“My landscapes are more like vistas rather than a picnic under the trees.”
While Bart Levy has dabbled in the arts most of her life, it was only 5 years ago that she picked up a paintbrush again. Since then, you might say she’s had her head up in the clouds – quite literally. “The beauty of the scene attracts me first. The colors of the wide open sky and all of the midtones in the green landscape attract me.” While she often includes buildings and animals in her pastoral scenes, they are never the main focus – instead it’s the texture of the fields and, most importantly, the sky.
It’s easy to see where Bart gets inspiration for her landscape paintings. “I grew up in eastern North Carolina and it’s flat as a pancake. The purpose, if you will, of the land underneath is to give you something to stand on as you look up at the sky.” Whether the soft colors of a summer sunset or the blazing sky in winter, Bart aims to capture the essence of a moment through gestural brushstrokes. “There’s a dichotomy of vastness and fleeting moments. I’m trying to capture all of it.”
Quite the mover and shaker, Bart stays busy taking workshops around the country, most recently with Mark Hanson in Savannah. Her next major focus is experimenting with painting en plein air. “One thing about plein air is that you’re trying to capture so much in such a short time frame. I’m looking forward to expanding on those studies in the studio.”
Bart considers herself fortunate to have the time and energy to devote to her practice, along with ongoing support from her family. “By continuing to practice, all artists, whether painters or musicians, get better. It may feel like your not making progress but then something shakes loose and you move forward.” It turns out all that practice has paid off, and Bart will be moving into a larger space at Crossroads in July.