Hollowell's "Middle Ground" Exhibition Opens at Richmond International Airport

RICHMOND, Virginia (November 1, 2011) - An exhibition of paintings by Virginia artist Loie Hollowell opens today at Richmond International Airport (RIC). The show will be on view in the first level of the terminal through February 2011.

The paintings presented in Middle Ground are mediations on sleep, created by Hollowell as a coping mechanism to battle her chronic insomnia. Some pieces are realistic depictions of bed sheets, while others seek to envision the ephemeral state of drifting into REM sleep and the intangible dream world.

To achieve the photo-realistic effect in her paintings, Hollowell folds and creases thick, wet denim and then sprays and paints the fabric with an assortment of inks. As the ink spreads throughout the wet fibers, it accumulates in the valleys of the folds. When the denim is dry she flattens and stretches it and adds stitching, fabric, paint, or ink to complete the work.

Hollowell is a graduate student at Virginia Commonwealth University and is a recipient of a 2011 Virginia Museum of Fine Arts Fellowship Award.

About Richmond International Airport (RIC)
Richmond International Airport is the gateway for Virginia's Capital Region and offers about 180 daily flights on Air Canada, AirTran Airways, American Airlines, Continental Airlines, Delta Air Lines, JetBlue Airways, United Airlines, US Airways, Vision Airlines and their respective regional affiliates to major domestic and international destinations. Visit www.flyrichmond.com to learn more.

About the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts (VMFA)
With a collection of art that spans the globe and more than 5,000 years, plus a wide array of special exhibitions, the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts (VMFA) is recognized as one of the top comprehensive art museums in the United States. The museum's permanent collection encompasses more than 22,000 works of art, including the largest public collection of Fabergé outside Russia and one of the nation's finest collections of American art. VMFA is home to acclaimed collections of English Silver and Impressionist, Post-Impressionist, British Sporting and Contemporary art, as well as renowned South Asian, Himalayan and African art. In May 2010, VMFA opened its doors to the public after a transformative expansion, the largest in its then 74-year history. Programs include educational activities and studio classes for all ages, plus fun after-hours events. VMFA's Statewide Partnership program includes traveling exhibitions, artist and teacher workshops, and lectures across the Commonwealth. General admission is always free and the museum is open 365 days a year. For additional information visit http://www.vmfa.museum.

CONTACTS:

Virginia Museum of Fine Arts
Elizabeth Cruickshanks
(804) 204-2685
elizabeth.cruickshanks@vmfa.museum 

Richmond International Airport
Troy M. Bell, C.M.
(804) 226-3022
tbell@flyrichmond.com