Created over the course of 12 months, these two dozen landscapes depict various views from just four acres of farmland near Ashland. Dan Bartges, a full-time artist since 1996, paints primarily in oils. He has been featured in national and regional exhibitions. His landscapes, still lifes and portraits have been acquired by a number of private and corporate collections including; Marriott, Federal Reserve Bank, Markel, ClubCorp, Owens & Minor, Lockheed Martin, Performance Food Group, Media General and Capital One. He has lectured on art and color at the Smithsonian American Art Museum, the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts and other venues. Bartges holds degrees from Hampden-Sydney College (VA) and the University of Richmond (VA) and has studied under several prominent artists, at the Modlin School of Art (U. of Richmond) and the Studio School of the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts. A native of Florida, he and his family reside in Virginia. When not painting, he enjoys tennis, squash and bicycling.
The small plot seemed downright unremarkable at first, yet the longer I stood at the easel in all kinds of weather, the more I noticed the land's ever-changing character. After the first painting, I went searching for the landowner for permission to continue my work on his farm, and I struck a bargain with him: In return for his not bush hogging around the cow pond for a year, I gave him a painting.
If I learned anything during the year, it was about the tremendous natural changes that happen all around us every hour of every day but usually go unnoticed. The eye and mind take in so much when we take the time to just stand still in one place and patiently observe.
The experience reminds me of what da Vinci once said about staring into a fire or at a stain on a wall -- that when given the chance, the mind will imagine all kinds of possibilities.
The experience reminds me of what da Vinci once said about staring into a fire or at a stain on a wall -- that when given the chance, the mind will imagine all kinds of possibilities.
Thank you for joining us for a fun evening! Join us for the highly anticipated solo show, 'A Rural Menagerie', where Elizabeth Kinahan has thoughtfully rendered rural animals, capturing their unique personalities and stories. Ten percent of all sales will be donated to the Richmond SPCA, with Gallery Flux matching the 10% artist donation during out opening night. So come out for some great food, music, art and help us raise money for the SPCA!
