Keith Patterson’s Shenandoah Landscapes Open Sept. 5 at Melissa Ichiuji Studio Gallery; Valley Women Artists Sought for Major Regional Show

Melissa Ichiuji Studio Gallery will open a new exhibition of paintings by Keith Patterson on Friday, Sept. 5.

Patterson, a lifelong Virginian, is well known in the region for acrylic landscapes that honor the Shenandoah Valley. His new work continues that focus, translating rolling hills, misty horizons, and seasonal shifts into bold color and layered textures. The paintings aim to capture both the quiet beauty and the daily energy of the Valley. A featured piece, Misty Overlook, anchors the show.

The gallery describes the exhibition as a celebration of place. Patterson’s approach favors clarity and feeling over flourish. Viewers can expect scenes that feel familiar—fields, ridgelines, river light—rendered with strong strokes and careful attention to atmosphere. The goal is simple and direct: to let people feel the light, the air, and the sense of home carried by these landscapes.

The opening comes as the gallery launches a separate call to artists for an upcoming group exhibition featuring women artists of the Shenandoah Valley. The show, scheduled for Oct. 18 through Dec. 7, 2025, is the Valley’s local venue within “Women Artists of the DMV,” a multi-site project conceived by curator and writer Lenny Campello in partnership with the American University Museum at the Katzen Arts Center. Organizers say the effort includes 13 venues across D.C., Maryland, and Virginia, and is billed as the largest curated group show staged in the United States.

Melissa Ichiuji Studio Gallery will represent the Shenandoah Valley region within that project. The gallery is inviting women artists who live in the Valley to submit work for consideration. The stated purpose is to promote the creative work of female artists from this area and to give them a platform within a larger regional conversation. The submission deadline, originally Sept. 1, has been extended to Sept. 5 to allow more artists to complete their materials.

The two efforts—Patterson’s solo exhibition and the Valley-wide call to artists—share a focus on place. One highlights a single painter’s vision of the land. The other aims to lift many voices at once. Together, they reflect a growing arts scene in and around Front Royal, where local stories and national connections continue to intersect.

Patterson’s show is designed to be accessible to a wide audience. Families, students, and longtime collectors can find entry points in the work’s subjects and scale. The gallery expects steady interest from Valley residents who know the locations and from visitors who want to take a piece of the region home.

For the call to artists, the gallery encourages submissions from a range of practices—painting, drawing, photography, sculpture, mixed media, fiber, and new media—so long as the artists reside in the Shenandoah Valley. Organizers note that inclusion in a district-wide project brings added visibility, with visitors expected from across the DMV region.

The exhibition opens Friday, Sept. 5, at Melissa Ichiuji Studio Gallery in Front Royal. The group show of Valley women artists will open Oct. 18 and run through Dec. 7, 2025. Submission materials for the call to artists are due by Sept. 5.

For more information about the Keith Patterson exhibition, or to inquire about the call to artists, contact Melissa Ichiuji Studio Gallery in Front Royal.

For more information, visit www.melissaichiuji.com.