COURTLAND—Rawls Museum Arts will host two shows from Friday, July 16, through Sunday, Sept. 5.

The Main Gallery will feature 45 years of paintings by Steve Griffin.

The Francis Gallery will feature the work of newly formed arts and crafts group C.A.K.E.

Both shows open at 6:30 p.m. Friday, July 16, with a reception to meet the artists.

Griffin’s “Forty-Five Years of Painting” will open with a still life dating back to 1965 when he was a university freshman. The most recent painting in the show, completed in 2010, is an example of his present direction.

Griffin has been an active artist and educator for almost 50 years, and during that time, his work has taken many varied paths. Although this exhibition concentrates on the later abstract work there are examples that range from realist paintings of the ‘70s through the abstractions of the ‘80s and ‘90s.

There are many elements working together in the latest “Strata” series of paintings, but color seems to be the primary focus. The static horizontal stripe compositions, inspired by living in the Potomac River town of Colonial Beach, provide the framework for a variety of blended and layered color relationships. There are sanding and scraping techniques used to achieve a textural depth not usually associated with hard-edge painting.

Griffin retired from teaching in 2008 after 25 years in the art department at the University of Mary Washington in Fredericksburg. His work in painting, mixed media, photography and printmaking is represented in many private and corporate collections and has been included in over 200 exhibitions.