Artists Showcase 2023- Chroma Connections

At Chesapeake Framing Company, we believe in celebrating local artists. Join us for new monthly local artist exhibitions and check out our Fine Art Sales to purchase directly.

Artist Showcase: Chroma Connections

From October 2nd to October 31st, stop by to enjoy an exhibition by Jennifer Dreyfus, Jennifer Kahn Barlow, Jennifer Lynn Beaudet, Lian Sever, Martina Sestakova & Pritha Srinivasan.

Jennifer Dreyfus

Art, for Jennifer Dreyfus, is about capturing the moments in life along the way. As she experiences it, our days are a series of ups and downs, waves that you ride through. No moment is like the preceding one or the one to follow. She seeks to capture something of that moment – a slice of time – a piece of a day. Jennifer hopes to portray the feeling of a moment in its tranquility, its turbulence, or its tension.

Jennifer often starts a painting by making big, bold marks as a dramatic underpainting. Over time, paintings are reworked to find a point of stillness. It’s that hard work of ‘right here, right now’ that takes her to the still point. A successful piece portrays any of the myriad of emotions each of us, as humans, experience – everything from balance to uncertainty, hope, tension, and so much more. Just a glimpse – a moment – of those emotions put down on paper.

Each of us perceives time differently at different points in our lives. Some days fly by, other years drag on. The rectangles in these paintings represent a time interval containing a unique experience – a day full of trouble; a moment when the way the world is perceived shifts forever; a long slog through a project that doesn’t seem to end. The viewer’s mindset frames the way the pieces are perceived. 

Jennifer Kahn Barlow

If the heart of the home is the kitchen, Jennifer is an artist who paints from the heart. Her childhood was filled with food-centric family gatherings where it was common-place to praise and photograph the food. Her artist eye has been shaped by those family rituals and her art carries on those food focused traditions by showcasing gorgeous treats in oil on canvas and sharing that state of joy, awe, and sweetness that life exudes.

Jennifer shows her work throughout the Mid-Atlantic region. Jennifer has been featured in the Washingtonian and Professional Artist magazines. Her paintings reside in the collections of The District of Columbia, Cookology Culinary School (Arlington, VA), Strathmore, along with numerous private collections. Jennifer’s artwork is represented by Glavé Kocen Gallery in Richmond, VA, and HorseSpirit Arts Gallery in Savage, MD.

Jennifer grew up in a food-loving family in the Boston suburbs and obtained a B.A. from Skidmore College, but has called Washington, DC home since 1999. She currently seeks inspiration from grocery stores and pastry shops in the DC region, while working out of her home studio in Potomac, MD.

Jennifer Lynn Beaudet

Jennifer Lynn Beaudet is an oil painter and native of the Washington, DC area. Her training includes graduation from the three-year professional Master Artist Program at The Compass Atelier in Rockville, MD as well as classes with varied contemporary artists such as Alyssa Monks, Gavin Glakas, Steven Assael, and Teresa Oaxaca. Jennifer has traveled to study at the Flemish Classical Atelier in Brugge, Belgium and received The Denis Diderot Grant to participate in an artist residency at Chateau Orquevaux in France.

Jennifer’s paintings are rich in color and texture as she attempts to push the boundaries of realism with varied and sometimes opposing elements of style and brushwork in a painting.

“My process is exploratory, and as in life, it is not always a straightforward path. This iterative approach allows me space to play with the formal elements in an image while I follow along and respond intuitively. As the painting evolves, I am often led to a better understanding of what the painting is about. In doing so, I find an opportunity to explore my own truths and reveal stories about a broader human experience.”

Lian Sever

Lian Sever was born in Tel Aviv and raised in metro Washington, DC, where she continues to reside with her husband, three kids, and dog. Her passion for art and all things creative has been a lifelong pursuit, dating back to her childhood. Lian Sever pursued her education at the University of the Arts in Philadelphia, where she earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Illustration. During her college years, she was deeply influenced by iconic illustrative artists of the past, including Rockwell, Parrish, Klimt, Mucha, and Thiebaud, which ignited her love for the human form. However, this passion remained dormant for over 25 years until the onset of the pandemic, when Lian Sever realized she had the energy and enthusiasm to become a full-time provider, mother, and artist.

As an artist, Lian Sever specializes in infusing narratives into her work, often blending elements from her youth with inspiration drawn from pop culture. When not engaged in the whirlwind of parenthood, she can often be found in her home studio, barefoot, sipping coffee, listening to podcasts, with her loyal dog, Ziggy, at her side and surrounded by an array of houseplants. It’s in these cherished moments that her imagination takes flight, propelling her to express herself and convey stories. These stories can be about characters who have deeply moved and inspired her through their life journeys, or they may be sparked by the enchanting melodies of a song. Many times, her characters are born from the wellspring of her childhood memories, and nostalgia gracefully seeps into her art as she offers glimpses of the individuals who have shaped her, and the moments she wishes to preserve. Through her paintings, she shares these stories with her audience.

Martina Sestakova

In her “Embodiment” series, Martina Sestakova explores the body’s capacity to always reside in the present while our minds relive the past or imagine the future. So, there is energy and change in these paintings: layers, scrapes, twists, and turns. Just like there is energy and change in our body’s sensations: impressions, actions, observations, pauses.

Martina works on Yupo, a non-absorbent medium. You may find her in a cold studio extending the drying process or in her garden in sunlight watching water disappear before her eyes. These aspects of the process bring Martina back to the body: sometimes, a certain energy sticks around; other times, it floats right through.

Pritha Srinivasan

Pritha Srinivasan is an award-winning contemporary self-taught watermedia artist who has been painting and creating art since childhood. As a clinical social worker, she discovered that art could help heal those who had been through traumatic experiences. But it was only after a sudden move to Japan that she found she could embark upon her own artistic journey.  Pritha embraced watercolor’s unique ability to convey intuitive wonder while using luminous color to deliver an emotional impact. Her expressive artwork explores themes related to the figure, nature, identity, and culture while capturing fleeting moments in time. Pritha is based near Washington D.C. and exhibits frequently in local juried shows and group shows. She is a member of many local watercolor and art organizations.