ops out of itself”, he says with good Hegelian

ops out of itself”, he says with good Hegelian logic. The problem to be worked out might be about formal relationships, color, design, or texture. Gerhard has painted since his childhood in Germany and has clearly taken inspiration from the traditions of western modem art. His latest work consists of iron sculptures welded together from scrap iron culled from local junkyards. These pieces are intriguing assemblages of machine parts that a farmer with a sharp eye would recognize: pump handles, grader blades, drill borers. Those with a less savvy eye are left to project onto these forms whatever associations they might stimulate. Either way, Gerhard’s work commands engagement.

Finally, to get to Martin Woodard’s place, the visitor will drive down one of the most scenic roads in the country, over rolling fields through a progress of ever more splendid mountain views. Just before crossing the Hughes River to leave Rappahannock County, Woodard’s drive turns off to the left and leads up the hill to his tower studio from where there is a 360 degree view. After a climb up some rickety stairs, the visitor will take in Old Rag, the mountains that flank it, the surrounding grain fields in a variety of colors, and a small lake where all kinds of birds hunt and fish. Woodard recently moved into this space and has been painting different pieces of the view ever since. Working both en plein air and from photographs, he paints his landscapes in a style he refers to as “loose realism, with the emphasis on loose”. Woodard prefers to work in oil for the control and depth it affords him in depicting his subject matter, which for him is more important than the medium in which it is rendered. Woodard’s paintings reflect his awe of the local landscape and will stimulate the same in viewers of his work.

Home to these and other talented artists, Sperryville will more than reward visitors on this year’s Artists of Rappahannock Studio and Gallery Ibur.