CULTURE THE WORKS
Swansong. Compelling soundscapes from Alan and Rene. Free, 2:30pm. Albemarle CiderWorks, 2545 Rural Ridge Ln., North Garden. albemarleciderworks.com The Michael Elswick Gathering. Jazz, blues, ballads, and Latin tunes. Free, 2pm. Glass House Winery, 5898 Free Union Rd., Free Union. glasshousewinery.com The Pollocks. An outdoors performance featuring casual dinner options, beer, wine, and cider. $15, 5pm. The Batesville Market, 6624 Plank Rd. batesvillemarket.com The Porch Dogs. Live music and wine. Free, 1pm. Eastwood Farm and Winery, 2531 Scottsville Rd. eastwoodfarmandwinery.com The Wavelength. Jazzy bluesy vibrations. Free, 1pm. Merrie Mill Farm and Vineyard, 594 Merrie Mill Farm, Keswick. merriemill farm.com
stage Little Women. See listing for Friday, July 15. $15-50, 7:30pm. Ruth Caplin Theatre, 109 Culbreth Rd. virginiatheatrefestival.org Shakespeare at the Ruins: As You Like It. See listing for Friday, July 15. $23-25, 7pm. Barboursville Vineyards, 17655 Winery Rd., Barboursville. fourcp.org
words John Lane: Still Upright and Headed Downstream. In conversation with Thomas Pierce. Free, 7pm. New Dominion Bookshop, 404 E. Main St., Downtown Mall. ndbookshop.com
Moonrise Silent Disco. Don a pair of wireless headphones and dance the night away at this fundraiser for the Tom Tom Foundation. $25-30, 10pm. Eastwood Farm and Winery, 2531 Scottsville Rd. tomtom foundation.org
Sunday 7/17 music Jelly St. Jazz. Performing music at the crossroads of low-down dirty blues, straightahead ballads, and hard-swinging jazz. Free, 2:30pm. Albemarle CiderWorks, 2545 Rural Ridge Ln., North Garden. albemarlecider works.com MoJo Pie. Susan Munson and Frank Bechter perform live. Free, 2pm. Glass House Winery, 5898 Free Union Rd., Free Union. glasshousewinery.com The Wavelength. Jazz, blues, and vintage rock. Free, 1pm. The Grill at Meadowcreek, 1400 Pen Park Rd. meadowcreekgolf.org Vincent Zorn. Brunch with live tunes. Free, 11am. South and Central Latin Grill, Dairy Market. southandcentralgrill.com
dance Salsa Class. Learn to salsa and strut your stuff. $6-8, 7pm. Ix Art Park, 522 Second St. SE. ixartpark.org
stage Little Women. See listing for Friday, July 15. $15-50, 2pm. Ruth Caplin Theatre, 109 Culbreth Rd. virginiatheatrefestival.org
Monday 7/18
Summer Story Saturdays. Join Big Blue Door for true personal stories inspired by the theme “passages” under the awning. Free, 6pm. Cardinal Point Winery, 9423 Batesville Rd., Afton. bigbluedoor.org
music
classes
Berto & Vincent. Enjoy dinner with live music. Free, 7pm. South and Central Latin Grill, Dairy Market. southandcentralgrill.com Gin & Jazz. Brian Caputo Trio performs in the hotel lobby bar. Free, 5:30pm. Oakhurst Hall, 122 Oakhurst Cir. oakhurstinn.com
outside
outside
Charlottesville City Market. Fresh produce, handmade gifts, homemade baked goods, and more. Free, 8am. Charlottesville City Market, 100 Water St. E. charlottesville.gov
Summer Celebration Series: Music Mondays. Live music from Matt Johnson, and complimentary access to the one-acre putting course. Free, 6pm. Birdwood Bar & Grill, 410 Golf Course Dr. boarshead resort.com
Farmers Market at Ix. Over 60 local vendors with produce, prepared foods, artisan goods, and more. Free, 8am. Ix Art Park, 522 Second St. SE. ixartpark.org
Tuesday 7/19 music
Alternative Futures: All the World Must Suffer a Big Jolt. A special tour with assistant curator Hannah Cattarin. Free, 2pm. The Fralin Museum of Art at UVA, 155 Rugby Rd. uvafralinartmuseum.virginia.edu
Berto Sales. Brazilian and Latin guitar night. Free, 7pm. South and Central Latin Grill, Dairy Market. southandcentralgrill.com
Chamomile & Whiskey
Cville Band Summer Concert #4. Celebrating the band’s centennial season. Free, 7:30pm. Piedmont Virginia Community College, V. Earl Dickinson Building, 501 College Dr. cvilleband.org
stage Little Women. See listing for Friday, July 15. $15-50, 7:30pm. Ruth Caplin Theatre, 109 Culbreth Rd. virginiatheatrefestival.org RICH TARBELL
etc. Saturday 7/16 | Rivanna River Company
Geeks Who Drink Tuesday Trivia Night. Useless knowledge means everything at this authentic homegrown trivia quiz. Free, 8pm. Firefly, 1304 E. Market St. fireflycville.com
Local artist Robert Myers finds his niche among miniaturists By Shea Gibbs arts@c-ville.com
A
rtists have been creating and decorating miniature models for hundreds—if not thousands—of years. But miniatures have exploded in the past half decade with the growing availability of 3-D printers and virtual gathering spaces for enthusiasts. For example, Warhammer, one of the world’s largest tabletop gaming franchises, has drawn an Instagram community of miniature enthusiasts and painters nearly 400,000 members strong. Charlottesville resident Robert Myers stumbled on miniature painting early during the COVID-19 pandemic, the ideal time to take up a painstaking hobby requiring skill and patience. A working artist who’s dabbled in various media, Myers quickly found himself drawn to the intricacies of miniatures. “I had just had knee replacement surgery and was laid up and looking for something to do. I got into the rabbit hole on YouTube,” Myers says. “I always liked building models, and for me, it’s the aesthetic. I liked the way everything looked and wanted to apply the principles of 2-D painting to 3-D objects.” Most folks who charge into miniature painting are tabletop gamers. With their resin-packed 3-D printers at the ready, the self-styled nerds build their own tiny figures for deployment on the fantasy battlefield. Myers doesn’t play tabletop games. But he was drawn to comic book illustration in eighth grade and began studying art in high school. He joined the Navy afterward and bounced around jobs, bartending and the like. In 2010, he went to art school, focusing
on figure drawing, oil painting, sculpting, and other media. All told, he’d had nearly a decade of formal art schooling. Since going pro, Myers has done some commission work, but it wasn’t until he found miniature painting that his passion was finally piqued. He still struggles to make ends meet selling finished models under his Red Right Hand Miniatures brand, but he’s hopeful about the future. “Everything artistic sounds corny, but the process for me is finding inspiration in the blank canvas of the miniature, the figure itself,” Myers says. “I ask myself, ‘How do I expand on this?’” Myers and other miniature painters typically start with an existing 3-D design, print the piece using their resin of choice, then begin their creative process through paint application—priming, layering, creating lighting and transition effects. “If you’re going to paint a still life, like a bowl of fruit, you might think about whether you want to put your grapes in front or behind,” Myers says. “With miniatures, that’s decided for you. But there are so many techniques you can use to expand on it.” At some point, Myers might also like to move into the business of miniature sculpture design. With the way the hobby’s growing, he figures it’s an artistic pursuit with a serious upside. “With COVID and people having so much time, lots of people got involved in the hobby,” he says. “It’s an amazing, supportive community. It’s an open and progressive community. And I think more people are starting to realize there isn’t this stigma for being into it.”
“Everything artistic sounds corny, but the process for me is finding inspiration in the blank canvas of the miniature, the figure itself.”
facebook.com/cville.weekly
Vincent Zorn. Rumba night. Free, 7pm. The Bebedero, 225 W. Main St., Downtown Mall. thebebedero.com
Tiny figure in my hand
@cville_culture
etc.
Formally trained artist Robert Myers found his calling in painting miniatures.
July 13 – 19, 2022 c-ville.com
Garden Basics: Insects. Learn the value of a diverse insect population in your garden with the Piedmont Master Gardeners. Free, 2pm. Trinity Episcopal Church, 1118 Preston Ave. piedmontmastergardeners.org
Baby Jo’s. Tunes from the seven-piece New Orleans-inspired boogie and blues band. Free, 6:30pm. The Whiskey Jar, 227 W. Main St., Downtown Mall. thewhiskeyjarcville.com
EZE AMOS
Jimmie Vaughan. The four-time Grammy-winner performs country and blues. $3540, 7pm. The Jefferson Theater, 110 E. Main St. jeffersontheater.com
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