Six galleries rejoin annual Art Tour

The three new galleries open for the Artists of Rappahannock Studio and Gallery Tour, noted in an earlier report on the Nov. 5-6 event, join the following six Rappahannock galleries with a bit more history on the tour.

The R.H. Ballard Gallery in Washington is always a superb place to find the work of local artists. This year, landscapes by Gray Dodson, Meg Walsh and Lynn Mehta are featured following their joint “Vantage Point” show which opened last week. The unifying aspects of their work concentrates on the interplay of light and color and a focus on natural elements, such as the weather, in their paintings.

Also in Washington, the Gay Street Gallery features three artists for the show. Gallery owner Kevin Adams presents his popular bold paintings featuring landscapes and buildings familiar to local residents. Paul X. Rutz’s work highlights what he calls “moving viewing” of his three-dimensional paintings, which invite observation from a variety of different angles. Paul Bouquet is a sculptor who often works with local stone in creating sensuous forms that demand to be touched.

At the Geneva Welch Gallery in Washington, Welch will be displaying a new collection of her popular and detailed works depicting both wild and domestic animals and local scenes. The collection includes original paintings and prints. She also will be showing new hand-wrought ornaments and tiles, including depictions of Rappahannock churches.

The Glassworks Gallery in Sperryville, on road to the Shenandoah National Park, has been in operation for 34 years, featuring works by glassblower Eric Kvarnes. In addition, however, the gallery includes the works of some 40 other artists working in a wide variety media. As part of the Art Tour, Kvarnes will be doing glassblowing demonstrations at noon, 2 and 4 pm on both days of the tour.

While at the Glassworks Gallery, you need only climb to the second floor to visit one of two new homes for the Old Rag Photography. The four artists featured are Raymond Boc, Joyce Herman, Bette Hileman and Francie Schroeder. In addition to the Glassworks venue, their work on the tour will also be on view at the River District Artists Gallery at the Ginger Hill complex on Lee Highway near the high school. The four explore visual art through a variety of photographic techniques and approaches.

Also in Sperryville is the Haley Fine Art gallery, which, during this year’s tour, focuses on the work of popular Piedmont painter Chris Stephens. Stephens calls his latest body of work “Sight Lines” and says: “In abstraction, I’ve found a way to explore and share visual experience. Glimpses of sunlight on buildings, cloud shadows racing across a Virginia landscape, an orange wedge on a cutting board, the human figure, all find opportunities for expression in these works.”