laughing dog studios

Our gallery showcases regional art and artisan crafts. We host monthly Art Show Openings, coinciding with Downtown Harrisonburg's monthly First Fridays events. Come check out Downtown Harrisonburg's thriving Arts Scene and stop in for a visit to our gallery. Scroll down for info on our current and upcoming Gallery shows and opening receptions. A full list of Downtown Harrisonburg's First Fridays offerings can be found each month at valleyarts.org.

Laughing Dog Studios' "Gallery at Laughing Dog" presents "Susan B. Viemeister and Barbara Wallace: Recent Works in Painting".

We are pleased to showcase works in oil paint on canvas and board by Susan B. Viemeister & Barbara Wallace. With strong backgrounds in art and design along with a shared love and fascination of the natural world, their meditations on light and color reveal the intimacy, beauty, and diversity of the Virginia landscapes they both call home.

Susan and Barbara hold degrees in Fine Art as well as completing studies in biology and horticulture. Their shared gallery show runs June-July and then the exhibit carries on with a solo show by Susan through August.

Join us for the opening reception with light refreshments during Downtown Harrisonburg's April First Fridays on Friday, April 7th, 5-8pm. Love to see you there!  

First Fridays events are sponsored by Arts Council of the Valley. For a full schedule of events for First Fridays, check www.valleyarts.org.

Susan B.Viemeister~Artist Statement

As an observational painter, painting what I see presents the challenge of how to go beyond a realistic rendering to explore the intimacy of what is familiar, to understand what that intimacy can hold.

Painting is a form of meditation, to find some stillness while being in the world. As I look for subjects to paint I am always attracted to how light on a subject can express the personality of a place, and that light can define a special moment in time. Rendering the character of such light can galvanize that moment into a memory. Or into a painting.

Our culture, so influenced by advancements made by digital technology, is full of fast edits and short attention spans. Even in the world of painting, plein air events can become nearly a sporting event. For me, painting can be an opportunity to step away from the day job, shut out the noise and chaos, relax into real time, work slowly and see what evolves.

Barbara Wallace~Artist Statement

Thanks to a love of nature, I majored in Biology. But my life-long love of drawing led, eventually, to a degree in Fine Art. I think the two disciplines go hand-in-hand; they both rely on the powers of observation and an appreciation of the world around you.

The world around me is a Century Farm in Orange County that has been in my husband’s family since 1848. I have been documenting the beauty and diversity of this still-intact landscape for the last 20 years. It is an infinite source of subject matter from native plants to abandoned buildings to grass-fed cattle.

During my career as an illustrator and graphic designer, I have enjoyed working in a variety of mostly dry mediums including graphite, pen and ink and pastel. Now I would like to create works that are less precise, and more painterly and expressive. To that end, I have made a foray into oil painting, and am discovering both its flexibility and its challenges. I look forward to experimenting with pure color and brush stroke.