The Ohio Artist Registry (OAR) is an exciting opportunity for artists to share their work, connect with the creative community, and establish an online presence—all on a free, virtual platform! The OAR encourages artists working in all art forms, throughout Ohio and beyond, to create a profile, which allows them to better promote themselves and their work. Being listed in the OAR provides artists with new opportunities to share their work with clients, galleries, patrons, and audiences. A listing in the OAR does not confer an endorsement, approval, or verification by the Ohio Arts Council.
For more information, contact Kathy Signorino, artist programs director, at kathy.signorino@oac.ohio.gov or 614-728-6140.
2024 Ohio Artist Registry Juried Exhibition
Brian Ballenger
Artist/PainterBio
Brian grew up in London, Ohio, where he was first exposed to art in his high school art classes. He started painting with oils at Wittenberg University in Springfield, Ohio, where he graduated with a Bachelors of Arts degree in Art and Psychology. Brian then earned a Master of Arts degree in Expressive Therapies from Lesley University, Cambridge, Massachusetts.
Brian Ballenger is represented since 2014 by Sharon Weiss Gallery, Columbus. He has exhibited in a variety of group exhibitions, including the 2021 and 2018 National Midyear Exhibitions at The Butler Institute of American Art in Youngstown, Ohio, the 2022, 2019, and 2018 Fine Arts Exhibitions at the Ohio State Fair in Columbus, “Ohio Paint/Print/Photo” at the Dairy Barn Art Center, Athens, Ohio, in 2019, and the 2022 and 2021 Annual Juried Members’ Exhibition at the Springfield Museum of Art, Springfield, Ohio.
Venues for solo exhibitions have included the Faculty Club of The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio, in 2020, Sharon Weiss Gallery in 2017, and the Ann Miller Gallery at Wittenberg University, Springfield, Ohio, also in 2017.
Brian has a solo exhibition at Sharon Weiss Gallery, Columbus, Ohio, in November 2022.
Artist Statement
Artist Brian Ballenger has always been drawn to the abstract and his painting approach has grown from this perspective into a distinct artistic style. His painting subject has evolved to focus on brushstrokes, working wet on wet with oil paints applied in individual brushstrokes on top of backgrounds from a variety of subjects. The source material or starting point for a painting can come from an abstract idea or be inspired by a photographic image or the paintings of master artists, such as Pierre Bonnard, J. M. W. Turner, and Marsden Hartley. The technique of material capture as brushstrokes are dragged through the wet oil paint underneath figures prominently and communicates depth and light that shifts with the viewer’s perspective. Each brushstroke contains its unique blend of color and texture, telling its own story.
Portfolio
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