March Shows at McGuffey Art Center

[Elizabeth Howard]

Sarah B. Smith Gallery
March 7 – March 30

Jane Skafte

Can’t See the Forest

 

[caption id="attachment_39917" align="aligncenter" width="700"] Butterfly Bush, gouache[/caption]

A show about trees: changing our point of view and experience of light. Shinrin-yoku is the Japanese word for “taking in the forest atmosphere,” a rejuvenating form of health care, and Komorebi is the Japanese word for the experience of filtered sunlight through tree canopies. Art requires a recognition of patterns, which then enhance skills of observation. Aesthetically pleasing representations of nature serve a purpose beyond being objects of beauty: they spark awareness of environmental issues. In this exhibition, Jane seeks to convey a sense of reverence for nature’s intrinsic value and fragile beauty as the viewer experiences how she captures an ephemeral moment.

First Floor North Gallery
March 7 – March 30

Mark Stephen Chapman
Lessons In Art Learned at an Exhibition
Stained glass, oil on canvas, carved and painted stone, welded metal and glass sculpture

[caption id="attachment_39918" align="aligncenter" width="700"] Fishing Fro Feluccas, oil on canvas[/caption]

Mark’s exhibition explores artwork from multiple perspectives: light, motion, and depth. Each of his artwork pieces features an important lesson for young artists to share these three important aspects in their creative work. 

In the artist’s words:

I define creativity in terms of the ability to create an original work of art that invents a new, fresh, and independent thought or action. Thus, the exploring of one’s art from different aspects should teach a lesson of inventing new, fresh and independent thought in order to create interesting artwork. In this show, I created twelve works of art — each work crafted from one or more perspectives mentioned above. 

 

First Floor South Gallery
March 7 – March 30

Dawn Hanson
What’s Left? What’s Right?

[caption id="attachment_39919" align="aligncenter" width="700"] Kleptocracy Flag collage[/caption]

This politically charged show consists of contemporary quilts, collage, mixed media and one installation piece. 

The art of resistance is on display in the show “What’s Left? What’s Right?” Artist and activist Dawn Hanson expresses her political worldview in this less-than-subtle mixed media exhibition. Without naming names, she calls out the absurdity, corruption and injustice of current events in American politics. Her thought-provoking works are designed to educate and drive people to engage in the democratic process.

Second Floor Galleries
March 7 – March 30
Jurgen Ziesmann
Between Fantasy and Biology

[caption id="attachment_39920" align="aligncenter" width="700"] Flowers on Venus, alcoholic inks on synthetic page[/caption]

Jurgen brings together images and shapes observed through the ocular of a microscope and rearranges them in loose, abstract compositions. His process resembles biological growth. Starting from simple shapes, the compositions develop; the lines and shapes grow, branch, and curve following and develop naturally, resembling patterns seen under the microscope and in nature. 

In the artist’s words:
I love the freedom of form, color, line … not bound to represent objects. Most of my artworks start with a line or two, sometimes a simple shape. From this humble beginning, lines grow out from small inaccuracies and thus more shapes and shades are added; therefore in a nearly biological process, following my own rules (for example, no straight lines, lines hardly ever cross or split in an angle of 90 degrees) organic shapes develop and grow. My overall goal is to have the drawing end in a visually balanced and esthetically pleasing design. Many of my designs are influenced by biological patterns as seen through the microscope. I love discovering this microcosm, usually not even noticed by most, and make it part of my design, a series of pictures depicting my own fantasy world, cities, houses, trees, animals, underwater worlds with no end in sight. It is exciting not to know what there is to be discovered in each new painting. In this process of growth and discovery while painting my pictures that makes me most happy.

 

 

 

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