GETTYSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA, USA, August 16, 2016 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Gettysburg National Military Park’s Artist-in-Residence for the month of August will returning painter Ted Walsh, of Vineland, NJ. Walsh is a realist painter whose work has a touch of strange desolation and melancholy that cuts against any sort of easy nostalgia or breezy Americana. Walsh was previously an artist-in-residence at Gettysburg in 2015, and is stoked by the return opportunity. He says: “Spending last September in Gettysburg was great! I grew a lot as an artist, and appreciate the support of everyone involved, the rangers and other staff. Gettysburg has a unique ambiance that is great to work in.” He plans to continue a project series of imagery at the park. “I'm really pleased to continue working on an ongoing series of paintings based on my time in the park.” says Walsh. This is one of many summer residency programs available at Gettysburg National Military Park this year. There will be a total of eight artist residents in 2016.

The National Parks Arts Foundation (NPAF), a 501(c)3 non-profit, is excited to continue and expand this program with the National Park Service at Gettysburg National Military Park and the Gettysburg Foundation to provide the Gettysburg National Military Park Artist-in-Residence program. The artist will spend half of August and the first half of September, 2016 at the park, working and chatting with the public as he paints in plein air. He is energized by the repeat opportunity to teach and learn from the Park’s visitors, says Walsh: “It’s been a lifelong goal to be this involved with Gettysburg National Military Park. And I am thankful for the rare encore opportunity to create art in this place.”

Walsh will meet with park visitors at the Park’s First Fridays program, held the first Friday of the month. The Artist-in-Residence will talk and give an informal painting demo and share some of his work on Friday, September 2nd from 5 to 8 pm at the Gettysburg Lincoln Railroad Station.

Walsh was 2015‘s September Resident at Gettysburg, and enjoyed the experience so much that he wanted to do it again. Walsh, like many artists from the northeast, has been drawn to the Gettysburg Battlefield since he first went there as a child. He vividly remembers the Phillipoteaux’s Cyclorama painting at the Park. “I have been interested in these historical images of the battle and the history surrounding the battle of Gettysburg since I was a child, and, as an artist, I have walked the battlefields, with paints in hand, until I found the exact spots where these artists stood to take in the depth of the place and start their work. He’s always been curious about working the spirit of place of the battlefield into his own painstaking realist work. “I have spent years studying the technical practices of past artists, and infusing my own work with a comprehension of the way painting systems evolve over time. I believe that this method of working with art and history gives me a unique perspective to study culture of painting that surrounds the national historic site at Gettysburg.”

The artist, who is originally from New Jersey, holds an MFA in painting from from the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts in Philadelphia. He has had numerous Solo Shows, among them Beacon Art, Stone Harbor NJ, Featured Artist; Beacon Artist Union, Beacon NY, Ted Walsh/New Paintings; Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, Philadelphia PA, Spaces Passed Through: New Paintings by Ted Walsh; Beacon Art, Stone Harbor NJ, Featured Artist; Riverfront Renaissance Center for the Arts, Millville, NJ, Solo Exhibit; Beacon Art, Stone Harbor NJ, Featured Artist; Artists' House Gallery, Philadelphia PA, Featured Artist; Artists' House Gallery, Philadelphia PA, Featured Artist. He is also the recipient of a grant from Canada’s Elizabeth Greenshields Foundation in Montreal. He was also NPAF's first resident at the First State National Historic Park in Wilmington Delaware. 

The program is offered thanks to the input and support of the National Park Service and the Gettysburg Foundation whose joint efforts make the park the foremost visitor destination for those interested in the epic history of the American Civil War. 

"We are happy to welcome Ted Walsh back to Gettysburg for a second stint as our artist in residence," said Ed W. Clark, superintendent of Gettysburg National Military Park. “Gettysburg’s monuments and battlefield landscapes continue to inspire visitors and artists, as they have for generations. Ted will be helping us engage park visitors and the Gettysburg community through his paintings and work.” 

Gettysburg Foundation President Joanne Hanley said, Gettysburg Foundation President Joanne M. Hanley stated, “We are always looking for innovative ways to tell the Gettysburg story. The Artist-In-Residence program encourages visitors to think creatively and perceive the battlefield in a different way. We look forward to welcoming Ted Walsh and seeing Gettysburg National Military Park through his unique vision.” The work of these artists will be a great addition to the crucial Park Service missions of interpretation and visitor outreach. 

Cecilia Wainright
National Parks Arts Foundation
505 715 5492
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