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Local groups' effort to showcase county's history could become annual event.

 

	Skip and Lou Price of Village Frameworks anticipate as many as 500 visitors this weekend coming to meet artist Mort Künstler, who will sign prints of "Before the Ball" Saturday at The Depot.

Famous Civil War artist Mort Künstler recently completed "Before the Ball," one of the centerpieces of this weekend's "Remembrance Days" in Culpeper. Mr. Künstler will autograph any of the 200 prints sold this weekend at The Depot. Only 750 prints were made of the image, which portrays General J.E.B. Stuart helping his wife from a carriage at a ball in downtown Culpeper just prior to the Battle of Brandy Station.

Why have so many of your recent paintings concentrated on the Civil War?
I thought I'd do one paining on the Civil War and move on to other epic events. I specialize in historical subject matter. I did the 100th anniversary of the land rush out West, Custer's last stand, the fall of the Alamo and others. But I met a publisher and he made me an offer. He asked me to do more on the Civil War.

I also found out that there were so many things to portray in the Battle of Gettysburg that one painting wouldn't do it justice.

Have you ever been to Culpeper
Oh, yes, I've been to Culpeper several times for research. The first time around. . . with "Candlelight and Roses," I was involved in research.
I'm always interested in buildings. . . . Driving through Culpeper, I saw the courthouse and just left I had to do something with it. I found later that the courthouse had burned down and the one now was built in the early 1870s. So it was the false allure of the present courthouse (that led to "Before the Ball.")

  What kind of atmosphere do you like when you paint
I like quiet and background music. You have to be able to concentrate. I live in a quite environment. It's isolated, so I like it quiet.

What's the next image we can expect from you?
I'm working on a painting now, but I don't know when it will come out.

What does it deal with?
As of last, it's always been something to do with the Civil War. And this will be an event that took place near Fredericksburg. It may be a year before the prints are available.

Besides prints of "Before the Ball," what else will you have to sign this weekend?
My new book is out, "The Civil War Art of Mort Künstler." It's a coffee table book, but it' sso big they ought to sell it with four legs and call it the coffee table. It has every Civil War print I've ever done. There's at least 150 images in there.

How would you like for people to remember your work 100 years from now?
I don't give I much thought. People will judge it for what it is. I try to make each one as good as I can and let people think what they want.

I just want to open a window to the past and show people something they haven't seen before.

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