The Lexington Art League’s current solo exhibitions are Return From Exile by Clay Wainscott, First World Allegory by Benjamin Salley, and The God Burden by Susan Deaton.

The Art Leage also currently has a group exhibition, Aurora, which is curated by Samantha Simpson and includes works by Natalie Baxter, Adrienne Dixon, Lori Larusso, Joe Pushel, T. Michael Martin, and John Harlan Norris.

I visited Loudoun House, a Gothic revival villa, on a chilly, golden, January evening. There were no other gallery-goers, so the creak of the floorboards under my feet was especially pronounced. Inadvertent or not, this is an excellent way of tracking the movements of visitors as they appreciate the art.

My path began with Clay Wainscott. His paintings glow from within as if neon is mixed into the acrylic. His piece Wet Country Road captures the dull dreariness of a cloudy drive down a slick back road while simultaneously charging the scene with energy.

Wainscott’s stylistic evolution is clear throughout the exhibit. I started with his Self Sans Hands, an acrylic painting done in 1991. His newer pieces are brighter and glossier; they are much less textured than his self-portrait, which has a smeared effect. It seems he has returned from exile with a vengeance.

Benjamin Salley’s Volunteer depicts a mascara-smudged, fur-coat-wearing, toy-dog-clutching woman. Her shirt reads “I VOLUNTEER”, a sentiment echoed by the crown of thorns that digs into her dye job. In this painting, Salley is making a satirical jab at the sect of individuals whose mission it is to fix our woebegone and broken world as ostentatiously as possible with a self-victimizing air.

Contradiction also exists in Salley’s Child Support, an oil painting done on panel. Featured is a smiling woman with a crying girl riding piggyback behind her. Even the woman’s shirt is a smiley face, though its eyes and mouth are dripping with black ink, mirroring the child’s tears. It seems that despite appearances, the child isn’t receiving the support she needs.

Warehouse, by Susan Deaton, is a ballpoint pen piece that shows a raven gliding over a sea of mask-like faces. In her artist statement, Deaton discusses her Catholic upbringing, which she has abandoned, and the problems she now has with Christians who twist God’s words to hurt others. The raven could be death, choosing who to select next from the sea. Everyone’s eyes are closed to the suffering of the world.

Aurora invokes color to “affect one’s mood and alter perceptions.” An example of this is Lori Larusso’s Conciliatory Cake Slice, which depicts a chunk of store-bought cake in an open plastic container, left sitting out on a vast green surface. It feels forgotten.

Speaking of forgetfulness, Joe Paushel’s Wearing All That We Had has certainly never misremembered anything. It is a ceramic head with a towering brain or brain-like headdress. The point seems to: In the end, we only have what’s in our minds.

Each piece in the exhibitions is steeped in allegory, color, or political commentary. There is something for everyone, so bring a friend and make your way over to Loudoun House. They are open every day but Monday and don’t close until 8 pm on Fridays. Get out there and look at some art! It’s good for you.

Megan Schandel’s senior recital displayed that she is, without a doubt, a young star on the rise. Last Saturday, your correspondent had the pleasure of attending Schandel’s recital and the dexterity displayed by the blossoming artist within the single hour left me dazed and hungry for more. Out of the six pieces she presented, three were created in collaboration with other artists. The performance also included a suite that was composed solely by Schandel.

The program kicked off with Schandel performing one of the many Romantic Era Songs Without Words lyrical piano compositions originally by Felix Mendelssohn. This not only showcased the artist’s proficiency regarding the instrument but also displayed the meticulous level of thought put into the performance.

Growing up, Schandel was attracted to the drama and heightened emotion in the music of the romantic era. By starting her recital with this piece Schandel creates a parallel between the beginning of her performance and the beginning of her career in music.

Here is a performance of Mendelssohn’s piano composition:

The next three songs presented were all collaborations between Schandel and various other artists. The acoustic tracks “Pretend” performed by senior Taylor Mahlinger and “Bubbles” performed by senior Jenna Soderling were produced by Schandel. Both highlighted not only the vocal talent of Mahlinger and Soderling, but also Schandel’s ability as a producer to help translate the artist’s vision for the piece into a final product. (Disclosure: Taylor Mahlinger is also the Managing Editor for The Rambler). 

The second piece presented, “A Dream Within A Dream” let Schandel’s abilities as a producer shine the brightest. A song that displays a psychedelic rock influence, the heavily layered “A Dream Within A Dream” carries melodic harmonies that envelop you in a feeling mimicking that of a waking dream. Created in collaboration with Griffin Cobb, the two have produced a piece that truly shows a mastery of skill in music production.

The “Tarot Suite,” produced and composed solely by Schandel, also shows her proficiency in music production. Produced using the ProTools software and with MIDI instruments, Schandel draws inspiration from tarot cards—specifically, the Prisma Visions deck illustrated originally by James R. Eads.

The suite displays Schandel’s ability to draw inspiration from the world around her and translate that into music. The suite itself could be described as light and whimsical. Occasionally making use of a double harmonic major scale or Romani scales, the suite evokes intrigue and mystery much like her inspiration: tarot cards.

The recital ended with Schandel performing Beethoven’s Piano Sonata No.8 in C minor, Op.13 ii. Allegro Cantabile, which was the first piece that inspired Schandel to take up the piano. The original piece is composed of 3 movements and to this day is one of Beethoven’s most celebrated pieces.

You can see the second movement, which Schandel performed, here as performed by Daniel Barenboim:

The performance was brought full circle as Schandel begins and ends with pieces that planted the seeds of her current musical interests. It was a very poetic notion to end her performance with the song that inspired her to create music in the first place.

With the level of skill displayed in her senior recital, I would not be surprised to hear more of Schandel’s accomplishments in music production in the future.