William T. and Harriet Butterworth (Class of 1951) Miller Gallery and Thomas Sully Gallery

20 February–6 September 2026

Close to Home features twenty-five paintings by Richmonder Andras Bality (b. 1963). Capturing the breadth and depth of the Commonwealth’s natural and man-made beauty, the paintings’ imagery spans from Tidewater to Appalachia. Bound together as a body of work by curiosity and wonder — and an aesthetic lineage tracing artists from the nineteenth and twentieth centuries — Bality offers a sublime visual poetry of place.

Bality’s work finds its anchor in the education he received at Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU), where he earned a BFA in painting and printmaking with a minor in art history. The combination of figurative and abstract approaches used by VCU art department founder Theresa Pollak (American, 1899–2002) and alumna Nell Blaine (American, 1922–1996) spoke to him and solidified his own approach. While at VCU, Bality studied at Winchester College of Art (Winchester, England). After graduation, he attended the Cyprus College of Art (Lempa, Cyprus), where he studied plein-air painting with Tom Watt (Scottish, b. 1951). Painting from nature proved crucial in seeing and capturing the essence of what he wanted to paint. Bality continues the practice of painting outdoors, either finishing works completely or making sketches that he later uses in his studio.

Pictured: Andras Bality, Rockbridge Valley, 2025. Oil on canvas, 30 x 36 in. Photograph courtesy of the artist.