Norfolk | Sandy Lupton Art & Workshops

November marked the beginning of a new era for me at work. After nearly 30 years working in a small satellite office, I was asked to report to the main office 2 days a week. This office lies smack dab in the middle of Norfolk’s NEON Arts District.

While the drive is a serious pain in the ass with its traffic, tunnels and tolls, the rest of the deal is pretty sweet. The building is full of creative folks to play with and its location offers plenty of opportunities for lunchtime art adventures with my art buddy Siobhan.

The surrounding buildings are being adorned with murals of all styles and themes, with more murals popping up all the time. Even the sidewalks are painted!

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The building I work in is just a short walk to the Chrysler Museum, and I’ve managed to catch a few awesome shows. My favorite so far is the Georgia O’Keeffe exhibit. It is small, but shows examples of her flowers, photos, abstracts and landscapes. The small size of the show allowed for plenty of time to read the accompanying words – my favorite part. She was a real piece of work.

Georgia O’Keeffe: A Place of Her Own

Saints and Dragons: Icons from Byzantium to Russia
Tseng Kwong Chi – Performing for the Camera

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Across the street from the building, we also toured the newly renovated
Glass Wheel Studio.

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Inspiration is around every corner in Norfolk’s NEON district!
I’m glad I get to be a part of it.

Chrysler Museum
Norfolk, Va

It’s mind-boggling really… just how close you can get to greatness at the Chrysler Museum in Norfolk. Cassatt, Renoir, Gauguin, Warhol, all on display. No ropes or barriers — nothing to keep you from standing right where THEY were standing when THEY were creating their great works.

I stood mesmerized… breathing the same air, seeing the same brushstrokes, feeling the same awe as the artist must have felt as the work emerged from a blank canvas. It is hard to catch your breath when you see Cassatt’s beautiful, chubby baby in “The Family” or back away slowly from Paul Signac’s, “The Lagoon of Saint Mark, Venice” and watch as millions of colorful marks turn from chaos to masterpiece before your eyes.

We went to the Chrysler for Father’s Day. First a picnic on the grounds under an amazing tree. Then a tour of the newly renovated museum. A fabulous day with my parents, my sister, my brother-in-law and the many artists whose works grace these halls.