New Artists’ Work on Display at Riverside

FARMVILLE – Central Virginia Arts invites the community to a First Friday reception highlighting the photography of Donna McRae-Jones and the oil paintings of Mary Frances Peca. The opening reception is on April 7, 6 to 8 p.m., at the Riverside Café, 522 North Main Street, Farmville.

Donna L. McRae-Jones is a native Washingtonian with strong ties to Virginia. She is retired from Allstate Insurance Company and currently resides in Buckingham County with her husband, Lanny. Presently her interests are photography and philanthropy since her retirement in 2009. Her photos focus on people, animals, and seasonal landscapes. She serves on the Board of Central Virginal Arts and is a member of the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts. She is involved with the Buckingham Relay for life, Buckingham Habitat for Humanity and the Buckingham County Ruritan Club. Donna cherishes her involvement in the community and looks forward to more challenges and meaningful contributions to the county she calls home.

Mary Frances Peca has been painting with oils “on and off” for more than thirty years and also, at times, with acrylics. She says, “My first love is oil painting. I love the creamy texture and how the paint flows off the brush onto the canvas or panel.” Her subjects are landscapes, figures and portraits. In her work, she strives to capture the mood of the place and person she is painting. She has studied at the Palette and Chisel Academy of Art and at the School of Representational Art, both in Chicago. Through the years, she has also studied under many artists. She moved to Farmville in 2013 with her recently retired husband who enjoys the area’s golf and fishing.

This exhibit may be viewed Mondays through Saturdays from 6:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. through May 27. Central Virginia Arts, a partner of the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, is a non-profit organization offering lectures, workshops, exhibits, tours and socials throughout the year. Artists and art appreciators are encouraged to join.