THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, August 17, 1995 TAG: 9508150130
SECTION: NORFOLK COMPASS PAGE: 13 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY SCOTT McCASKEY, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Medium: 75 lines
Dryer-lint art will stand by traditional oil landscapes. Patrons may take dips in the Bay between purchases. The attitude will be unassuming and laid-back, but some serious work will be on sale.
Ocean View Beach Park offers more than a nice view of the Bay on Saturday and Sunday. It will be the canvas for the Chesapeake Bay Art Association's 33rd annual Outdoor Art Show; an exhibit dedicated to loose interpretation.
From 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. each day, more than 60 artists from Hampton Roads and northeastern North Carolina will offer their wares by the shoreline. Many will be professionals, some amateurs, others hobbyists ready to have a good time. Show chairwoman Mary Haase takes pride in the event's focus on fun.
``We take our work seriously but not ourselves,'' Haase said, who is exhibiting oil landscapes and portraits. ``The goal is for the artists and the public to have fun.''
Many of the artists are CBAA members. Some regularly enter Ghent's Stockley Gardens Art Festival and Portsmouth's Seawall Art Show. Although it's not the size of those events, the Ocean View exhibit has potential, according to a veteran Norfolk artist and CBAA member.
``There's a lot of faith in the community,'' said Helen Singleton, 96, who has won awards in both the Stockley Gardens and Seawall shows. ``Ocean View eventually will be a big show, too.''
Oils, acrylics, watercolors, jewelry, pottery, photography and some sculpture will be available. The general price range is from $10 to $1,000. The event is expected to attract 2,000 to 3,000 visitors each day. Many will be walk-up residents.
The best-in-show award will bring a minimum of $500. First- and second-place prizes in the two- and three-dimensional categories will be at least $200 and $100 respectively. The show will be judged by Jean Peacock, a professional artist from Virginia Beach. Awards and checks will be presented at 4:30 p.m. Sunday.
On the lighter side is the Media Celebrity Paint-Off and Auction. WCMS disc jockey Joe Hoppel, WVEC's Joe Flanagan, and Peggy Earle from The Virginian-Pilot will take to the canvas from 11 a.m. to noon on Saturday to help raise money for the John Tenney Memorial Scholarship Fund, a charity for local high school seniors pursuing art degrees in college. WVEC's sportscaster Scott Cash will play auctioneer. Bidding should begin around 12:30 p.m.
``Joe's had enough jobs, we're giving him a hobby,'' said the never-short- of-words Haase. ``The paint-off is always a ball, lots of laughs.''
The auction was started last year. A local celebrity from the print, radio, and television media is selected. The event raised more than $300 for the Tenney fund in 1994. The late Tenney was an Ocean View artist who founded the scholarship.
Other live entertainment includes classical guitarist Robin Welch as the show's wandering minstrel. The U.S. Continental Army Band will play at 3 p.m. on Saturday, and the 7 Movements In Dance will perform at 3 p.m. Sunday.
The event is alcohol-free, but there will be plenty of food and beverage vendors, and Mama's Italian Kitchen and Doug's Hot Dogs are in close proximity, Haase noted. Haase said the flavor of the show is like barbecue and iced tea, ``real good but not pretentious.''
The Chesapeake Bay Art Association was formed in 1961 by a handful of Ocean View artists seeking to promote art in the community. The show was first held in 1962 and has been located at a variety of neighborhood venues until it found a home when Ocean View Park was built four years ago.
The park, with its grassy lawns, gazebo/stage, restrooms, showers and Bayfront location, is a perfect place to keep the show, said Haase, 48, and an Ocean View native.
``The city and the community seem to like us and there's plenty of room to grow,'' Haase said. ``We want to be here forever.'' ILLUSTRATION: Guitarist Robin Welch will perform this weekend at Ocean View
Park.
by CNB