This month The Art Gallery of Potomac presents a show titled Visions of the Earth. It will be a three-woman art show depicting the earth and using materials from the earth to represent their lives, their surroundings and experiences. The show is also a fundraiser for ALS (Lou Gehrig’s Disease) and a portion of proceeds be donated to the ALS Association.

Designer Betsy Baden creates jewelry using semiprecious stones, crystals and sterling silver. She began making jewelry for her daughter, friends and family and then used her art to help ALS research; all her proceeds go to the ALS Association. Her close friend Maureen McCarry has ALS and she is dedicating this show to her.

Through her art she wants to raise awareness of ALS because "ALS renders you helpless and many people do not know that it is always fatal. Many of my pieces are inspired by beach stones and I use amethysts, onyx, garnet and lapis. The silver I use is sterling, Bali and Thai. My work has traditional pieces as well as more funky jewelry."

Artist Mary Hawkins grew up in Vermont and remembers looking out the window of her parents car studying the leaves, mountains and streams. "Nature inspires my work and I paint water a lot. It is in almost all of my paintings."

Even though she did paint by numbers as a child she did not make art a career. She has worked as a biochemist at NIH for 26 years. She started painting again three years ago. Her medium is oil on canvas and she puts layer upon layer like the Old Masters' technique.

"I paint things that I would want to hang on my walls. My paintings remind me of the places I visit and makes me feel like I am back there. I have a very fat life and am content to paint what I like," Hawkins said.

Artist Yolanda Prinsloo is originally from South Africa and many of paintings for this show are inspired by regatta training in her native country. "The Jr. regatta training is for underprivileged kids who possibly wouldn't go to school. The training teaches them how to take care of a boat and also life lessons from sailing and how you must always be prepared. I love painting the water and the students sailing in the regatta. Many pieces in this show are waterscapes, floral and portraits of people I know. I have many different interests; everything captivates and excited me. Art is a recording of life's experiences. The gallery is now part of the community and is enriching the community. This show is using art to raise money for a good cause. It makes it so much more meaningful. We are very privileged to have the gallery."

The Art Gallery of Potomac is located at 10107 River Road in Potomac. Phone 301-765-7617. Gallery hours are Wednesday through Sunday, noon until 4 p.m. The show will run now through April 1. An opening reception will be March 3, 5-7 p.m.

A painting demonstration and bead spinning will be held March 17 from 2-4 p.m. For more information go to www.potomacartists.org. For information on ALS go to www.alsa.org