In March I spent eighteen blissful days at an artists’ retreat, the Virginia Center for the Creative Arts (VCCA), on the campus of Sweet Briar College in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains. While in Virginia, I took a side trip to visit North Point Plantation in a beautiful, rural setting on the banks of the Mattaponi River. In the peace and calm of this lovely 1740s home, I started work on a grant application.

The capitalist market system often exploits workers. This observation is particularly relevant in regard to the “rag trade,” as those in the field refer to the fashion industry. Betsy Orbe Lester explores fashion, the ultimate disguise, as she questions the dichotomy between the well-heeled and shoeless Joes and Janes. Fashion her trigger, she seeks cultural icons: embedding meaning in, and from, the media, to lock in her reality. Her current mixed media work appropriates Vogue

Closing Reception: Friday, February 2, 7-9 p.m.     Call (813) 974-5464 for more information Artists’ Statement The capitalist market system often exploits workers. This observation is particularly relevant in regard to the “rag trade,” as those in the field refer to the fashion industry. Betsy Orbe Lester explores fashion, the ultimate disguise, as she questions the dichotomy between the well-heeled and shoeless Joes and Janes. Fashion her trigger, she seeks cultural icons: embedding meaning

The Fall Mixed Media Workshop was a full day of art, creativity, and conversation in my studio and on my back deck in the still lush surroundings of my garden. Our morning started with introductions over tea and coffee on my back deck.  After discussing the ways the word “fall” is used (as in free fall, fall in love, fall from grace, etc.) we did a warm up exercise in which we paired with a

  Mixed Media Workshop: Embracing the Fall Workshop participants in my studio Dear Friends, Many of you are celebrating! The summer vacation is over and your children or grandchildren have returned to school after a long, hot summer. It will be a few weeks before we can enjoy the cooler weather here in Florida BUT we are relieved to have survived Hurricane Irma. And now is the time for us to plan for cool weather activities. On