About the Author

A full-time artist since 1996, Dan Bartges is a recognized expert on color, lecturing at the Smithsonian American Art Museum in Washington, D. C., the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts and other venues. About COLOR IS EVERYTHING, he says, “This book has just one purpose: to show you how to master color.  Whether a beginner or advanced painter, understanding color will greatly improve the work of any painter or craft enthusiast.”

Bartges paints mostly in oils, sometimes in watercolors.  His landscapes and still lifes have been acquired by private collectors across the country and by a number of Fortune 500 companies including Marriott, Capital One, Markel, Lockheed Martin, Media General, Performance Food Group and Owens & Minor.  His artwork has appeared in international and national exhibitions, in various publications and in national retail catalogs and stores from Smith & Hawken to WalMart.

He has conducted art workshops for cancer patients, held weekly art classes for prison inmates and lectured on 19th century art.  Bartges earned a B. A. from Hampden-Sydney College (VA), an M. A. from the University of Richmond (VA), and has studied under several prominent artists, at the Modlin School of Art (U. of Richmond) and the Studio School of the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts.  He resides in Virginia with his family and enjoys tennis, squash, bicycling and classic movies.