Acclaimed painter to show variety of works

“Old vs. new” is the theme of the August art exhibit at Rappahannock Westminster‐Canterbury. Richmond‐based artist Hugh Harris will show about 20 paintings he has created over the past few decades in RWC’s Gallery Hall.

The older paintings from the 1980s and 1990s are traditional landscapes. But beginning around 2001, Harris began to explore color more in depth in his works — turning up the color, he says. “It’s about enhancing the color values,” he said. “It starts with a theory of what color is — the way the light plays on a surface that makes color come out of the prism — and you play with the color to weave a design. It becomes kind of an abstraction with real things.”

Harris has worked in a variety of media including oils, acrylics, watercolor, pen and ink, and graphite. Many of his paintings have been licensed for commercial purposes.

A retired pastor, Harris not only is an accomplished artist; he’s also a writer. He’s written three Christian fiction novels and co‐authored a nonfiction book.

The exhibition will open Aug. 1 with a reception and artist talk 4‐6 p.m. It’s open to the community.