
December 28 - February 16
Jonathan Rugh + Blake Gore
Artist Reception
February 7
5-7pm
Jonathan Rugh + Blake Gore
Jonathan Rugh is a designer, sculptor, craftsman and carpenter residing in Blacksburg, Virginia. He received a BFA in sculpture and ceramics from New York State College of Ceramics at Alfred University and a Master’s degree in architecture at Virginia Tech. His sculpture work has been exhibited in venues throughout the United States, including the Kathleen Cullen Gallery in New York City and the Lo-Fi Art Festival in Seattle. In addition to his independent art projects, Jon currently is a manager in the wood shop facilities in Virginia Tech’s College of Art, Architecture and Design.
​
Blake Gore...
"Combining endless curiosity with an eye for detail, I create miniature art using a .15mm pen nib and minimalist canvases. Often drawing inside only an inch or two, I’m inspired by the challenge of creating more with less. Hand-drawn with no magnification or eyeglasses, my miniatures demonstrate how constraints can enhance creativity.
Lacking formal art training, my journey as an artist has been as unexpected as could be. At 37 years old, I discovered drawing as a creative outlet during my career as an instructor and adviser at Vanderbilt University. Following my own advice to students to be lifelong learners, I began honing my craft at the breakfast table after being intrigued by a miniature drawing prompt on social media.
Before long, my miniatures began showing from Middle America to Manhattan and finding their way into private collections around the globe. Always up for interesting collaborations, I've partnered with brands such as Jo-Ann Stores, Monopoly/Hasbro, BLICK Art Materials, Sakura of America, Canson, Strathmore, and General Pencil.
An Ole Miss graduate from Mississippi, I now reside with my family in Southwest Virginia's New River Valley."
Scheduled Events​
​Closing Reception
Friday, February 7, 5-7pm​





February 22 - April 13
Jillian Lum
Opening Reception
February 21
5-7pm
Jillian Lum
“I have been drawing for as long as I can remember — there is something deeply meditative about it. As a child, my siblings and I spent hours coloring, finding comfort in a fresh box of Crayolas and a new coloring book. The attention to detail, the selection of colors, the movement of my hand — when my mind was flooded with unwelcome noise, drawing had a way of turning down the volume.
​
It wasn’t until college that I picked up painting. I stumbled into an Oil Painting 101 class taught by the driest, quirkiest professor — he had a way of teaching without really teaching at all. And I was hooked—probably more hooked to the comfort of being in his studio than the actual painting. A refuge.
​
Unlike the calm I find putting pencil to paper or crayon to coloring book, oil painting offers something different. It is rich, active, and demands a push and pull unlike anything else I’ve tried. Mixing pigments and mediums, finding the right timing between wet and dry — it all feels like a conversation. Sometimes it’s light and effortless; other times, it’s heavy and unresolved. Some paintings come together quickly, while others linger for weeks, waiting for the right moment to speak again.
There was a long stretch of time when the noise got so loud and so demanding that I couldn’t bring myself to draw or paint — conversations in real life and on paper or canvas felt like just one more thing the world wanted from me. And then, a few years ago, something gave way — a few things, actually — and with that, I found myself digging through the attic for my dusty paintbrushes and old tubes of paint. I picked up a painting I’d done a decade before and just started repainting her — right over the top with a different color palette. I painted her, one version over the other, several times before I felt like we’d finally caught up and I could move on to a new conversation.
And that’s where I am now — picking up conversations with these ladies. And with every conversation, I feel like I have a little more to give — finding pieces of me I forgot about or hadn’t yet met.”
Scheduled Event​
​Opening Reception
Friday, February 21, 5-7pm​


Our 2024-2025 Artists.
Here is a quick look at this season's show schedule. Please mark your calendars and join us as we welcome and celebrate each artist.