7/18/02
The West Virginia Department of Arts, Culture and History unveiled a new exhibition, A World of Color: F. Brown Steele, in the Lobby Gallery of the Cultural Center, State Capitol Complex in Charleston on Friday, July 5. The exhibition is free and open to the public and will remain on display through Aug. 25.
The one-woman show by F. Brown Steele of Franklin consists of 12 pieces of work. The exhibition is a mixture of watercolor pieces and aquatint etchings. Her subject matter includes still life work, landscapes and figure studies. Steele’s style is a subtle blend of impressionism and realism.
Originally from Maryland, Steele has lived in West Virginia since 1978. She has given private watercolor instruction since 1979. In addition, she taught iconography classes from 1998 to 2000 and has been a watercolor instructor for the summer arts program in Franklin for several years.
Steele’s work has been seen in many shows including the Treasure Mountain Festival in Franklin where she has won four Best of Show Awards; Virginia Fall Foliage Art Festival in Waynesboro, Va., where she won the Judge’s Choice Award in 1994; West Virginia Watercolor Society State Show in Petersburg and several of the Division’s West Virginia Juried Exhibitions at the Cultural Center in Charles-
ton, one of which won a $2,000 Award of Excellence in 1999 and is now part of the West Virginia State Museum collection.
Two years ago, she received a professional development grant from the Division’s West Virginia Commission on the Arts. With the grant, she was able to purchase a printing press and some supplies, enabling her to branch out into printmaking and etching media. With other grants from the Division, she has taken workshops in technique.
For more information about the exhibition, A World of Color: F. Brown Steele, call (304) 558-0162.
The West Virginia Department of Arts, Culture and History, an agency of the West Virginia Department of Arts, Culture and History, brings together the state’s past, present and future through programs and services in the areas of archives and history, the arts, historic preservation and museums. The Cultural Center is West Virginia’s official showcase for the arts. Visit the Division’s website at www.wvculture.org for more information about programs of the Division. The Department of Arts, Culture and History is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer.
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