May 8, 2026

Peace from Anxiety with Jade Carter

May is recognized as Mental Health Awareness Month, a time dedicated to increasing awareness around emotional wellness and encouraging honest conversations about mental health, stress, anxiety, and healing.

This month, the Petersburg Public Library is proud to feature Virginia-based contemporary abstract artist Jade Carter (Doing Business as Creating AS) and her exhibit, Peace from Anxiety.

The title alone speaks to something many people quietly experience every day.

Anxiety can often feel overwhelming, loud, unpredictable, and difficult to explain. For some, it appears as racing thoughts or emotional exhaustion. For others, it can feel like pressure to keep pushing forward while carrying invisible weight. In a world filled with constant noise, responsibilities, and uncertainty, finding moments of peace has become increasingly important.

Through texture, movement, and layered emotion, Creating AS transforms those feelings into visual expression.

Inspired by music, film, perseverance, vulnerability, and everyday life, her abstract works explore the tension between chaos and calm. Some paintings emerge intense and emotionally charged, while others offer softness, stillness, and reflection. Together, the collection creates a visual conversation about resilience, identity, emotional honesty, and the search for peace within difficult moments.

Working with acrylic paint, acrylic ink, spray paint, spackle, paint knives, and Sakura ink pens, Creating AS embraces experimentation and instinct as essential parts of the creative process. Rather than aiming for perfection, she allows emotion to guide each piece organically.

Influenced by Vincent van Gogh and Michelangelo, Creating AS views art as both expression and escape — a way to process emotion, block out the noise of the world, and create something honest from it.

Featured works in the exhibit include:

Pieces, a connected three-piece composition exploring individuality within unity
Backbone, a textured work symbolizing strength and resilience
Victorian, a matte black textured painting embracing emotional honesty and self-expression
The Best of Me, a piece created through emotional exhaustion and perseverance, inspired in part by Suga and themes of resilience

During Mental Health Awareness Month, Peace from Anxiety serves as a reminder that creativity can be more than art. It can become reflection, release, healing, and connection.

Sometimes peace does not arrive all at once. Sometimes it is found in quiet moments, honest expression, supportive spaces, music, books, conversation, or even standing in front of a painting that reflects something you have felt but never knew how to describe.

We invite the community to visit the exhibit, reflect, and take a moment for themselves inside the library’s gallery space.

Come. Discover the Wonder Within You.

February 13, 2026

Artist of the Month: Wendell Jones

In honor of Black History Month, the Petersburg Public Library proudly recognizes Wendell Jones as our Artist of the Month. A native son of Petersburg, Virginia, Jones represents the power of self-taught creativity, lived experience, and lifelong artistic exploration.

Born in 1957 in Petersburg, Virginia, Wendell Jones discovered his artistic talent at an early age. While attending Blandford Elementary School, a teacher noticed his gift for drawing and entrusted him with designing classroom and hallway bulletin boards. What began as simple doodles soon evolved into expressive compositions filled with movement, color, and emotion.

Jones continued his education through the Petersburg School System, attending Peabody Junior High School and Petersburg High School. Though his formal education provided structure, it was his life experiences that ultimately shaped his artistic voice.

Over the years, Jones lived in several regions across the United States, each leaving a lasting impression on his work. The vast deserts of Nevada introduced him to bold contrasts and expansive space. The moody, atmospheric landscapes of the Pacific Northwest deepened his appreciation for tone and texture. Meanwhile, the familiar and grounding scenery of Virginia continues to anchor his creative perspective. These varied environments come together in his paintings, reflected through vibrant color palettes, layered abstraction, and emotionally resonant landscapes.

Working primarily in abstract and landscape styles, Jones explores themes of place, memory, and personal connection. His work balances provocation with beauty, encouraging viewers to reflect not only on the physical landscapes before them but also on their own inner terrain. Each piece becomes both a journey and a conversation.

Jones’ creativity extends far beyond the canvas. He is an accomplished cook, skier, sign artist, singer, and master barber and hairstylist. These diverse talents reveal a deep appreciation for craftsmanship and artistry in everyday life. Whether through a painting, a hairstyle, or a shared meal, Jones expresses his belief that creativity is woven into every aspect of human experience.

Above all, he credits his family and friends as his greatest source of inspiration. Their presence grounds his work in authenticity and human connection, reminding us that art is not created in isolation but through lived experience.

During this Black History Month, we celebrate Wendell Jones not only for his artistic achievements but also for his lifelong commitment to creative expression. His journey reminds us that art can be self-discovered, self-defined, and deeply rooted in community.

Visit the Petersburg Public Library to experience Wendell Jones’ work and join us in honoring a local artist whose story reflects both personal resilience and universal beauty.

TO CONTACT WENDELL JONES, CALL: 804-295-3298 OR EMAIL: [email protected]

July 3, 2025

Horizon/tal by Dolly Holmes

Step into the abstract, panoramic worldview of Dolly Holmes. Her exhibition Horizon/tal is on display for the month of July in the Library Gallery.

Since the early 2000s, Holmes has explored wide rectangular forms in her work, evoking panoramic landscapes, reclining figures, and a sense of continuity beyond the edge of the canvas. Her abstract panels use color and form to translate thought and emotion into visual experiences. In her words, “In a world that constantly urges us to speed up, this work serves as a reminder to slow down and embrace the beauty within.”

Holmes is a painter and graphic designer based in Petersburg. Educated at The Cooper Union and Hunter College in New York, she credits early American modernists such as Marsden Hartley, John Marin, and Arthur Dove as mentors. Since moving to Old Towne Petersburg in 1997, she has exhibited nationally, including at the Painting Center in New York, Perspective Gallery at Virginia Tech, and locally at the Walton Gallery and Sol Cooper Gallery.

In addition to her studio work, Dolly designed the historical timeline that is permanently installed in the Rotunda of the Petersburg Public Library. This installation reflects her ongoing fascination with wide rectangular compositions.

Horizon/tal is open to the public during regular library hours through July 31, 2025.

To learn more about the artist and view additional works, visit dolmarva.com/dh.

Exhibit Dates: July 01 – July 31, 2025
Location: Petersburg Public Library, 201 W. Washington St. Petersburg, Virginia 23803