Art at McIntire

These paintings are descriptions of distant places. In the midst of observing the advice to stay home and isolated during the pandemic, it was a pleasure to remember past travels. Taken from my notebooks and photographs, these pictures illustrate those memories.

For purchase, contact Blake at blake@blakehurt.com.
Website: http://blakehurt.com

My journey with informal portraits began with two years of life drawing classes in college. We had live models and marvelous skeletons to study and draw. I found myself doing little sketches of people, thoroughly fascinated by the challenge of each person’s uniqueness. When I moved to Pittsburgh, opportunities increased—so many generations, so many ethnic peoples, so many faces and body types and clothing. I tried to discreetly use my 35-mm camera wherever I was to capture these wonderful people. Now, with a digital camera, getting a photo is faster, easier and, yes, more discreet.

My first commissioned portraits were about 10 years ago. The Waynesboro Choral Society members wanted to gift them to the director and his accompanist. I consider them and the ones I have done since “informal.” On my trip to China for New Year’s 2010, I actually burned out one camera and had to purchase another. Capturing both landscapes and people, my heart was, and still is, deeply moved by these images, especially of the people. The paintings for my “CHINA plus” exhibit have my heart, and I hope yours as well. May you see the spirit of each person in these paintings as they journey through a moment in their lives, allowing me to share a small part of who they are with you.

After March 2021, these paintings and ones to follow will be shown at the New Ming Garden Restaurant and the Shenandoah Valley Art Center, both located in Waynesboro, VA.

For purchase, contact Joy at joyetarts@gmail.com.