus, Enterprise Hall, 44983 Knoll Square, First Floor Gallery, Ashburn, VA 20147. It is free and open to the public.
The exhibit hours are 7 a.m.-9 p.m., 7 days a week. Please contact building security to ensure access at (571) 553-3511 or (202) 815-9741. For more information please contact the Office of Corporate and Community Relations by email or by calling (571) 553-5002.