Leopards, Parrots And Gold Leaf Fill A New Reston Art Show

RESTON, VA — Animals, plants and landscapes encountered by artist Rosemarie Forsythe in Virginia and around the world will be featured in a solo exhibition opening Sept. 5 at Reston Art Gallery and Studios.

“Natural Wonders” will run through Sept. 27 at the artists’ collective at Lake Anne Plaza. Visitors may meet Forsythe during a reception scheduled for 2 to 4 p.m. Sept. 13.

The exhibition includes paintings of horses, parrots, leopards and an alligator, along with patterned fish, forests, wildflowers and moonlit palm leaves. Landscapes depicted in the show range from Southern sand dunes to winter scenes with birch trees.

Gold Leaf And Scientific Equations

Forsythe uses acrylic paint and 23-karat gold leaf in her work. Drawing inspiration from 15th-century illuminated manuscripts, she incorporates gold rivets to add texture and dimension.

Some paintings also feature mathematics and physics equations connected to their subjects, including equations related to a horse’s movement or a leopard’s speed.

Forsythe is a self-taught artist who previously worked as a U.S. diplomat, policymaker and international business executive. She lived in seven countries and visited more than 60 countries during those careers, according to information provided by the gallery.

Her paintings have been included in U.S. Department of State Art in Embassies exhibitions at U.S. embassies in Austria, Jordan and Bolivia since 2017. Her work was also selected for the Brussels office of Rose Gottemoeller, who was then NATO’s deputy secretary general.

Forsythe’s work is held in private collections in the United States and several other countries. She is a juried member of Reston Art Gallery and serves on the advisory board and Director’s Circle of the National Museum of Women in the Arts.

When And Where To Visit

“Natural Wonders” may be viewed from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturdays and 12 to 5 p.m. Sundays through Sept. 27. Visits at other times may be arranged by emailing art@restonartgallery.com.

Reston Art Gallery and Studios is at 11400 Washington Plaza West on the lakeside of Lake Anne Plaza. The entrance is marked by an orange “ART” sign.

The gallery, established in 1987, displays work by seven artists: Forsythe, Pat Macintyre, Jennifer Duncan, Cindy Grisdela, Julia Tova Malakoff, Marthe McGrath and Karen Rose Loehr. Its exhibitions include paintings, mixed-media works, photography, prints and art objects.

The gallery also offers free themed crafts for children from 10 a.m. to noon Saturdays from April through December.

More information is available at RestonArtGallery.com. Information about Forsythe and her work is available at rosemarieforsythe.com and on Instagram at @rosemarieforsythefineart.