The exhibition features works by Steve Prince, whose prints and drawings merge spirituality, narrative, and social history into visual meditations on community and hope. Prince’s work, rooted in the Black diasporic experience, transforms storytelling into acts of resilience and collective renewal. Garth Fry’s sculptural installations merge science, material experimentation, and elemental process, evoking transformation, fragility, and renewal.

Jill Carnes’s embroidery, punch-needle, prints, and drawings, created in her Athens, Georgia studio, blend myth, music, and intuition—translating inner landscapes into vivid, hand-wrought compositions that bridge sound, memory, and form. Lita Tirak’s infrared photographs of the Great Dismal Swamp extend this dialogue into the spectral, revealing hidden ecologies and submerged histories through her fusion of research and poetic image-making.

Michael K. Paxton’s new large-scale painting continues his exploration of gesture and atmospheric color, while Ian McFarlane’s photographic portrait—from his You Don’t Know series, depicting a woman in a coat—offers a moment of introspection and stillness. Dana Jo Cooley’s spiritually infused works explore transformation and renewal through symbolic imagery and material presence, inviting reflection on cycles of faith, intuition, and inner change. Noreen Dean Dresser’s burned paper and mixed-media work, incorporating organic materials, postage stamps, and painterly passages, reflects on fragility and regeneration. William Ruller’s abstract landscapes, painted in Apt, France, probe the tension between surface and structure, merging memory and terrain. Luther Gerlach’s photographic prints, created with historic wet-plate processes, incorporate ash from California’s Thomas Fire directly into the developer, transforming elemental destruction into haunting permanence. Christi Harris’s painting, from her Unwritten Historyproject, depicts a woman from the 1930s with dignity and restraint—bridging time through the quiet power of recovered memory.

Olga Tobreluts’s works, rooted in the post-Soviet New Academy movement, examine myth and modernity through digital collage and classical form, connecting antiquity with contemporary identity. Ivan Plusch’s paintings, marked by layered translucence and psychological depth, translate the flux of memory and perception into luminous abstraction. Nicki Santiago’s figurative works, grounded in observation and empathy, reimagine domestic and personal spaces through a humanist lens. Rebecca Shkeyrov’s paintings and prints, drawn from an earlier series in her evolving practice, continue her exploration of structure, light, and gesture—linking the gallery’s past and present dialogues. George Papadakis’s paintings, infused with a sense of nostalgia and emotional recall, explore how memory shapes visual experience—capturing fleeting moments that hover between presence and disappearance.

Together, these artists embody Matney Gallery’s commitment to environment, craft, and observation. The Fall Salon invites viewers to reflect on transformation as both artistic and spiritual practice—an evolving meditation on continuity, empathy, and creative renewal.

FALL SALON AT MATNEY GALLERY

CHRIS WAGNER: A SALON TAKEOVER

With Steve Prince, Garth Fry, Jill Carnes, Lita Tirak, Michael K. Paxton, Ian McFarlane, Dana Jo Cooley, Noreen Dean Dresser, William Ruller, Luther Gerlach, Christi Harris, Olga Tobreluts, Ivan Plusch, Nicki Santiago, Rebecca Shkeyrov, George Papadakis, and others
Opening Reception: November 7, 5–8 PM and beyond
Matney Gallery | Williamsburg, Virginia | Fall 2025

The Fall Salon at Matney Gallery centers on a Salon Takeover by sculptor Chris Wagner, whose carved and mixed-media works—often depicting animals—reflect a deep meditation on ecology, endurance, and renewal. Wagner’s figures, shaped from reclaimed wood, stand as guardians and witnesses of the natural world. Their tactile presence transforms craftsmanship into a quiet language of care and continuity.

AS WAGNER REFLECTS: “WHETHER IT’S CARVING A BISON, SCULPTING A VETERAN, OR DESIGNING A MOUNT FOR A 2,000-YEAR-OLD BOWL—IT’S ABOUT ATTENTION. YOU SHOW UP FOR THE FORM IN FRONT OF YOU. YOU TREAT IT WITH RESPECT. THAT’S WHAT KEEPS ME GOING IN THE STUDIO.”

OPENING RECEPTION FOR THE PORTRAIT: HISTORIES, MYTHS, AND ALLEGORIES

OPENING RECEPTION FOR HISTORIES, MYTHS, AND ALLEGORIES

YOU ARE CORDIALLY INVITED TO ATTEND THE CLOSING RECEPTION FOR:

GRAYSON CHANDLER: PLANTING TRACES

SATURDAY, AUGUST 31, 2024, 2-5PM

GRAYSON CHANDLER: PLANTING TRACES OPENS APRIL 20

OPENING RECEPTION: SATURDAY APRIL 20, 5 PM- 7:30 PM, NOW ACCEPTING RSVPS VIA EVITE/ WALK-INS WELCOME

            Planting Traces, the title of Grayson Chandler’s 2024 Spring solo, alludes to the manner of abstraction that permeates his artwork. Embedded in his process is the idea of allowing subliminal matters the space and time to grow into something more observable, so that something more illuminating may take root. This preoccupation with observation stems from a belief that meaning emerges out of mindful cooperation with one’s surroundings, and that as one becomes more mindful of their environment, a sense of destination is nurtured.

            Planting Traces suggests a connotation of passage and growth, imbibing the artwork with an undercurrent of cause and effect. Yet, despite these cyclical overtones, Chandler’s work remains uninhabited by chronological order. Instead, his work echoes outside of history, arousing a place that seems suspended in its own time. What ultimately germinates between Chandler’s artwork and those it attracts, is a place where viewers are given room to grow mindful regarding the nature of their own perception.

Artist Statement

            Fascinated by the intrinsic order and beauty of nature, My work attempts to capture and abstract its character in a manner that is uncanny, yet familiar. Deeply curious about the forces that govern human reason and faith, my work probes the amphibious network linking logic, intuition, consciousness, and emotion. Through this perspective, we are encouraged to draw upon our own experience as a means of shaping the border between real and imaginary. Moreover, we are encouraged to explore how the shape of our experience shapes how we see, and how what we see is largely colored by what we can recognize. Within this aesthetic, the spectator is invited to enter a space that meditates on the means through which we conceive and distill meaning and sensation from space and form.

Biography

            Born in Houston, Texas 1994, Grayson Chandler’s exposure to the visual arts began from a young age. Since graduating with a BFA from the University of North Texas in 2018, Chandler has been selling and exhibiting his paintings in Texas, and abroad. His early success can be demonstrated through numerous solo and group shows, garnering his artwork a rapidly growing admiration from significant collectors and Houston institutions alike. His 2022 solo IN VIA, at Deborah Colton Gallery, saw his work acquired into the MFAH’s permanent collection. Other notable shows include a 2021 Solo at Pearl Fincher Museum in Spring, Texas, as well as his upcoming solo at the Jung Center in 2024. In addition to his own professional practice, Chandler also serves on the board of the Visual Arts Alliance (VAA) — an all-volunteer, nonprofit organization seeking to provide educational and career opportunities for serious practitioners of the visual arts within the Houston community. 

REBECCA SHKEYROV’S KEPT UNDER HER WING AT CURRENT MIDTOWN

Opening Reception: Thursday, April 11, 5:30 - 7:30 PM.

MEET THE ARTIST BEFORE SHE EMBARKS ON A YEAR IN PARIS

Walk-ins Welcome/ Open to the Public

LOCATION:

CURRENT MIDTOWN APARTMENTS

221 Monticello Ave, Williamsburg Va 23185

DO NOT PARK IN RESIDENT PARKING. PARKING IS AVAILABLE AT EARTH FARE OR BEHIND SAL’S BY VICTOR

Exhibit runs April 10 – May 9, 2024

WILLIAM & MARY STUDIO ART SENIOR CAPSTONE EXHIBITION

A SPECIAL RECEPTION WELCOMING OLGA TOBRELUTS AND IVAN PLUSCH TO WILLIAMSBURG

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 19, 5 - 7PM

LOCATION:

CURRENT MIDTOWN APARTMENTS

221 Monticello Ave, Williamsburg Va 23185

DO NOT PARK IN RESIDENT PARKING. PARKING IS AVAILABLE AT EARTH FARE OR BEHIND SAL’S BY VICTOR

CLOSING RECEPTION FOR JOHN R.G. ROTH’S MODELED EXPERIENCE 

AND

A SPECIAL RECEPTION WELCOMING

OLGA TOBRELUTS AND IVAN PLUSCH TO THE GALLERY WITH WORKS BY THE ARTISTS

The Opening Reception for Leigh Anne Chambers: Shape Shifters and Spirit Guides with Christi Harris: Lachrymose

You are cordially invited to attend: The Opening Reception for Leigh Anne Chambers: Shape Shifters and Spirit Guides with Christi Harris: Lachrymose

Leigh Anne Chambers Statement: My studio practice is largely driven by materials. I am drawn to the immediacy of supplies from the hardware store like liquid rubber and spray paint. These work in tandem with imagery created from composite drawings of comics and coloring books. While these pieces do not have an explicit narrative, they develop a language informed by contemporary culture.

Christi Harris Statement for Lachrymose : This work explores the intersection of grieving and “emotional labor” made tangible in embroidered phrases from condolence letters from a late 19th-century Virginia family. Harris discovered the letters at a flea market, and during the pandemic she spent time painstakingly embroidering words or phrases from the letters onto handkerchiefs in the style of the writer’s handwriting. Hundreds of these embroidered receptacles for grief and tears will be suspended around the viewer in the Microgallery

OPENING RECEPTION FOR REbecca SHKEYROV: Kept Under Her Wing

Presented by Matney Gallery

Press Release

Under Her Wing features work by Rebecca Shkeyrov spanning several years and mediums. Guided by an intangible force, the artist builds her own world through determined exploration of color and form, symbol and metaphor. Engaging multiple layers of consciousness across space and time through the enigmatic process of artmaking, Shkeyrov slowly uncovers what it means to be and where home truly lies.

Nudes: A Contemporary View

June 17- September 9, 2023

Hours: Thursday- Saturday, 11am -5pm or by appointment

Matney Gallery 5435 Richmond Rd
Williamsburg , VA

Sandra-Lee Phipps, Jennifer Hartley, Agnes, Grochulska, Brian Kreydatus, Chris Corson, Laura Frazure, Mark Miltz, Devon Lawrence, Julia Rogers, Carl Jones, M. Dierking, Brian Freer, Janice Hathaway,

COLLECT WORKS VIA ARTSY RSVP FOR THE CLOSING RECEPTION

You are cordially invited to attend:

THE OPENING RECEPTION FOR:

THE WILLIAM & MARY SENIOR STUDIO ART MAJORS’ CAPSTONE EXHIBITION

Friday, Feb 24

5:00 PM - 7:30 PM, R.S.V.P. VIA EVITE

WALK-INS ARE WELCOME

Location

Matney Gallery, 5435 Richmond Road, Suite A Williamsburg, Virginia

Access & Features

• Open to the public

Pictured: Azaria'h Alexander '23, "#4 (Andrews Hall)", Cyanotype, 2021

The Department of Art & Art History invites you to come and view the featured work of the 2023 W&M Studio Art seniors. This exhibition is part of the Studio Capstone course, required by all Studio Art majors in their Senior year.

Thanks to the support of the Matney Gallery, the following Studio Art seniors will be featured in this spring's Capstone exhibition:

Azaria’h Alexander, Gabrielle Buffaloe, Talia Carstoiu, Sophie Cassidy, Chris Eliades, Rebecca Golden, Alina Kacar, Grace Moser, Miles Piontek,  Yuxin (Kathy) Qin, William Tatum, Angel Valdez-Machicado, Sarah Wicker, Yaxi Xiao

A Glimpse into the Future of the Matney Gallery

 OPENING RECEPTION: FRIDAY, DECEMBER 9, 5- 7:30 PM

A Glimpse Into the Future” is an upcoming show, hosted by Matney Gallery, that emphasizes forward movement. As seen in this preview, movement takes many forms. With the passage of time, art evolves, but evolution is also possible through past reflection. This show brings new and old pieces of art into dialogue with one another in order to highlight the gallery’s growth, as well as its newest phase. Lenticulars, traditional and transformative painting, photography, and sculpture are all on display.

YOUR CORDIALLY INVITED TO ATTEND:

THE CLOSING RECEPTION OF
LAURA FRAZURE’S BODILY RHETORIC AND CATALOG RELEASE PARTY/ MEET THE ARTIST, ENJOY FOOD AND REFRESHMENTS

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 29. 4-6PM

SPONSORED BY CHRIS HARRIS OF REFUSE ORDINARY AND LANEY MOREWITZ OF TEAM TITAN

ATTEND THE EVENT

VIEW EXHIBITION ON ARTSY/CHECK FOR UPDATES

EXHIBITION INVENTORY

BODILY RHETORIC

After many years of studying and teaching anatomy, Laura Frazure has developed a distinctive approach to figurative sculpture, specifically concentrating on the female body. Rejecting direct observation and the use of live models, Frazure employs a more structural approach to form-making and invented proportional relations. This process emphasizes “direct modeling”, highlighting form and form development with no subsequent mediatory processes. Using translucent waxes coated with a thin glaze of oil paint and varnish, air dry clay and a modeling compound, the figures are constructed on a steel reinforced aluminum wire armature.

The inspiration or generative material for Frazure’s work comes from a number of sources, including literature, popular culture, politics, the media and art history; all directed toward the uses, commodification and modes of presentation of women. These source contents combine with the study of anatomy, “bodily rhetoric,” and the expressive qualities of materials to inform the work. Narrative fiction has proven to be especially influential from early on in Frazure’s practice, having a profound effect on her development as a figurative artist.

The title of the exhibition reflects Frazure’s interest in the conventions of “bodily rhetoric”, described as denaturalized figural attitudes or poses, invented to express ideas intrinsic to a particular medium. The Greek Kouros figures serve as notable examples of a derived pose specific to the medium of sculpture. A number of Frazure’s sculptures reference the idiosyncratic, media generated poses of contemporary fashion photography, with the presentation of the body, as in the Kouros figures, lying outside the realm of normal posture and colloquial gesture.

A more recent group of works directly reference the poses, gestures and facial expressions of social justice protestors.  Individual figures are extracted from groups of protestors, mostly in Philadelphia, using documentary photography from print and digital media sources. These along with a companion series of poses of physical labor are composed “verbatim” in a more direct, naturalistic manner and together offer visual metaphors for the contemporary human condition in late capitalist America.

BIO

Laura Frazure is a sculptor and an Assistant Professor and Coordinator of Sculpture within the Fine Arts Department at the University of the Arts in Philadelphia. She has also been a Professor of Anatomy at the New York Academy of Art and most recently was a visiting Professor at the Central Academy of Fine Art in Beijing, where she led an “International Anatomy Intensive” for Professors from the eight, top art schools in China. She received her BFA from the Philadelphia College of Art and her MFA from the University of Pennsylvania.

Laura’s professional creative activity has included theater and film production and set design, most notably the independent feature film, Dogma, directed by Kevin Smith. Her sculptural works have been exhibited in New York, Shanghai and Beijing, as well as throughout the Mid-Atlantic region. She has twice been a Discipline Award winner for the PEW Fellowship in the Arts and the Robert Engman Award for sculpture from the University of Pennsylvania. Laura’s work has twice been featured in Sculpture Review Magazine and most recently has been included in the book, Women in Art, Volume 1, Author: Reinhard Fuchs, 520 Masterpieces of Visual Art, The Great Female Artists: From The Middle Ages to The Modern Era.

CLOSING RECEPTION FOR KRISTIN SKEES AND RYAN LYTLE: BY A THREAD/ COSTUME PARTY

Reception: Friday, Sept 16, 6-8:30 pm

Dress as your favorite artist or fashionista

$200 Cash prize for best costume

$100 for Second Place

$50 Honorable Mention

FINAL TWO WEEKS TO PURCHASE WORKS AT INTRODUCTORY PRICES. MAKE AND OFFER OR CONTACT THE GALLERY

Kristin Skees and Ryan Lytle: By a Thread

July 29 – September 15, 2022

Opening Reception:

• Friday, July 29, 2022

• 6:00 PM 8:00 PM

• Linda Matney Fine Art Gallery 5435 Richmond Rd Williamsburg VA USA (map)

By A Thread is a selection of recent and collaborative work by Kristin Skees and Ryan Lytle.

Through photography and sculpture, this show takes a playful look at how the fabric of our self identity is woven from experiences, environments, and relationships, shaped into an expression of who we are and how we impact the world around us.

Skees’ photographs investigate identity through the spaces we create (both personal and collective), and the uneasy relationship between the subject and artist, and artist and viewer.

Lytle’s sculptures explore memory, storytelling, and folklore as the underlying force shaping our search for self identity.

Working as colleagues for years, Skees and Lytle have taken this exhibition opportunity to develop a new body of collaborative work. Their shared love of fiber, bold color and exploration of identity forms a foundation for new playful and experimental self-portraits.

SPECIAL THANKS TO PETE CHILDS OF CARPETPRO RESTORATION AND CLEANING PROFESSIONALS, 757 272 7741

Reception Sponsored By:

Laney Morewitz

REALTOR®

Team Titan Real Estate | eXp Realty LLC 

827 Diligence Drive Suite 109 | Newport News, VA 23606

cell 757-817-3656 fax 888-600-1185

email laney@teamtitansells.com

Food by Barry Wildman

THE CLOSING RECEPTION FOR BRIAN FREER’S NATURAL CAUSES

THURSDAY, JULY 21, 5-8pm

Meet the artist and enjoy wine and light hors d'oeuvres

Learn More/ Join the Guest List

READ THE ARTICLE IN THE DAILY PRESS

Natural Causes is a collection of images taken over the past 2 years. Shot mostly during the pandemic, the collection consists of swampy landscapes, mountain vistas and the small details within them, captured to evoke our primal psyche. The selected pieces represent a period of intense spiritual change for the artist, and a pivotal internalization of the impermanence and precious quality of life.

Sponsored by: Pete Childs, Restoration and Cleaning Professional, Williamsburg, Virginia

Pictured: Beech Bark with Shadows, College Woods, Williamsburg, 2020, Archival pigment print, VIEW ON ARTSY

BRIAN FREER’S NATURAL CAUSES

OPENING RECEPTION: FRIDAY, JUNE 10, 6-9pm

Join the Guest List

Natural Causes is a collection of images taken over the past 2 years. Shot mostly during the pandemic, the collection consists of swampy landscapes, mountain vistas and the small details within them, captured to evoke our primal psyche. The selected pieces represent a period of intense spiritual change for the artist, and a pivotal internalization of the impermanence and precious quality of life.

THE SCOUT GUIDE MINGLE AND THE CLOSING RECEPTION FOR:

HABITATION WITH SPECIAL GUEST ARTIST SHAUNA PECK

• Wednesday, June 1, 2022

• 5:00 PM 7:00 PM

• Google Calendar ICS

We're excited to be partnering with Curator John Lee Matney of Linda Matney Gallery to offer an exclusive opportunity for art collectors & enthusiasts. The gallery's exhibition, HABITATION is closing out with this event on Wednesday, June 1st from 5-7pm, where we invite you to explore & shop the collection from prominent artists. These are investment pieces for art collectors and those looking to support great artists. Click here to visit the gallery’s website.

5435 Richmond Rd, Williamsburg, Virginia, 23188, (757) 675-6627

ENJOY SPECIAL REFRESHMENTS AND MEET PARTICIPATING ARTISTS AND PATRONS

FEATURED ARTISTS INCLUDE SHAUNA PECK, ASA JACKSON, ELIOT DUDIK, ELIZABETH MEAD, NICOLE SANTIAGO, LUTHER GERLACH, JOHN R. G. ROTH, RYAN LYTLE, KRISTIN SKEES, NOREEN DEAN DRESSER, GLENN H. SHEPARD, SIDNEY ROUSE, IRIS WU, MARK EDWARD ATKINSON, DIANE COVERT, TEDDY JOHNSON AND OTHERS.

Pictured: Shauna Peck, Glimpse II, 2021, Mixed media, 5 1/2 × 24 in, 14 × 61 cm

RESERVE TICKETS FOR THE EVENT

Habitation Opening Reception with special guests Shauna Peck and Laney Morewitz

Join us for the opening reception. Meet artist Shauna Peck and our sponsor Laney Morewitz.

Habitation explores the challenges and joys humans face in inhabiting and thriving in our world, from celebrating the sublime, the beauty of nature, and experiences of living to facing issues like pollution, natural disasters, war, politics, mental health, and economic factors. Featured artists include Shauna Peck, Noreen Dean Dresser, Ryan Lytle, Kristin Skees, Luther Gerlach, Asa Jackson, and others.

W&M STUDIO ART SENIOR CAPSTONE SHOW

CLOSING RECEPTION: FRIDAY, MARCH 25, 4- 7:30 PM. VISIT VIEWING ROOM

FEBRUARY 21, 2022 - MARCH 25, 2022. CONTACT US FOR AN APPOINTMENT OR VISIT DURING OUR HOURS

Sponsored by David Herring and Glenn H. Shepard JR

CHRISTI HARRIS: PORTRAITS OF MARRIAGE

OPENING RECEPTION: NOVEMBER 20, 2021, 5:30- 8 PM

ARTIST TALK: 6 PM

Closing Reception for The Task That Is The Toil and Introducing Victoria Erisman

5:30-8pm on November 12, 2021 at Linda Matney Gallery 5435 Richmond Rd, Williamsburg, VA 23188

I'm very excited to be a part of the Linda Matney Gallery and to celebrate the closing of The Task That Is The Toil. This exhibition was really my first introduction to the work that the gallery does and I think it was such a great entry-point for me to work here because of how eclectic the works are while still very much so speaking to the theme that Lee has chosen. I really admire how this exhibition uses the pandemic as a framework without becoming trapped in the monotony and limitations of a literal approach. Talking with Lee about the art has made me a better art historian and working here for even just three months has already given me more opportunities than I could have ever imagined. Victoria Erisman

POSTPONED UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE. A RESCHEDULED DATE WILL BE ANNOUNCED SOON

CLOSING EVENT AND ARTIST PRESENTATION SATURDAY, MARCH 14, 2:00 - 5:00 PM

EXHIBITION CATALOGS WILL BE AVAILABLE

Janice Hathaway’s transmorgraphs are living moments as imagery situations. Her exhibition, transmorgraphy, at the Linda Matney Gallery from February 7 through March 14, 2020, features her new process of artistic composition, which she invented and has developed over the past several decades. Her transmorgraphs suggest a strong interplay between plausible and implausible, teasing the viewer to suspend disbelief in the presence of her “surreality” merging dreams and fantasy, the conscious and unconscious. Janice lives in Williamsburg, Virginia, and teaches Graphic and Media Design at Thomas Nelson Community College.

READ MORE ABOUT TRANSMORGRAPHY

JANICE HATHAWAY: TRANSMORGRAPHY

February 7 - March 14, 2020

Janice Hathaway’s transmorgraphs are living moments as imagery situations. Her exhibition, transmorgraphy, at the Linda Matney Gallery from February 7 through March 14, 2020, features her new process of artistic composition, which she invented and has developed over the past several decades. Her transmorgraphs suggest a strong interplay between plausible and implausible, teasing the viewer to suspend disbelief in the presence of her “surreality” merging dreams and fantasy, the conscious and unconscious. Janice lives in Williamsburg Virginia and teaches Graphic and Media Design at Thomas Nelson Community College.

OPENING RECEPTION: FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 7, 5:30 - 8:30 PM