Central Virginia Arts will be holding an artist reception at the Riverside Café, 522 N. Main, Farmville, on Friday, April 6, from 6 to 8 p.m. The reception is free and open to the public. There will be beverages, savories, and sweet bites. The art exhibit features the works of Ursula Burgess and Marianne Dennison, and the display will be on view from April 2 to May 27, 2018, during regular business hours.

Burgess moved from Europe to Nottoway County over 20 years ago. As a native of Germany, the rich history and presence of European art all around her influenced Burgess profoundly. She studied with successful artists and art teachers in Europe and continued in the USA. Burgess is currently working on a series of acrylic paintings inspired by her most recent trip to Tuscany.

Burgess has taught workshops at the Longwood Center for the Visual Arts, The Borrowed Space Gallery in Farmville, the Arts Camp at the Buckingham County Arts Center, Red Door 104 and her art studio near Crewe among other places.

“I am all about color, light, mood. texture, experimental applications, and fearlessness,” said Burgess. “I learn the most and discover myself best by painting or drawing a series. I often integrate travel mementoes, photographs, and sketches from my journals into watercolor paintings and mixed-media collages. People, family, friends, and foreign countries continue to be my greatest inspiration.”

Dennison, of Farmville, exhibits drawings and paintings in watermedia, oil, and mixed-media. Her award-winning work, inspired by nature’s color, texture, and design, has been shown throughout central Virginia, including Charlottesville and Richmond. Recent awards include first place in mixed-media at the Heart of Virginia Festival and the “grand prize” in the Familiar with Farmville exhibit at Red Door 104.

“What I love about art is the chance to reveal what lies beyond verbal expression,” said Dennison. “Drawing and painting are my meditations on life’s creativity and splendor.”

She is an honors graduate of Roanoke College with a degree in English. After studies in graphic design, she worked in public relations as a writer, editor, and graphic designer. She also taught in primary school for several years when her children were young. In retirement, she began painting and enrolled in workshops and audited many art courses at Longwood University.

For years she has been a volunteer and officer in regional art organizations and received an Achievement in the Arts award from the Longwood Center for the Visual Arts.

She and her husband Tom will celebrate their 53rd anniversary in May.