Among the people eagerly watching the progress of the new Art Museum of Western Virginia is its Los Angeles-based architect, Randall Stout. Stout was in town late last month to assess the progress of the $66 million project. It is the first museum the Tennessee-born architect has designed from scratch.

Stout, who produced multiple models of the museum before construction started, said he has not been surprised by the unusual shapes and angles it has carved into the Roanoke skyline.

But seeing the building at life size, on the other hand, is "interesting," Stout said. "You can never predict how it will make you feel."

The reactions of others have been interesting, too. The architect has heard comments on the surprising locomotive profile the museum presents alongside the railroad tracks -- something that was not so evident in early mock-ups.

(In the accompanying computer rendering, ignore the glass entryway and try imagining that shovel-shaped, stainless-steel swoop in the foreground as the locomotive's cowcatcher, and that crest in back as the cab.)

And Stout has often mentioned how the undulating shapes of the roof are meant to echo the surrounding ridgelines.

"One thing we try really hard to do is make the buildings about the space they are in," Stout explained.

Stout said the construction on the museum has just passed the halfway mark. Look for work on the soaring glass entryway to begin in the next several weeks, and then a year of less dramatic changes, as construction moves inside. The museum is scheduled to open in late 2008.

Follow construction progress on the museum's 24-hour webcam at www.artmuseumroanoke.org.

To see video interviews with museum construction workers, visit www.roanoke.com.

Machiko redux

Machiko Turner, the Japanese immigrant who won Best in Show at the first-ever WVTF Public Radio Juried Art Show last month, has garnered a second award in that show. Turner's acrylic painting, "Reflections on Rachmaninoff," has also received the People's Choice Award, WVTF announced. It is the first juried art show that Turner, a Christiansburg sushi chef, has entered.

"It's wonderful to see someone who's only been painting for a short time take away not one, but two awards from this art show," said WVTF development associate Karen Dillon.

To see all the winning entries, visit www.wvtf.org.

Art on the side

Zak's Cafe has opened its new cafe gallery on the first floor of Studios on the Square. Come eat and enjoy the art.

Zak's Cafe: 343-6900

Studios on the Square: 345-4076; www.studiosonthesquare.com.

Painting the market

Popular Roanoke artist Eric Fitzpatrick is giving art lessons for free this month, focusing on the Roanoke City Market. But budding artists, don't get your hopes up -- the classes are already full. Fitzpatrick will teach drawing on Aug. 18 and basic watercolor painting on Aug. 25.

"You can't beat the price," he noted, but then quipped, "You get what you pay for." Fitzpatrick said the difficulty in painting the market is choosing one thing to focus on. "There is so much there."

Singing in Salem

Auditions for the Salem Choral Society's 2007-08 concert season begin Aug. 15. Rehearsals will start on Sept. 11. Contact Aaron Garber, music director, at 761-4727.