“A Riot of Color” Exhibit Showcases Colorful Talent
Story by Emerson Leger
The Artists in Middleburg’s “A Riot of Color” will be on display from June 20 to July 19. The exhibit features 58 local artists.
Sandy Danielson, AiM’s executive director, says anyone is welcome to submit a piece for the gallery’s exhibits. “We support all skill levels,” she says.
Fritz Treyz won Best in Show for his piece, “A Splash of Color.” It depicts waves crashing against rocks, with hues of blue, flecks of gold sunrays, and an abundance of color.
He grew up painting as a boy, always depicting horses and airplanes. He served in the military, where he kept his art a secret. Now, Treyz paints all the time and likes to submit work to these exhibits.
“I love painting, and this particular painting excited me because there’s a saying that one does not paint nouns, they paint verbs,” he shares. Treyz adds that he wanted a lot of action to be shown in this work, which is why he incorporated a huge wave to grab the viewer’s attention.
Sarita Moffat, the juror for the exhibit, says she awarded this painting Best in Show for many reasons, but mainly for the amount of energy shown. “It’s well balanced, and it has a great composition. This show was ‘A Riot of Color,’ and when you look in there, there’s virtually every color you can think of,” she explains.
Glenn Heitz won third place for his piece, “Skyline Drive.” This was inspired by the national parkway of the same name, which he and his wife drive all year round. He pulled over to the side of the road, took out his easel, and painted the piece in two hours.
“Growing up, I was really only good at two things: art and sports,” he says. “The sports have kind of run their way, but the art has not, thank goodness.”
What stood out to Moffat was how much was packed into such a tiny painting. “I called it a masterclass in simplicity, and simplicity many artists try to achieve, but it’s really almost impossible,” she says.
Susan Gring was awarded an honorable mention for her piece, “Gold in the Blue Mountains.” The painting has tons of yellow and blue, which she says are her favorite colors. She adds she has been trying to change her style a bit, since she is not a trained artist, having worked in healthcare.
When asked what motivated her to submit this piece, she says, “I love landscape. I didn’t paint when I was in healthcare, but I was an avid gardener, with a very bad plant habit. I always wanted to buy plants, I always wanted to be in the garden, and that’s kind of a form of art in some ways.”
Stan Bysshe says he’s the “odd man out,” as he does photography, not painting. He won an honorable mention with his photograph titled, “Changing Colors.” Against a perfect green background, it features a young male summer tanager bird in the midst of morphing into his red adult color.
As a wilderness photographer, he says that nature supplies the art and he merely captures it with the click of a camera.
“If you’ve done it long enough, then you’re likely to get the right lighting, the right background, the right perch. [The bird has] got to stand there and have that lovely green out of focus background that’s far enough away,” he explains. “It’s amazing what nature will let you do.”
Head over to Middleburg to view and buy the artwork from this exhibit over the next month, and in doing so, support local artists. All proceeds go to the artist and the gallery. ML
Featured photo, left to right: Laura Hopkins, Stan Bysshe, Sandy Danielson, Susan Gring, Sarita Moffat, Fritz Treyz, and Glenn Heitz.
Posted on: July 1, 2026