When you see a painting that intrigues you, do you ever wonder about how that painting got made?

The choices made by the artist? Where it was painted? How the paint was applied? What was the artist trying to say in the work? How did it evolve?

That's the theme of "Palette/Palate Study" opening Friday at the Lynden Gallery in Elizabethtown.

Ten artists were asked to reveal the process of their work, to open themselves up a bit.

 Show a photo of themselves and/or their studio. Present a work in different stages. Write an artist's statement.

Each one approached the task differently, just as they approach their art differently. Some supplied numerous tools to reveal themselves, while others left a little mystery intact.

The artists are: Eva Bender, Ruth Bernard, Robert Bitts, Susan Darling, Paul Flury, Janet Hammond, Robert Heilman, Joanne Landis, Robert Patierno, Florence Putterman, Annie Strickler, Brad Stroman, Ned Wert and Mark Workman.

Heilman, who paints in oils, explores the evolution of a work called "Late Winter, Lebanon County," a street-corner scene.

He shows three rough images of the scene, each one layering on more paint, becoming more defined.

"I like working in oil because there's a richness to the surface," he says. "The painting has depth."

He was hesitant about writing an artist's statement, though.

"Painters are painters because they're visual. They're not great writers," he says with a wry smile. "I'll talk about my work, but that's not the impetus, that's not what compels me to deal with the image."

Darling was "totally excited" about the exhibit.

"I always like galleries that give you an assignment," she says, explaining that she likes having to place her work into a context, to focus more.

"(This exhibit) shows how we work. A realist may not work the way you think. Same with an abstract artist," she says. "I like that. It helps people enjoy the work more."

Darling likes to work with collages, using all different kinds of materials.

That explains her "palette," which includes stamps, tissue paper, sewn pieces, clips and more.

"They are things I go back to again and again," Darling says.

She exhibits two completed works, one a study of bananas, the other a collage rich with design pieces.

In her written statement, she ponders the idea of art as food.

But like Heilman, Darling found the written statement a challenge.

 "I had to work on the artist's statement," she says. "I work very intuitively, but I ended up liking it. Art is a source of great joy for me. People might realize that when they see this."

Mark Workman goes all the way back to his initial inspiration for his two pieces, both paintings of fish. We see a photograph of a boy fishing, another of him cleaning the fish and several smaller pieces of fish and lemons on a plate.

 Robert Patierno offers a number of sketches that lead to his energetic still life. We see the notes he carries with him throughout the process.

Brad Stroman offers insight into his "Stones and Metal" series, offering written notes, explorations of different earth tones and a photograph of a drawer filled with tubes of paint.

Ned Wert explores how his abstract works come to life. We see sketches of the altar area of a grand cathedral that begin on a realistic level and then grows into abstraction.

His palette is a cafeteria tray, thick with paint and possibilities.

THAT'S THE TICKET

"Palette/Palate Study''

Opening jazz reception with the Gadjo Playboys, Fri. 5-8 p.m.

Reg. hours: Tues.-Sat. 9 a.m.-5 p.m.

Evenings by appt. Free

Lynden Gallery

117 S. Market St., Elizabethtown

367-9236
www.lyndengallery.com