Art in Daily Spaces
"Art in Daily Spaces" is designed to spark greater community interest in the arts, paving the way for future creative initiatives.
Learn about our artistsAbout the Project
With the support of ArtsFairfax’s 2024 project grant, we launched the first "Art in Daily Spaces" from April 13 to May 12, 2024. This initiative expanded our successful community art efforts, further enhancing Annandale’s artistic vibrancy and public engagement. Building on this momentum, we are preparing for the second "Art in Daily Spaces" in 2025, with the goal of making it an annual event.
The 2024 Art in Daily Spaces showcased 10 artists across 7 exhibition locations. In 2025, we will expand to 21 artists in 6 locations, enhancing both the scale and quality of the exhibition while increasing its reach within the community.
At the heart of this initiative is the Annandale Gallery Project, which transforms local retail spaces—and potentially other public venues—into temporary art galleries. By pairing artists with businesses, we create a unique opportunity for artists to showcase their work while offering the community access to affordable, original art. This integration of art into everyday spaces fosters a deeper appreciation for the arts and strengthens community connections.
Beyond enriching Annandale’s cultural landscape, "Art in Daily Spaces" is designed to spark greater community interest in the arts, paving the way for future creative initiatives and expanding access to artistic experiences in an underserved area.
Learn more on FacebookAnne Meagher-Cook
I paint expressive landscapes. I aim to convey the essence of a place and moment in time - reflecting the light, color, mood, and feel. I work in the studio, but also enjoy painting en plein air (on location), which combines my passions for art and the great outdoors.
Ariane D’Souza
While it may seem antiquated to spend time making marks by hand to create images, considering the ubiquity of AI, digital art, and cameras on our phones, making art is a way to celebrate humanity and to communicate directly from person to person. I find practicing careful examination of the forms found in nature yields both wonder and humility: the human eye is not a camera, and the mind is not an algorithm (they are so much more!). A human's individual attention and interpretation are irreplaceable, whether we’re talking about a creator or an audience. The magic of creating a work by hand that connects to another person is a joy.
Asia Anderson
I embrace watercolors for their unpredictability. Watercolor painting is a meditative practice, involving repetitive mark-making and glazing. I intuitively know when to let the water take over and when to exert control. My paintings reflect the innocence, curiosity, and joy of childhood. The figures in my work are often family members sourced from the candid reference photos I took.
Beth Baldwin
I enjoy a hand-crafted approach to art. I often don't see much distinction between "art and "craft" because I feel art without craft is soulless and craft without art is pointless. I believe inspiration can come from anywhere- from a candy wrapper to a museum, to the corner of an advertisement for soup. Sometimes it gets distracting focusing on the background, but it's the details that you find and develop on that brings the kind of varity that I enjoy in art.
David B. Goldstein
David’s work often explores the interplay of light, reflections, and shadows, connecting shapes in land and seascapes. Drawing inspiration from extensive world travel, he shares his impressions of memorable places through his art. When painting, he immerses himself in the scene, aiming to evoke the emotions and memories of the moment. His goal is to share the beauty of both local surroundings and distant destinations, capturing the essence of standing before a subject and translating that experience into his compositions. David’s art prioritizes aesthetics through thoughtful compositions and vibrant colors that arise after much reflection. Over time, experiences are simplified and amplified, revealing connections and “aha” moments that transcend the surface.
Isabella Merlos
My creative process is a battle between the therapeutic and the intricate. Central to my art is the pursuit of fostering empathy within viewers. Within my work I craft somber narratives and conceptual stories, hopefully unfolding feelings of understanding. Conversely, my abstract endeavors delve into my personal complexities of navigating throughout this world and society. I search for freedom within my abstract art, something I struggle to experience in my internal and external world. I grapple with my experience of disparities that challenge me and many individuals like me, often leading to setbacks and disadvantages. I find myself in play when creating abstract art, even if I feel so melancholic, my creativity flows on the canvas arraying playful designs and colors.
Jan Barrett
As a fiber artist I am inspired by the tactile nature of materials and the stories they tell. My work is an exploration of texture, color and form, using fabric, thread and natural fibers to create intricate pieces that evoke a sense of both history and the present moment. Each piece is a dialogue between my hands and the materials. Viewers are invited to pause, touch, and experience a deeper connection to the fabric of life itself.
Leslie Byrne
I’ve painted all my life but in stops and starts. The pandemic gave me the gift of time. Devoting myself to finding beauty in everyday things became my calling.
Liza Uddin
I love to create art. Shapes, colors, faces, places and everything else.
Mairi R Thorne
Ultimately, my goal is to preserve the feeling of a place as much as its appearance—a visual diary of the world as it is, right now. As a plein air landscape painter working in watercolor and pastels; my goal is to capture both the appearance and the emotional essence of the world as it is in the present moment. By painting directly from nature, I aim to record the sensory experience of a landscape—the light, atmosphere, and feeling of being in that space. Through these mediums, I seek to express the fleeting beauty of each scene, creating a visual record of the world as I see and feel it.
Maureen B. Howell
My photographs celebrate the light, reflection and textures found in nature. The compositions offer a unique perspective of an ordinary moment. At times I introduce the chrystal orb as a means of contrasting the many textures of the natural world with the chrystal's smooth, solid form. The use of reflection, whether in nature or chrystal, invites you to look deeper into the composition. I want the viewer to be curious and unsure of what it is they see. My hope is for the viewer to feel the emotion of the moments I capture and to inspire them to look for those moments of beauty in their everyday world.
Omaid Sharifi, ArtLords
ArtLords — a collective of self-styled “artivists” — creates street art around the world. They use art as a tool to educate and engage with communities through shared experiences. ArtLords takes on challenging social and political issues, yet at the heart of their work is a vision for healing and peace. The artworks are rescued from Afghanistan and painted by at risk-artists in fear of their lives by the Taliban regime.
Phil Kemelor
My hand-colored black and white photographs are inspired by “cartes-de-visite” colorized postcards that were popular at the beginning of the 20th century. I photographed all of the images during US and international travel and colored them with pencils, oils and markers.
Quiet Storm Art
I create paintings and mixed media artworks. Several reoccurring subject matter can be recognized, such as the relation with popular culture and media. My works often refer to pop and mass culture in a world where light-heartedness rules and where rules are undermined is created.
Rockeats Alcoreza
Rockets Alcoreza is a visual artist known for his distinctive fusion of realism and graffiti art. With a passion of pushing boundaries, Rockets quickly gained recognition for his unique approach, blending traditional techniques with urban influences.
Shailaja Khanal
In my artwork, I explore the concepts of freedom, joy, and unpredictability that define the essence of life and its inherent beauty. My creative process is intuitive, allowing colors and forms to flow naturally, much like life itself. My work is a celebration of the ever-changing, boundless possibilities that surround us. I invite viewers to embrace the unknown, find their own meaning within the abstract, and connect with the raw emotions that art can evoke.
Sheryl Rakestraw
My name is Sheryl Rakestraw and I am a Annandale Virginia based artist who works in acrylic painting, mixed media and collage. I graduated from the University of California at San Diego with a degree in Visual Arts in 1991. I create art as a means to process how life unfolds around me and work intuitively, painting what I feel more so than what I see. I gain inspiration from color, florals, landscapes, architectural shapes and human figures. Color, shapes and texture are my vocabulary. Through this lens, I hope to continue to push the boundaries of art and leave a lasting impression on the viewer.
Shona D’Cruz
Shona D’Cruz is a local artist, teacher and owner of Blue Hyacinth Mosaics, LLC. She began her career as an early childhood educator and has always been connected to art, which led her to explore mosaics and fused glass art. Shona has participated in various local art shows and has been awarded residencies to create collaborative projects with local school communities. She enjoys teaching mosaic and fused glass art to adults, senior citizens and children in her home studio and at various locations in the DMV area.
Susan Trivers
I love colors, bright, deeply saturated, creating energy that nearly bounces off the canvas. Painting is the best magic trick ever performed! I imagine an image in my mind and then with paint, brushes, and canvas, I create a tangible object for you to enjoy. My style is interpretative expressionism. My subjects vary and include scenic, abstract scenic, form and color, florals, grand vistas, and intimate settings.
Tarik Gill
As a small kid growing up in Arizona, I was awestruck by the sunsets and thunderstorms I saw there. When I was in high school, I was fortunate enough to have a desk that faced the west with a view of sunsets (and oncoming thunderstorms) which provided me with a welcome diversion while I was studying for my classes in engineering. After I took up photography, I found that nature photography, especially sunsets and thunderstorms, were my passion- the colors, the textures, the contrast and overall composition-inspired a sense of wonder and amazement that reminded me of the child-like joy I felt all those years ago. My goal in photography is to capture that moment, not just the visual aspect, but the sense of wonder, and share it with my audience.