PRESS RELEASE – FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
ARLINGTON, Va. — An American Artist exhibit by Barry Barnett Keith opened at the FOHTA Gallery on Fri., Oct. 2, 2026, to much applause. The award-winning artist and author of Deliverance, Book One of his new Christian Sci-Fi Trilogy Rise from Despair, regards art in high regard.
“I view art as an appreciation for life,” says Keith, a painter, illustrator, muralist, and teacher who celebrates more than 30 years of sobrietry.
He knows about overcoming the despair that comes with drug and alcohol abuse. The main character of the new novel, Deliverance, is Frank Carson, whom Keith has developed based on his personal experiences living in the D.C. area as a young adult during the 1980s-era War on Drugs (and the poor).
His writing and art, focused on faith, relationships, and justice, are acts of gratitude for life, and his characters reflect the pulse of his community. He began drawing comic superheroes at an early age for his classmates in Alexandria, Virginia. As a boy, he studied the paintings of Michelangelo and da Vinci, and was fascinated by French Impressionists painters like Monet and Whistler.
After graduating from T.C. Williams High School, he attended the University of Delaware Art School, majoring in Painting, Drawing, and English, thereby embarking upon a divine path to fulfill his life purpose.
As part of the Arlington Artists Alliance, his art has been featured on WJLA ABC7 News for Crystal City’s Art Underground. His personal story, “The Road from Recovery to Art,” was a cover feature and full-length article in The Arlington Connection.
Keith will discuss his new book and exhibit on-air live, Sat., Oct 3, 2026, 9:30PM, with Moon Man & the Fun Bunch, WOL RadioOne 95.9-FM / 1450-AM; online at https://woldcnews.com/listen-live/
Kindle: https://a.co/d/0aKETL62
Contact:
Aisha Asare
Publisher@rgminternational.org