The Foreign Service Journal, April 2020

62 APRIL 2020 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL AFSA NEWS On Feb. 6 AFSA hosted its first-ever Foreign Service Artists Showcase, an art exhibit featuring works by former FSOs Ambassador (ret.) David Pearce, Rosema- rie Forsythe, Cynthia Farrell Johnson and Judy Buelow. Along with the exhibition of their works, many of which were for sale, the artists made brief remarks about the influence of the Foreign Service on their art. Inspired by living and working around the world, Rosemarie Forsythe’s paint- ings celebrate the power of ideas that have influenced the course of history or changed the way we think about the world. She uses acrylics, gouache, Flashe, gold leaf, Cynthia Farrell Johnson’s paintings have been exhibited in cultural centers and galleries in Africa and Latin America. AFSA/CAMERONWOODWORTH Judy Buelow discusses her art at the AFSA Foreign Service Art Showcase on Feb. 6. AFSA/CAMERONWOODWORTH Foreign Service Artists Featured at AFSA Showcase mica chips and handmade paper to render symbols, math/physics equations, algorithms and intellectual puzzles in jewel-like paint- ings. Her style mixes matte gem tones with metallics to achieve a look reminiscent of Byzantine icons or 15th-cen- tury illuminated manuscripts. In the course of her past careers as a diplomat, policymaker and interna- tional business executive, Ms. Forsythe lived in seven countries and visited more than 60 countries. Each of those careers, she explained, allowed her to see the world in different ways and to be exposed to many different cultures and types of art. Her works have appeared in solo and group shows in New York and the Washing- ton, D.C., area. She is a juried member of the Reston Art Gallery in Virginia. Her web- site is www.rosemarie forsythe.com. Cynthia Farrell Johnson’s paintings have been exhib- ited in cultural centers and galleries in Africa and Latin America. As a participant in the Department of State’s Art in Embassies program, Ms. Johnson has placed her work in U.S. ambassadorial resi- dences in Niger, Nicaragua, Serbia, Ecuador, El Salvador and Panama. A fan of vibrant colors, Ms. Johnson works in gouache, acrylic and mixed media. Her paintings are inspired by the people she met and places where she lived during a 25-year career as a diplomat. Ms. Johnson lives in Silver Spring, Md., and says she draws much of her inspira- tion for themes and color schemes from the Wash- ington, D.C., region’s rich cultural diversity. She is a member of Pyramid Atlantic