Three new artists to visit on Rappahannock’s annual Fall Art Tour
By Andrea Salley and Heather Wicke
The annual Fall Art Tour, sponsored by the Rappahannock Association for Arts and Community (RAAC) continues to be a driving force in Rappahannock’s art community, attracting new artists year after year.
For the 20th anniversary of the tour on November 1 and 2, three new artists will open their studios to showcase their unique work: Dennis Barry, a wood artist making furniture and stained-glass lamps; Kathy Stewart, a painter of landscapes and still life; and Al Regnery, a wood craftsman making Windsor-style chairs.
Each has engaging stories to tell about their art, what drew them to Rappahannock County, and their activities in the County. Don’t miss meeting them on the tour and seeing their fine art.
Meet Dennis Barry
Barry purchased his cabin on Mount Marshall Road in 1999. He was a weekender until retiring from his law practice in 2014.
Retirement gave him time to develop his longstanding interest in woodworking, which he had previously “tinkered” with. He took an intensive basic woodworking course in Rockport, Maine and then embarked on his first big project — transforming an outbuilding on his property into his year-round workshop.
Nine years ago, he completed his first project with hardwood joinery — a walnut pedestal. Increasingly, he took on more ambitious projects learning by trial and error. Sam Dwyer, a master woodworker in Old Hollow, served as his mentor whenever Barry needed advice or instruction. In October 2024, Barry joined Middle Street Gallery, a collection of prominent artists in the county, where his small tables and wooden base lamps are displayed.
Rappahannock life
Growing up in Washington, D.C., Barry became acquainted with the area as a youngster. He camped in Shenandoah National Park and continued to visit the park while attending law school at the University of Virginia. Those connections led to his purchase of a cabin in Rappahannock.
Barry served on the Board of Rapp at Home from 2016 – 2022, rejoined in 2024, and currently serves as its fundraising committee chair. He is also a loyal member of the “Lunch Bunch.”
See more of his work on his Studio page.
Meet Kathleen Waller Stewart
Stewart moved to Rappahannock County in 2020 to begin her second career as a painter. Although she did not know anyone in the county, she “was drawn to Rappahannock by the sheer and boundless beauty of the place.”
After 23 years of practicing oncology in Clarke County, Stewart decided to retire early from the medical career that she loved to pursue her other passion — creating art. She attended a four-year arts program at the Studio Incamminati in Philadelphia to study contemporary realist painting.
Stewart currently enjoys both plein air (outdoor) painting and studio work (still-life and figure). Her enthusiasm for plein airpainting is so great that she takes to the road, twice a year for a month, living out of her truck and painting all over the country.
Her work can be viewed on her Instagram account @kathywallerstewart.
Rappahannock life
Stewart volunteers at the Sperryville Volunteer Rescue Squad where she is an Advanced EMT.
See more of Kathleen’s work on her Studio page.
Meet Alfred Regnery
Since childhood, woodworking and music were Regnery’s favorite hobbies. He started making tables and cabinets while in law school.
Regnery became intrigued with making chairs because of their relative difficulty. “[The] angles are all different, gluing and clamping is always tricky, and getting them straight and in line can be evasive,” he said. He particularly enjoys copying unusual or rare Windsors, from the period 1720 to 1820. He has even crafted replicas of a couple of chairs used by the Founders when drafting the Constitution, built around the same time as his Rappahannock house.
Regnery uses different types of wood for his Windsor chairs: cherry, walnut, maple, hickory and ash, mostly cut locally. He finishes the chairs with linseed or tang oil, shellac and bees wax, similar to the way chairs were finished in the 18th century.
“The undertaking is enormously satisfying—unlike so many things we all do every day, you can actually see—and admire—the results of your efforts in very tangible terms,” he said.
Rappahannock life
Regnery moved to Rappahannock in 2012 with his wife, Audrey, renovating and restoring an 18th century home that “needed lots of work.”
He currently serves on the Foothills Forum board and teaches civics and the Constitution to high school seniors at Chelsea Academy in Front Royal. He and Audrey raise Bresse chickens, ducks, geese, Heritage turkeys, and Katahdin sheep on their farm.
See more of his work on his Studio page.
Andrea Salley is co-chair of the annual Fall Art Tour. Both she and Heather Wicke are board members of the Rappahannock Association for Arts and Community (RAAC).
Plan Your Studio and Gallery Visits in Advance
Previews of all the Tour artists’ work are available on our Gallery and Studio pages.
The printable Tour map will be available on the website one week prior to the Tour. Maps and information will also be available at the Main Gallery, the Rappahannock County Visitors Center and other local businesses on the Tour weekend.