An Artful Scarf Definitely a Country Classic

An Artful Scarf Definitely a Country Classic

Hester Ware has been an artist and designer for over two decades. Now a Middleburg resident, she was the fourth generation in her family to grow up in Pebble Beach, California, where she was surrounded by musicians and artists.

In Pebble Beach, Hester spent her youth amid her greatgrandmother’s modern art collection, which boasted paintings by Helen Frankenthaler and Sam Francis, among others. These works became an inspiration and steadfast influence.

Her schooling included Marlborough College in England and later Middlebury College in Vermont, where she earned a B.A. in fine art with a concentration in printmaking. Hester now has paintings in private collections in California, Virginia, Florida, London, and Kenya.

Her abstract paintings are noted for their heightened sense of color and exuberant compositions. “I use abstract and repetitive music while painting to help express my nonverbal thoughts,” Hester, 53, said of her artistic process.

Hester’s latest project is a collaboration with designer Diane Rigden, owner of private label C.D. Rigden & Son. A graduate of the Corcoran School of Art, Rigden’s 35 years of experience in the textile and fashion industry helped her transform Hester’s work into a limited edition of silk scarves, each hand-printed in England and finished with a hand-rolled edge.

The first limited edition run sold out in two weeks. So encouraged, Rigden and Ware made two more limited editions, now available through Rigden’s Middleburg shop, Country Classics at 21 East Washington St. in Middleburg. Hester and Diane also paid tribute to the late Ann McMahon for first sparking the idea that transformed a painting into a wearable work of art.