Self-taught mixed media artist Angel Tighe creates whimsically vibrant pieces
On a quiet Saturday afternoon in December, Angel Tighe sat in her studio space at Art Studio 81 in Old Town Warrenton. Waning afternoon sunlight spilled from the large southwest-facing windows of the two-hundred-year-old building. Music played softly in the background.
She was working on a large Japanese piece called maneki-neko, or beckoning cat, believed to bring about good luck and fortune.
She applied pink acrylic paint to the background of dogwood tree blossoms with a wide brush and shared her painting process. Angel begins most pieces by adding gesso paint, a surface primer, in thick layers, building up areas of the canvas to create texture. She then adds a background color before sketching in her design.
Behind her hung more than a dozen pieces of her work, from penguins to cats, to flowers, and even a trendy highland cow. Each with vibrantly contrasting colors.
Angel is a lifetime creative, but has only honed her craft over the past five years.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Angel Tighe focused on her art. “I have always been artistic, and during COVID, I took online classes and workshops to fine-tune my art,” she said. “There was a lot of experimentation and failure before I found my style,” she said.
Her style is one of whimsy, bright colors, and melancholic pieces—especially her acrylic patch bear pieces. “At one show, a woman told me that my patch bears made her sad, but she wasn’t looking at them the right way. They were plush toys loved almost beyond recognition and kept together with patches and buttons, and a lot of love. After she understood the meaning of the bears, she saw them differently,” said Angel.
Each piece begins with a sketch on paper or using a software program, followed by color blocking. “I play with the colors, and if I don’t like how I start out, I cover over it, which is easy to do using acrylic paints,” she said. To get her colors to be as vibrant as they are, she applies as many as four layers. “I work on several pieces at one time to allow for drying,” said Angel, whose pieces can take as little as two hours and as many as ten to complete and range in sizes from smaller watercolors that are only 9” x 12”, to acrylics that measure 30” x 40”.
The most challenging pieces are the commissions. “I work very hard to evoke the personality of the subject, often a pet, and sometimes that takes a little while to capture,” she said.
It was not long after people stepped out after COVID that Angel, inspired by her fifteen-year-old daughter River, signed up for her first art show. “It was very intimidating to put my art on display. I felt very vulnerable, but people were very receptive to my art.”
Since then, she continues to participate in local art shows and sells her work in galleries in Fredericksburg, Middleburg, and Sterling. When word spread in Warrenton that local art advocate Florence Jones wanted to open an artist collective, she jumped at the opportunity to help.
Today, Angel is one of five resident artists at Art Studio 81 in Old Town Warrenton, where artists feed off of one another’s creative energy and learn from each other. “There is a lot to gain by being in the company of other creatives. There is a certain energy that is contagious and inspiring.”
Angel staffs the Art Studio 81 on Fridays from 3:00 – 7:00 p.m. “When the studio is open, we welcome the public to come through and watch us work, ask questions, and learn more about our art style and art in the community,” she said. The studio also has a running list of events to help cultivate the next generation of artists.
The Art Studio opened in October, and in January, it will expand when Angel takes over an adjacent studio space, where Angel will continue creating her endearing pieces that sometimes become an extension of her mood. “Painting is an escape for me,” she says. “Each piece develops its own personality, often depending on my mood. Painting always makes a difficult day better,” she added.
The Art Studio 81 is open: Thursday, Saturday, and Sunday from 12:00 – 4:00 p.m. and Friday from 3:00 – 7:00 p.m. and is located at 81 Main Street, Warrenton.
Angel Tighe’s art is available online at www.angelfeathersstudio.com.
Taylor Boyd’s Art Available in All Sizes
Taylor Boyd’s name may be familiar to residents of Warrenton. Not only does she have studio space on North 5th Street, but in the summer and fall of 2023, she painted the large mural at the top of Culpeper Street, named You Are Home.
She was chosen for the project because of her unique and creative style, said Joelle Fryman, Director of Experience Old Town Warrenton.
Boyd is also a native of Fauquier County. She grew up here and was homeschooled before attending Marshall Middle School and graduating from Fauquier High School. She then relocated to Virginia Beach where she attended Virginia Wesleyan College, now University, and earned a degree in fine arts and communications.
She worked as a graphic designer but didn’t enjoy sitting behind a desk. “I was always painting on the side and would sell pieces as I finished them. I knew I could make it a full-time career if I dedicated the time,” she said. When Haute Cakes moved onto Main Street at the end of 2022, the timing was right for Boyd to move in.
Today, her studio showcases a wide variety of artwork, many with bright vibrant colors, other pieces in charcoal, and still others a mixed media of leaves, wood, gold leafing, and more. Her pieces fit every budget, and prints allow every shopper to leave with the piece they fell in love with.
She is also active in building the next generation of artists with her workshops and participation on the Warrenton Arts Commission as the commission’s Vice President.
Nearly two years ago, Boyd was approached by the Warrenton Director of Community Development, Rob Walton, and Planning Manager, Denise Harris, about a new group they were interested in forming. “It was something they saw in other communities to support local arts and felt it filled a gap here in Warrenton. Having grown up here, I knew there was a lack of resources for artists,” said Boyd.
The new group, the Warrenton Arts Commission (WAC), hit the ground running. “One of the first projects they hoped to have done was a mural on the wall at the top of Culpeper Street. Ironically, I was set to start my mural in September of 2023. So we focused our attention to the steps and the large retaining wall on Horner Street,” she said. The “Warrenton is for Dreamers” mural was 2 years in the making and the Commission finished the mural this past summer.
The second mural was the one on the Horner Street retaining wall. That one took longer, but the commission finished the mural this past summer.
Boyd believes community art inspires passersby and sparks the imagination. But she needs little inspiration; she sees art everywhere. During our call, crows flew through the sky and the contrast of dark against bright blue struck her as a moment of beauty.
Taylor’s most recent project was a smaller scale than the “You Are Home” mural. She illustrated a children’s book written by The Open Book owner, Cammie Fuller. “Tickles the Mouse: A Warrenton Tall Tale” is about the flourishing hidden village of tiny houses, schools, bakeries, and families, the inhabitants of which all happen to be mice. The Mouse Village has always been a secret, until one sweet and silly mouse named Tickles accidentally reveals… everything. Copies are available at The Open Book and can be ordered at Bookshop.com.
Taylor welcomed her third child in August and has reduced studio hours until the holidays arrive when they will be expanded.
Visit Taylor Boyd’s Studio at 7 North 5th Street, Warrenton.
October 7, 2025
New studios, events coming for Warrenton artists
By Aimee O’Grady
The art scene in and around Warrenton is growing.
New studios and events are on the horizon, nurtured in part by members of the Warrenton Arts Commission, an organization formed to support, inspire, foster and promote artistic endeavors.
The Horner Street mural, Warrenton is for Dreamers, for example, is among the commission’s recent projects. And the recent First Friday was designed as a proof of concept for making September’s theme arts-based going forward. It was an idea pitched by Carlton Shutt of Premier Hospitality, who helps manage First Friday events with Allegro Community School of the Arts.
Jessica Beach, Brumfield Elementary‘s art teacher and president of the arts council, said interest in the arts is on the rise.
“Warrenton has always been a vibrant town full of creative and innovative thinkers,” she said. “Having grown up in the area, I have enjoyed the beauty of our community my whole life. The Warrenton Arts Commission is thrilled to see our artists uniting to do wonderful things for our town.”
New spaces for artists are also beginning to take shape.
Florence Jones, of the Warrenton Artist Collective, is developing a shared artist studio and gallery in photographer Sunny Reynolds’ North Fifth Street studio, which will include a gallery. The concept will include space for visiting artists and open studio time. The collective will offer the community both a creative hub and opportunities to watch art being made.
Farther down Fifth Street, near the Greenway walking path, owner Christine Hitchcock envisions a transformation of the old Warrenton Planing Mill into an artists’ compound. Ceramist Laura Coates has leased space at 71 S. Fifth St. to open Orchid Studio and Gallery.
“I knew a studio would need 100% of my attention, so I left where I was teaching pottery to focus on getting it set up full-time,” she said.
Coates plans to host workshops for local ceramists and provide gallery space for their finished work.
September 27, 2025
En Plein Air Event
September 4, 2025
No Box to Check
For local creative EJ Peter, things aren’t black and white. There are a lot of grays—or rather, for EJ, there is a lot of color.
EJ was born near D.C. in Alexandria and considered Springfield home. He comes from an Iraqi family: first-generation American on his mother’s side and second on his father’s. His striking and distinctive features have often prompted the question, “Where are you from?” more than once.
“My identity is somewhat ambiguous. Born in the U.S. into a Christian Iraqi family, there was never a corner for me to run to. I found myself asking, Who am I? while growing up and dealt with a lot of harassment,” said Peter.
This yearning for identity is what shaped Peter’s life. “I have no box to check,” he said, referring to the forms and applications that never quite captured who he is.
A Creative Through and Through
Peter picked up his first instrument when he was only eight. Always a solo artist, he dove into grunge and rock before becoming a DJ. At 18, he moved to San Diego, where he performed at open mic shows. Although naturally introverted, Peter comes alive on stage. After a brief move to San Francisco, he returned to Virginia and eventually settled in Fauquier County after the COVID pandemic.
While his preferred medium is music, he also loves cursive and calligraphy. His album covers often feature his original artwork.
When the Warrenton Arts Commission (WAC) began planning the Horner Street mural, they invited Peter to a meeting. With experience in managing community projects, he helped guide the team toward a shared vision. “I am good at navigating balance when people are lost in polarity,” he explained. His leadership and vision helped the mural project take shape, and he soon became a dedicated WAC volunteer.
“I really enjoy seeing people be inspired, and this project has inspired the community in a variety of ways—artistically and through pride of place,” he said. “I like to cultivate a healthy culture, and this project accomplished that.”
Cultivating Art
During his years out West, Peter nourished what he calls the “underground garden of music and art” by handing out wildflower seed packets at his shows. “The premise is that by giving away seeds, if people plant them, eventually something will grow.” And it did. “The places where I have traveled have really blossomed with respect to the music scene.”
His alias, The Flaurist—pronounced florist—is a layered play on words: a nod to the wildflower seeds he has sown, a reference to alchemy and transformation, and a wink at the metallic symbol for gold, Au. Like gold, Peter has proven to be malleable, adaptable, and enduring.
No Box, Just Growth
For EJ Peter, identity and artistry can’t be confined to a single label or category. His music, his art, and his community work all reflect his belief that growth comes from planting seeds—sometimes in the soil, sometimes in the spirit.
And like the wildflowers he shares, his work continues to take root, surprising, inspiring, and flourishing in unexpected places.
July 2, 2025 Fauquier Times
Wall art inspired by history, interpreted by kids, painted by pros
June 4, 2025 Fauquier Times
Free Little Art Gallery opens at Warrenton Town Hall
By Aimee O’Grady Contributing Writer
June 2, 2025 Fauquier NOW
Fauquier welcomes its second Free Little Art Gallery at Warrenton’s Town Hall
August 11, 2024 Fauquier NOW
Warrenton Arts Commission seeks local artists for mural project
December 15, 2024 Warrenton Lifestyle
Fauquier County: A Hotbed of Artistic Ability where the Warrenton Arts Commission has big plans for the community
By Pam Kamphuis and Grace Schumacher for Warrenton Lifestyle
The Warrenton Arts Commission 