North Newton artist Susan Bartel defines what it means to be an appreciator of “the underappreciated art” through her watercolor paintings featured in Hesston College’s Regier Friesen Gallery, located in the Friesen Center for Visual Arts, through Oct. 17.
A reception and chance to meet the artist will be from 4 to 6 p.m., Thursday, Sept. 11, in the gallery.

“Painting is my way of exploring the world, whether it’s capturing the light at that just-right second, or exploring the details often overlooked,” Bartel explains.
Her paintings capture the beauty of color portrayed in paintings of flowers, the rolling hills and the sky.

Bartel received an A.A. in commercial art from Pikes Peak Community College (Colorado Springs) and a B.A. from Bethel College (North Newton). She also spent time as a freelance illustrator, providing artwork for science textbooks, book covers, and magazines.

Bartel is represented by the Kansas Water Color Society and operates her own gallery at The Carriage Factory Art Gallery in Newton and online at susanbartel.wordpress.com.

The Regier Freisen Gallery is open from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday.