November 21st, 2023-January 27th, 2024
This solo exhibition of 2022 National Juried Exhibition winner, Delmus Phelps' art will be on display in our Braaten Gallery and Hallway.
An artist reception and gallery talk will take place on Friday, December 8th at 6pm here at Bower Center for The Arts in Bedford, Virginia
If you couldn't attend the reception, no worries! Find Delmus Phelps' artist talk HERE.
Meet the Artist - Delmus Phelps 
Delmus’ lifelong pursuit of learning how to create art resulted from a friendship with a classmate who, at 6 years of age, was already an artist who came from a large family of artists. Through elementary and middle school, Delmus was the “artist in his family” and prior to entering high school received painting lessons from Howard Coleman at the Lynchburg Art Club. The encouragement of high school art teachers Mrs. Williams and Mrs. Thompson led him to have art selected for the yearbook cover, theater sets, and winning a statewide wildlife poster contest. During six years in the Air Force in Germany he fixed radios, and painted castles on the Rheine, kids in lederhosen, and friend portraits. When he returned home, he worked during the day, and painted at night, landscapes and still-lifes. A visit to see his son in Key West included gallery where he saw a large-scale floral painting by Greek artists Vangelis Andriotakis. This began a new way of seeing flowers and eventually to the close-up angles depicted in so many of Delmus’ paintings.
Artist Statement
Like most artists, I've always been better communicating visually (through my paintings) than with words. But I'll try to give you a little insight into what drives me.
Things of beauty. It's just that simple.
I create my paintings out of need. It's not something I have much choice with.
Painting is my drug. When I'm not painting, I'm grumpy, irritable, distant, and moody. When painting, I'm in my element. All is right with the world.
It makes me feel whole and human.
I feel my work has a great importance to it also. It forces us to stop and take a look at the beauty that surrounds us everywhere. To allow light and color to touch that part of us that says we are alive, and that these fleeting moments shown in my work can be forever captured on the canvas.
To be enjoyed over and over when we need to have a few moments of peace and joy.
My inspiration comes and flows naturally. I see images all the time that I make note
of to put to canvas.
Many ideas I don't have time for at the present but are cataloged in my mind and my art journal for future work.
Exhibit Gallery
