Reston Art Gallery and Studios (RAGS)

About the Artist

A mood, glowing light, subtle color and above all, thechi or spirit of the subject are what Lassie Corbett captures in her paintings. Lassie does much of her work on location, getting inspiration directly from nature. In Spring and Fall, she is frequently seen sketching, and painting at Great Falls or other scenic locations.

Watercolor is Corbett’s primary medium, although she regularly paints using Oriental brush painting techniques on rice paper. As her work has become more complex, Corbett incorporates subject matter from her numerous photographs and sketch books into her paintings. Her most recent work ventures into acrylic abstracts and mixed media.

Lassie's interest in Oriental painting was stimulated by a two year stint as a Peace Corps volunteer and blossomed under the tutelage of Professor Chen Bing Sun at the Chinese Artist's Guild, where she studied for four years and received a teaching certificate. She has been a member of the Sumi-e Society of America and has had paintings accepted in their national juried shows.

Corbett's artistic training culminated in her receiving an MFA in painting from American University.. However. she is ever the student and regularly studies with nationally recognized watercolorists. Additionally,. Lassie has operated her own art school, A Place to Paint, in Herndon, Virginia, since 1983. In 1986, the school moved to a location in the Herndon Old Town Gallery, where Corbett's paintings were on display for over twenty years. The Gallery and Art School closed in January.2005. She is currently teaching and exhibiting at the Vienna Art Center. She is an active member of the Reston Art Gallery and The Greater Reston Art Center. Lassie also continues teaching in Herndon for the Community Center

Travel is another of Corbett’s loves. To facilitate her desire to teach, paint and travel, Lassie leads her students and other willing artists on workshops to exotic or out of the way places. Hawaii and Mexico are regular winter retreats. Trekking in Nepal or basking under the Mediterranean sun are but a few of her haunts. Corbett has led excursions to Turkey, Greece, Ireland, France, Italy and Peru and Northern Mexico in January 2006, Peru in June and Rhonda, Spain in September 2006. She recently traveled to Greece with a group in April 2008.

Artist Statement

Painting is a way of life, and a means of expressing the way I see and respond to what's around me. This exhibit of paintings is a retrospective, but not in the traditional sense. Retrospective indicates looking back on things past and implies a sense of completion. For me the past is truly prelude and is reflected in works today and will be in my work tomorrow.

It seems to be ever emphasized that a “good” artist must develop a style and subject matter of ones own and I highly respect those that are able to do so. Being a high energy, ever curious personality, I have never been content to do this. A friend once told me “If you went to a lavish banquet, would you only try one food?” In viewing this exhibit my answer is obvious. Ways of painting range from traditional watercolor painting, oriental brush painting and oil painting using a variety of techniques, to a wide variety of experimental abstracts in acrylic, mixed media, and collage.

Celebrate a life of artistic growth with me.