Taking art to the streets

Artist John Rose—one part of the duo behind Be Kind Gallery 101—took a break from creating art to showcase a more performative art style. Just like Rose uses the city’s landscapes to create stunning paintings, he uses the local architecture to perform incredible tricks on his BMX bike. 

If you’re ever driving down Church Street and happen to see Rose on his bike, give him an encouraging wave!

See more on Be Kind Gallery on page 49. Photos by Ashlee Glen.

Don’t let the name fool you: Lynchburg Living Idea Houses may be driven by ideas, but they are built, decorated, and documented thanks to the collective actions of talented and dedicated individuals. The 2022 Lynchburg Living Smith Mountain Lake Idea House—a bright and family-friendly lakehouse—is no exception.

For instance, Woody Watts, President of Watts Creative Studios, took the photos of the house and the photos for the Idea House Partner Profiles, and Kasey Bruffy, Marketing and Production Assistant at Watts Creative Studios, assisted on the shoots and snapped these behind-the-scenes shots.

To read more about the Idea House team and to step inside the SML Idea House to find inspiration for your home, go to: lynchburgliving.com/lynchburg-idea-house

When planning out photography for our cover story, “Cocktails by Neighborhood,” we had our hearts set on capturing the iconic drink “splash” photo.

The splash made the most sense for the cocktails served with ice. At these restaurants, photographer Ashlee Glen made sure to capture all of the other shots she needed on her checklist first, including photos of each bartender making the drink and the finished product with garnishments.

After those were completed, Ashlee requested a new drink, with no ice, since having ice already in the glass would hinder a dramatic splash.

Then, Ashlee’s daughter, Gareth, was tasked with dropping ice cubes into the glass on cue (3, 2, 1, go!). It took a few tries, and some aim correction, but usually by the third or fourth drop, we had it down!

Our takeaway: splash photos are a blast—but also, very messy!

Check out the full Taste feature starting on page 146!

Stealing the Show

After having to reschedule once due to heavy downpours and storms, we were more than ready to hit the ground running at our cover shoot at Woodruff’s Café and Pie Shop in late September.

The most memorable part of the shoot was a four-legged “extra” who really, really, really wanted to be in the spotlight. The local dog is known to spend some time around Woodruff’s, but they told us they had never seen him be quite this clingy before. (It probably didn’t help that shop owner Angie Wilson was holding a delicious pie in front of her while posing for a photo outside. What dog could resist that?!)

He was particularly fond of editor Shelley Basinger, partly because she spent most of the shoot petting him while holding him back as photographer Ashlee Glen took photos.
He even tried to get in Shelley’s SUV when she left!

Turn to page 133 to see our cover story about Woodruff’s in our Taste department!

When looking ahead to each issue of Lynchburg Living, we are always planning our content with a big question in mind—what will the cover be? With a feature about farmers markets underway, Editor Shelley Basinger and Art Director Chris Meligonis were drawn to the idea of a bright, farmers market scene for the 2021 Summer Issue.

Chris envisioned having some kids be a part of the action and even suggested Shelley’s 4-year-old daughter, Camille, as being a good fit. Shelley decided to ask Camille’s best preschool friend, Lennox, to join.

On a sunny Saturday in May, Shelley and the kids met up with photographer Ashlee Glen at the Lynchburg Community Market. Brick Goldman, owner of Goldman Farm in Cullen, was such a good sport when asked to be a part of an “action shot.”

Best of all? Brick gave Camille and Lennox that carton of strawberries to enjoy.

Read the full story about local farmers markets starting on page 103!

When it comes to planning and executing a styled shoot, you have to be prepared to roll with the punches.

While we had planned to photograph a historic-meets-modern tablescape outdoors, mother nature decided otherwise. March 27 was looking clear as a bell up until the morning of our planned shoot; out of nowhere, it seemed, the forecast called for heavy rain and thunderstorms that afternoon/evening and that’s exactly how it played out.

Nevertheless, the Lynchburg Living team made it work, thanks to the extremely hospitable Mikael (Taste contributor) and Traci Blido who helped us carry out our vision in their sunroom and even let us forage for extra fresh greenery in their backyard.

Most of the props—from the plates to the old books to the linens—were rounded up from everyone’s houses. Art Director Chris Meligonis lead the way in assembling the table from the first piece of greenery to the last lighting of a candle.

Photographer Ashlee Glen traded her usual step ladder for a much taller version to help us capture the best overhead angles of the heritage-inspired recipes created by Mikael.

Meanwhile, Editor Shelley Basinger sat on the couch watching everyone work while drinking wine. (Kidding. She helped too. But there was one small wine break.)

Read the full feature, learn some local fare history and get a little hungry, starting on page 96!

Since last summer, we have watched the site of the 2021 Lynchburg Living Idea House be transformed from an empty piece of land to a classic Colonial-style home with the latest technology and amenities.

The ongoing pandemic caused product delays, and mother nature played her tricks from time to time. But we pushed through and, by February, we were finally able to put (most of) the finishing touches on the interior and exterior.

Photographer Ashlee Glen took on the task of taking more than 10 portrait shoots for our Idea House Preferred Partners in only a few days before our print deadline. Working alongside her was photographer Woody Watts, who was available at a moment’s notice to take the final interior shots and then returned to the house once ice had melted to take photos of the exterior.

We are proud to unveil this year’s home—flip to page 42 to read the full feature!

Local Openings & Closings
Hello! to Nomad Movies, a spin-off of Nomad Coffee that offers a drive-in movie experience.
Hello! to Fratelli Italian Kitchen & Wine Bar, located on the Bluffwalk.
Goodbye to longtime restaurant Carol’s Place in Forest.
Hello! to Kissed Cupcakes in Forest at the Gables of Jefferson Commons.
Goodbye to Shanghai Express on Wards Road after 30 years in Lynchburg.
Goodbye to Cheesy’s on Wards Road.
Hello! to Hill City Pub inside the former Cheesy’s restaurant.
Hello! to the rebranded Rivermont BierHaus, formerly Brauburgers of Rivermont.
Hello! to a new brick-and-mortar location of Rookie’s in Forest.
Hello! to the Pied Piper VA, a Forest food stand offering sweet and savory pies.

BEHIND the SCENES
Timing was everything for this issue’s Art feature. As Editor Shelley Basinger scrolled through Facebook one day, she found an old post on the Anne Spencer Memorial Foundation page about a painting in the historic home, The Cocktail Party, that was listed on an endangered artifacts list. That led to more research and a call to Shaun Spencer-Hester, Spencer’s granddaughter and executive director of the foundation. Spencer-Hester loved the idea of doing a feature about the painting—and better yet, she said a curator was going to be visiting the house the following week. In late-May, photographer Ashlee Glen and her daughter, Emeri, worked together to capture the scene as Mark Wittl inspected the painting.

Lighting was crucial due to the older home’s darker rooms. Read more about The Cocktail Party and the efforts to preserve it starting on pages 41.

When making photography assignments for the July/August issue, the Lynchburg Living team knew just who to ask for our Home feature. Not only is Woody Watts a versatile, easy-to-work-with photographer, he also has a drone! This glorious piece of technology came in handy at the Smith Mountain Lake home to capture gorgeous, sky-high views of the property. Take a tour of the home starting on page 47.

After a week of rain, the clouds parted one Sunday morning in late May just in time for our cover shoot in Downtown Lynchburg. Photographer Ashlee Glen insisted on an 8 a.m. start time to catch the perfect early morning glow. Patrick Hubble and Kim Soerensen, members of the Vespa and Lambretta Club, were great sports as Ashlee gave them instructions on where to ride. Read more about the unique local group starting on page 69.