Local artists take center stage in Middleburg exhibit

A new exhibition opening in Middleburg this winter invites visitors to slow down, look closely and reconnect with art as a physical experience.

Artists & Artisans, a collection of 15 environmental portraits by noted Loudoun County photographer Philip Ulanowsky, will be on view Saturday and Sunday, Jan. 24 and 25, from noon to 5 p.m. at the Artists in Middleburg Gallery, 102 W. Washington St. The exhibit features local fine artists and crafts experts photographed in settings that reflect their creative lives and working philosophies.

Ulanowsky will be present at the gallery both days, and at 3 p.m. he will offer a brief presentation about the project, followed by a question-and-answer session.

The artists included in the exhibit were selected for the exceptional quality of their work, and the portraits were created collaboratively over the course of 2025. The project marks a new direction in Ulanowsky’s portraiture, focusing on representational artists rather than abstract ones, and artisans whose practices are rooted in tradition. Each portrait aims to suggest something of the subject’s outlook on their own work, creating a visual dialogue between the artist and the environment in which they create.

To deepen that connection, website addresses for each artist accompany the portraits, allowing visitors to explore the subjects’ work and better understand the relationship between the finished art and the person behind it. The range of subjects is broad, spanning disciplines from ballet instruction and painting to music, woodworking, piano tuning and sculpture.

Technically, the project is equally rooted in tradition. Ulanowsky used a view camera—an instrument known for its precision as well as its constraints—and photographed exclusively in black and white. A film photographer for decades, he produces each silver-gelatin print by hand in the darkroom, emphasizing craftsmanship at every stage of the process.

“You truly can’t appreciate the quality of any traditional art images on a screen,” says Ulanowsky. “The quality of the material, the way it is affected by light, the way it appears under ambient light, the relation of detail to the overall composition—you simply need to be there. Fine photographic prints are no exception.”

Visitors will have another reason to linger. A membership exhibit by Artists in Middleburg will be on view at the gallery at the same time, offering an opportunity to experience a variety of artistic media in person.

Together, the exhibitions underscore a central theme of Artists & Artisans—art is not just something to scroll past, but something to stand in front of, absorb and experience—up close and in real time.