Wander the woods. Hike the trail. Chances are you’ll be inspired by “Wild Beauty,” the natural harmony of the flora, fauna and vistas around you. Join us in the Old Stone School at the Round Hill/Hillsboro A.T. Festival in The Gap, to experience Appalachian inspiration through the eyes of artists. Explore “Wild Beauty” through paintings, fiber arts, ceramics and prints. Art will be available for purchase during festival hours, with the artists on hand throughout the day to talk about their work. Artists include Nick Garnhart, Jill Jensen, Joan Gardiner, Megan Caldwell, Amy Oliver, Kathleen Howsare and Johlene Hess.
 
Wild Beauty: An Appalachian Trail-Inspired Invitational Art Show
Old Stone School
​37098 Charles Town Pike, Hillsboro, VA
June 10, 2023 * 11 a.m.–5 p.m.

Meet The artists

Joan Gardiner

Unison Pottery and Tile, home of the ceramic work of artist Joan Gardiner, sits in the village of Unison in the Southwest corner of Loudoun County, VA. The small studio is a premier source of the region’s art tile and other clay art. Joan’s tiles decorate schools, libraries and other public buildings, and hundreds of homes.

Ceramics

Jill Jensen

Jill Jensen's work combines her love of bold graphic images and intense color. Woodcut printing provides her with the opportunity to create images with sharp contours and positive and negative spaces. Jensen often prints these plates on white fabric and paints and stitches them to add color and texture.

Art quilts and Prints

Nick Garnhart

Inspired by the environment, books, and film, Nick Garnhart uses art to tell stories as a scientific and narrative illustrator. Ecology and ornithology are Nick’s main inspirations when it comes to scientific illustration. Nick’s narrative work spans personal stories, fantastical themes, folklore, and horror genres.

​Illustrations and Paintings

Kathleen Howsare

Working in acrylics, Kathleen Howsare's style ranges from impressionistic paintings on canvas to realistic paintings on antique barn wood. Open spaces and views of the Short Hill Mountains surround her Lovettsville home. This beautiful scenery, the animals and country life of northern Loudoun inspire her work.

Acrylic Paintings

MEgan caldwell

Megan Caldwell has a strong foundation in drawing and a masterful understanding of color. She paints with oil in a mostly classical style, working in layers. She works en plein air, from life and from reference in the studio. Along with landscapes, she paints portraits of both people and animals.

Oil Paintings

Amy Oliver

Ceramic artist Amy Oliver uses colored slip and bare clay to carve and sculpt images on functional pots. Trees, birds and other animals are often featured on her pots. "I have always been fascinated by pots that tell a story," says Oliver, whose work is influenced by her art history studies.

Ceramics

Johlene Hess

Johlene Hess is a fiber artist residing in the Shenandoah Valley.
Her handfelted fabrics in merino and silk fibers are inspired by
beds of moss and swirls of mist in the mountain hollows of
​Shenandoah National Park.

Fiber Arts

The artwork featured at the top of this page is from a piece by Jill Jensen.