Return to story

SITE UNSEEN VISION AT WORK

November 5, 2009 12:36 am

BY SHANNON HOWELL

FOR THE FREE LANCE-STAR

While local artist Brandon Newton's new studio and art gallery bears his name, he is quick to point out that the space is not just about him.

"It's about collaborating and something bigger than me," he said. His vision? A destination for people that includes music, silent auctions, revolving works by different artists and a "fresh, interesting event every Friday."

Newton and his friend Ryan Poe, a local independent filmmaker, have even figured out an innovative way to show films of local scenes. A special screen in the window of the gallery will show movies on one side, while the back side of the screen will show the movies in reverse so they're visible to people walking or driving past.

The gallery will officially open tomorrow during First Friday, the monthly celebration of art. In addition to Newton's paintings, there will be work by painters Patte Ormsby, Adam Desio, Jeff Gandee and Anna Newton (Brandon Newton's 7-year-old daughter), potter Dan Finnegan and pewter artist David Kelly.

Scattered throughout the gallery will be furniture by "Furniture Don."

Newton is dedicating the opening of his new space to friend Pat Jones, who recently lost her fight with cancer.

NEW GALLERY, NEW TIMES

What most people might consider an ambitious undertaking during rough economic times is viewed by Newton as a wonderful opportunity.

A chance meeting at a Fredericksburg restaurant this summer ended up with Newton trading the use of his original artwork to the new Courtyard by Marriott hotel in exchange for the use of the light-filled storefront space located at the hotel's Caroline Street entrance.

Newton immediately fell in love with the huge windows filling two sides of the gallery. The windows will allow passers-by to watch Newton at work.

Concrete floors and rough walls are the perfect neutral background for paintings, sculptures and furniture.

And best of all, there's just lots of space. Until now, Newton painted mostly in the basement of his home.

In the new studio, "I can paint and I can just walk back and look and I don't bump over a couch or run into a TV," he said with a smile.

Looking at Newton's work, it is hard to imagine him ever toiling away in a basement. His paintings--featuring everything from well-known local Fredericksburg spots to portraits of his wife to the lights of cars on State Route 3, are filled with color, light and energy--three things not normally present in a basement.

The 32-year-old artist thinks he will paint differently in the new space because, as he describes it, "The energy is different. I know that I'm gonna learn a lot here."

PORTRAIT OF THE ARTIST

Listening to Newton, one gets the idea he has already learned a lot.

As an art major at Virginia Commonwealth University, he was never concerned about the opinions of the sometimes picky art teachers.

"I never got too wrapped up in what someone else said to me," he said. "It was really all about the self-exploration, the self-fulfillment. I never had to look far for approval--I looked more inside."

After college, he was working as an assistant golf pro at Fawn Lake when he overheard a lady talking about a mural she wanted for her son's room. He spoke up and said he could do it--and that led to a successful business in painting murals and faux finishes in interiors.

"When I couldn't paint murals, I would paint the murals on canvas," he explained--and that's how he started painting fine art.

Plus, being an artist dovetails perfectly with his favorite job: being husband and father to wife Juliann and children Kaila, 11, Anna, 7, and Jack, who is 10 months old.

Newton says that's the one drawback of his new space: He misses having his children around when he paints.

Newton knows paintings are not seen as necessities by most people, particularly in a tough economy. "I realize everything I do can either be appreciated or not. There's nothing that needs to be done with my work--so I truly appreciate when someone can relate to it," he said.

When someone understands his work and buys it, he feels as if that's his way of connecting with someone--of making friends and sharing something with them.

And where does he get the ideas for his paintings?

"A lot of times, like when I'm driving, I'll see something and think, 'I want to share what I'm seeing right now,'" said Newton. "A lot of times, it's a lonely scene. I don't want to paint someone in the scene. I want someone to fill in the gaps."

Newton names well-known local artist Cliff Satterthwaite as one of the most important models for painting that he has ever known, describing him as a "true treasure" of Fredericksburg.

"He does things with paint that you would think just couldn't be done," he said.

He also is inspired by what potter Dan Finnegan has done in creating the art community at LibertyTown Arts Workshop and in his encouragement of the arts in Fredericksburg. When Newton was considering the artists he wanted for his opening, Finnegan immediately came to mind.

Newton's gallery will be a vibrant addition to an already rich art scene in Fredericksburg. It's apparent that Newton is a man doing what he was meant to do, and that is to make art.

Happily for Fredericksburg, he wants to share it with all of us.

Shannon Howell is a local writer.