Digital Painting Exhibit

The City of Gaithersburg presents a photography and digital painting exhibit featuring Nikhil Bahl, Angelique Raptakis and Susan Spangler at the Arts Barn.

Viewing hours are Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturday 1:30 to 5:30 p.m. An artists’ reception, open to the public, will introduce the collections on Tuesday, October 11, 2011 from 7 to 8:30 p.m.

Nikhil Bahl is a professional nature photographer, author, lecturer and workshop instructor. His fine art prints have been exhibited in galleries in the Washington metropolitan area, published in a number of print and electronic media, and included in many private collections. While his primary aim is to create art with his photographs, Bahl also strives to document the natural world with an eye toward conservation and education. This has led him to volunteer his time and photography skills with the National Park Service and U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. Bahl has a strong passion for guiding nature photography workshops and tours, with instruction focused on in-camera interpretation and developing personal vision, rather than simply following the traditional rules of photography. His goal is to inspire people to appreciate the splendor of nature by becoming more aware, and by transforming the mundane into the exciting through contemplative and artistic interpretation.

Angelique Raptakis is a photographer who reveals the details and elements of beauty in common places that are easily overlooked. Her pictures have been present in many art exhibits, private collections and published in various professional publications. Raptakis is a Maryland-based nature photographer, a committed volunteer photographer for the National Park Service, and has won several honors for her remarkable images of our natural world. She believes beauty is everywhere once we fully open our eyes to it. Her prints are created using RAW format, digitally optimized, and printed using archival materials. Raptakis’ photos capture the exquisiteness of the earth around us, from the colors of the setting sun, to the intricate patterns in the eye of a butterfly, to the grace of a withering floral bloom.

Susan Spangler is an award-winning graphic designer, illustrator, digital painter and poet. Many selections of her artwork have shown at Georgetown University, Montgomery College and local galleries. She has designed and illustrated publications for the National Institutes of Health and has two books for the general market, with the most recent being, "Old Age and Three Virtual Remissions," written by Raymond Day Watts. Spangler is drawn to stories and snapshots – the moment captured and the feeling and portrayal of the details of that time. A draw-er and painter by means of whatever is handy, she uses pencils, pens, chalk, brushes as well as computer drawing with a mouse on a Mac to create vibrant pieces of art. Her pictures are about identifying with daily life, and the memorable essence of family that illuminates home and dreams in and beyond words.