Bart Dluhy

Artist Statement

Bart Dluhy (b. 1968, Pennsylvania) is an abstract painter known for his fusion of woodworking and painting in which he uses layers to work into and build upon wood surfaces. Using acrylic paint as a base, he adds other media and materials to alter the physical characteristics of the paint to achieve unexpected results. Bart’s method and materials allow him to explore and critique the dichotomy of human agency vs. subordination to chance.

What sets Bart’s work apart from other abstract painters are his materials and processes. He combines acrylic paint with glue, resin, chalk pastel, tape, and/or fibers on wood panels to withstand or surrender to his additive and subtractive techniques. Bart employs routers, sanders, grinders, drills, chisels, and other industrial implements to manipulate the surfaces of the multiple layers found in his paintings, exposing aspects of previous layers as if conducting an archeological expedition.

Some of the motifs found in Bart’s works include circles, lines, arcs, disparate color combinations, and exposing of the raw wood underneath. Contrast is evident in his paintings, often juxtaposing dark and light, organic and geometric shapes, delicacy and harshness, or clarity and sublime among other strategies. The materials, techniques, and concepts Bart uses emphasize the serendipitous nature of the results which capture the balance between planning and abandon. 

www.bartdluhy.com | Instagram: @bartfineart

Biography

Born in Pennsylvania in 1968 and currently living and working in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia, Bart brings a diverse academic background to his artistic practice, holding two Bachelor of Fine Arts degrees, a Master of Education, and a Master of Fine Arts. He is represented by Viridian Gallery in the Chelsea district of New York City. Over the past two decades, his work has been featured in three solo exhibitions and numerous juried and invitational shows across the United States.

Bart’s current practice centers on abstraction, employing a wide range of materials including acrylic, resin, glue, pastel, and wood. His process is defined by both additive and subtractive methods, utilizing traditional tools alongside non-traditional implements such as drills, sanders, and other industrial devices. This physically engaged approach produces a distinctly layered aesthetic, one that reveals traces of its own making and invites viewers to sense the energy, labor, and immediacy embedded within each work.

The conceptual foundation of Bart’s practice emerges from an ongoing inquiry into the dynamic interplay between control and chance. Personal experiences have prompted a sustained reflection on the limits of agency, leading him to question the extent to which individuals can truly direct outcomes. While human intention initiates action, the unfolding of events often exceeds one’s grasp, shaped by circumstance and unpredictability. Bart’s work navigates this tension, examining both the impulse to assert control and the generative possibilities that arise when control is relinquished. His compositions become sites of negotiation—between intention and accident, structure and spontaneity—ultimately embracing the creative potential inherent in uncertainty.