Middle Street Gallery: Home Page

Barbara Heile studied painting and received degrees (BA76 and MFA82) at American University in Washington, D.C. during a time when the faculty was still grounded and sensitive to the tradition of painting as embodied by artists who worked in a visual and refined expressive process.

She works primarily in oil and cold wax and began exploring acrylics in 2022.

Any medium that affords her a visual and painterly way into relationship with what she is feeling - and open to seeing - is her path.

Her approach is truly Aquarian in nature. Her work is original and she is open to the new; honoring of tradition she is not held by it. In earlier years the landscape had her full attention. This gave way to her interest in the abstract surface for its own sake, as expressive paint. The inner landscape of her felt sense is at present her main subject where new shapes come into painted form.

The paintings express joy and freedom and a depth of stillness through the healing qualities of color and light.

The directness and spontaneity of her approach, often using her hand directly to move the paint, can be felt in the surface and in the free interplay of color. She sees her way of painting as a path of expressive contemplation and is grateful for this way of loving the world as a visual artist.

Barbara has been actively showing in group and one person shows since the early 1980‘s and is a familiar face among artists in Rappahannock County. She enjoyed three years teaching Drawing and Painting at Lord Fairfax Community College in Warrenton, VA. Until its closing in 2015, she kept an active and open studio at River District Arts in Sperryville Her daily studio work now takes place at home.

Her natural call to painting supports her wish to share the experience of the mystery we all live in as human beings. A lifelong meditation practice supports the silent depth you can experience in even her smallest paintings. Her paintings have found homes around the world.

Being the mother of three independent and creative sons, raised in Rappahannock County, is by far her most rewarding life experience.

Barbara keeps an active diary of her work in progress on Instagram @bheileart ~~~thank you for looking! ~~~

MAUREEN STOREY

Maureen Storey is the owner and glass artist of storeyweaver designs in glass and is a Virginia Juried Artisan in fused glass of the Artisans Center of Virginia (ACV).

“Science is art and art is science. Both are my passion. My first career as a PhD nutrition scientist spanned 40 years and I held executive-level positions in the food industry, academia and trade associations. During this time, I traveled frequently within the United States and internationally. But in my spare time, I needed an outlet for my creative energy, and discovered glass art.

Now, I am experiencing an encore career as a glass artist. In creating fused glass and stained-glass artwork, I enjoy the freedom to express myself by creating beautiful, colorful works of art.

I create my glass art to share and reflect emotion, movement, and my interpretation of the world around me. My deep vessels, bowls and plates stand alone as works of art, yet each one is functional. For commissioned commemorative pieces, I work closely with clients to create a work of art that truly tells their story and conveys their feelings.”

Maureen’s artwork is currently on display at The Loft Gallery in Occoquan, VA; Middle Street Gallery, Washington, VA; and the Artists in Middleburg (AiM), Middleburg, VA. In 2021, Maureen’s deep vessel titled Tapestry, was awarded the first Weisser Glass Studio prize for Kiln Glass Exploration in the Creative Craft Council’s 2021 exhibit held at the Strathmore Mansion in Rockville, MD. Other juried shows have included the National Capital Art Glass Guild’s (NCAGG) Edge of Light and Wild Things exhibits and the Clarke County Historical Society’s Art at the Mill, Millwood, VA.

Maureen is a member of the Middle Street Gallery, Loft Gallery, Artists in Middleburg, NCAGG and the ACV. She is Vice President of the Board of Directors for AiM and was 2019 President of the NCAGG.

The gallery, www.middlestreetgallery.org and (540) 227-5066, is now located at 311 Gay Street, Lower Level, facing Main Street & across from Ballard’s Washington, VA.