Creativity comes outside

Arts Around the Lake was back at Westhampton Lake yesterday, and for some Richmond-area artists and residents, it was a perfect place and a pleasant day.

The University of Richmond event was outdoors again after two years in the university's Robins Center during construction near the lake.

Ninety-six local artists participated in the 29th annual juried event. The show included paintings, sculptures, jewelry, pottery and other media that were for admiration and for sale.

Yukman Chiu, a Henrico County resident of Chinese descent, showed her Chinese paintings and fans. Chiu's works show her passion for nature -- parrots, flowers and pandas, for example -- and are colorful representations of her homeland, she said. "I like people to know my culture," said Chiu, who went to art school in Hong Kong and teaches Chinese painting at local elementary schools. There are few Chinese artists in the Richmond area, she said.

Art lovers appreciated the diversity at the Westhampton Lake event yesterday, said artist Stuart Pendergraft White, who has been at the show since the first year.

For her, art is not just a reflection of beauty, but a medium to make a statement.

The Goochland County resident is an environmentalist and recently worked on a series of paintings about nature and animals at risk.

"The destruction of wetlands is very, very sad," she said, admiring the view. Being at the lake showing some of those paintings made her happy, even if some of the spectators didn't get the "green" message, White said.

The show has become a Richmond tradition and a social affair for local artists, said Sonja Stoeckli of Chesterfield County, who exhibited colorful ceramic containers she makes in her home studio.

The event, held each year during Family Weekend, brings the greater Richmond community to the university campus, said Lee Kirby West, a 2000 graduate of the university and chairwoman of the event's organizing committee. In the past it has drawn nearly 20,000 visitors, she said. Yesterday, the area around the lake was looking very crowded.

The nice weather was yet another reason why city resident Mary Katherine O'Connor came back to the art show.

"Richmond has lots of wonderful opportunities for art lovers. Lots of festivals and events," said O'Connor, who hasn't missed an Arts Around the Lake in years. This is "an interesting and diverse display," she said. Plus, she added, with temperatures in the mid-70s, it was perfect to walk around the lake and take it all in.

"It is just beautiful," she said.
Contact Luz Lazo at (804) 649-6058 or .