Artistic Expressions

Since its inception, writers have used the term “artist colony” to describe Hollin Hills. An article in the Alexandria Gazette in 1960 reflects the community’s attitude toward art at that time: “Art shows at the Hollin Hills community swimming pool brings out the neighbors and friends of the artists in informal fashion. Art here is an everyday thing you live with and love and not an occasional dress-up affair. Casual as their approach to art may seem by Hollin Hillers, they are rather serious patrons and have more original works of art in their homes than most communities of similar size.”

In 1999, a juried show was held at the Torpedo Factory in Alexandria (the program to the left open to display the artists’ biographies and sample works). Conceived and organized by Hollin Hills artists Catherine Hunt and Gretchen Raber, the exhibition is a tribute to a community which throughout its first 50 years had quietly enriched the arts. The fact that almost 10% of Hollin Hillers were represented in the show testifies to the liveliness and creativity of the community.

What is it about Hollin Hills that bids welcome to the “Creative”? Perhaps it is the bucolic nature of the landscape which beckons through each picture window. Perhaps it is the sense of individualism that cherishes the contemplative while united in a shared community spirit. A sense of being apart while participating in the whole. Walking the rural, rustic streets or sitting in one of the numerous parks makes one aware of self, thankful for the developer's and architect's vision for the particular and common. An artist strives to make the human condition tangible without entanglements of the mundane and everyday. Windows and light attract those who are indoors to the outside releasing many possibilities and potentials. Freedom to pursue avenues of expression not found in thoughtless artifice. Careful consideration of site and the orientation of structures unique to the landscape define the architecture of Hollin Hills. Individual but part of a whole attracts the creative mind. Joint experiences shared but savored personally.

“Mark Moyens, a noted financial expert and Komie Wachi, a connoisseur of artistic expression introduced me to Hollin Hills in 1980. Both now deceased but their legacy can still be seen in the sculpture residing on Paul Spring Road and the gallery addition build onto their house. Jerry Clappsaddle, a noted painter in whose former residence I now reside caused me to select Hollin Hills as my home in 1990. First on Rippon Road and subsequently on Martha's Road in 2006. I am sure there are many more examples of people through friends and acquaintances that have visited and then settled. Why and there are infinite number of answers. But I am sure there is one universal reason: the comfort of light and shadow. The architecture embraces and releases daily. It is never static. It is poetry and poetry attracts the artistic and those who are sensitive to the rhythms of life. Sensibly scaled structures, walls of light, shared vistas of nature, public and private spaces, all contribute to life in Hollin Hills. It is the genius of place that the creative celebrate and the artist expresses.” - Rick Ward

Komei Wachi, Director of Gallery K in Washington DC and HH resident, suggested that Hollin Hills having been developed by fine-arts enthusiast Charles Goodman may have something to do with it’s propensity for artistic connections. Developer Robert Davenport himself was father to two nationally known artists - cinematographer Tom and painter Rebecca. Over 100 visual artists have called Hollin Hills home; long attracted to the glass-walls, natural lighting and a community of like-minded folk.

While established artists have found their adult homes in this environment, many Hollin Hills children leave forever influenced by the forested and curious

architect and writer Michael Sorkin and Doug Michaels, founding member of the avant-garde Ant Farm and co-creator of Cadillac Ranch in Amarillo TX.

The inventive nature has not been limited to the visual arts. Inventors ______, jazz singer Roberta Flack, writer Jennifer Kabot,

The Fairytale by Jennifer Kabot

https://granta.com/the-fairytale

Click to see Dennis Carmichael gallery of HH watercolors

The Goodman architecture and the natural setting of Hollin Hills has served as an inspiration and backdrop for residents and non-residents alike. Dennis Carmichael’s nearly 100 watercolors have been the prized “thank you” for residents opening their homes for the House + Garden Tour volunteers. For many years, the House+ Garden Tour was as focused on the resident artists as the houses themselves. The

possibly:

Forest of Lorian by Caroline Space https://www.carolinespacephotography.com/story-2