A chance meeting led me to a new painter this week. One thing led to another, and before long I had scheduled a studio visit, one of the cool things an arts council director gets to do. The artist, Dan Cumpata, welcomed me into his house in Hagerstown. I’d been in the neighborhood before, lovely curving tree- lined streets full of nicely-tended homes and gardens. I’ve always been curious what sorts of lives went on inside those houses. I didn’t imagine that there’d be an artist’s studio the likes of which I saw in Dan’s house.
The entire house is full of art. Fabulous art. Everywhere. And Dan’s own huge and luminous landscapes dominate the collection. He showed me his painting studio, in the basement, where he paints, paints, paints into the wee small hours of the morning. He works with the same paints
he’s used for years. He keeps a pair of pliers handy for opening those tubes of European paint that haven’t been opened in a decade.
He’ll have an exhibition in our gallery in 2008. Watch for it. In the meantime, when you’re driving around town, imagine what sorts of fantastic creativity might be happening around you. I’m inspired by the possibilities.
The entire house is full of art. Fabulous art. Everywhere. And Dan’s own huge and luminous landscapes dominate the collection. He showed me his painting studio, in the basement, where he paints, paints, paints into the wee small hours of the morning. He works with the same paints
he’s used for years. He keeps a pair of pliers handy for opening those tubes of European paint that haven’t been opened in a decade.
He’ll have an exhibition in our gallery in 2008. Watch for it. In the meantime, when you’re driving around town, imagine what sorts of fantastic creativity might be happening around you. I’m inspired by the possibilities.
2 comments:
This is happening in Hagerstown? You've got to be kidding.
Is he new to town? I don't know why we hear about all these artists around but we never see them. They should do a mural or something to tell people that we have artists here, like they did in Frederick.
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