The Byrne Gallery in Middleburg is proud to present “Spring Into Summer!” on view from June 1st to June 30th, 2022. This new show celebrates the arrival of warm weather and clear skies with a selection of vibrant landscape and still life oil paintings by artists Lida Matheson Stifel and Bart Levy. Stop by to enjoy the masterful way that these two plein air artists bring the natural beauty of the outdoors into the gallery. There will be a special reception for the artists on Saturday, June 11th from 4:00 PM to 7:00 PM. Both the reception for the artists and the exhibition are open to the public and all are invited to attend.

Lida Matheson Stifel

Lida Matheson Stifel attended The Corcoran School of Art studying with William Christianberry. Since that time, she has exhibited her works across the U.S. for over 40 years. Drawing inspiration from the natural world, she strives to imbue her pieces with an aura of energy and spontaneity. Her small farm in Montgomery, Maryland provides her with the opportunity to capture scenes ranging from sweeping country landscapes to the smallest and most charming details of rural life. As a plein air painter, Stifel prefers to work directly from her subject in order to achieve a sense of immediacy, immortalizing the fleeting moment in time to which she is the only witness. Stifel has been selected to participate in over 30 juried exhibitions and is a member of the Washington Society of Landscape Painters, the Mid Atlantic Plein Air Painters, and Oil Painters of America.

Bart Levy

Southern landscape influences Bart’s paintings. Her beloved landscapes of Virginia where she was born and makes her home inform her work. They are captured in her mind’s eye and are always evident in her compositions. The feeling of those landscapes is always with her lonesome farms, wide rivers and dark creeks, the marshes, the mountains, the rolling hills inbetween, blue skies, and ever-changing clouds. There’s a peacefulness, a sense of home – she captures it all. Bart graduated from Virginia Commonwealth University with a BFA in Painting and Printmaking. After graduation, she initially worked in graphic design and, later, marketing. She grabbed an opportunity to get back to creating art when a highly regarded oil pastel class had an opening. That led to working in oil pastels for several years. That, in turn, led to a renewed interest in oil painting, which has grown into a passion that only becomes stronger by the day. She has exhibited in many juried exhibitions across North Carolina, Virginia and Maryland.

Please come to visit the Byrne Gallery to see and enjoy “Spring Into Summer!” on exhibit beginning June 1st and continuing through June 30th. The Byrne Gallery is located at 7 West Washington Street in Middleburg, Virginia. Gallery hours are Monday and Tuesday by appointment only, Wednesday through Saturday 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday noon to 5 p.m. Contact the Byrne Gallery for more information at (540) 687-6986.