SILOAM SPRINGS -- John Brown University's Visual Arts Department is starting the school year with two gallery openings Tuesday.
"Saturation Point 2: Where color and composition meet" by pastel painter Robin Hazard Bishop of Hot Springs will open in the Windgate Visual Arts Gallery West. A reception will be held from 6 to 7:30 p.m.
An exhibition by Siloam Springs artist, DaySpring employee and adjunct university instructor Dave Butler titled "Watercolors" will open at the same time in the Windgate Visual Arts Gallery East.
The artwork for both exhibits will be on display through Sept. 26. Entry to the galleries is free and open from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Friday, and from 2 to 4 p.m. Sunday.
Robin Hazard Bishop's art has been in more than 50 exhibitions in the U.S. between 1983 and 2012, according to www.robinhazard-bishop.com. Her works are in corporate and private collections, and she has won a number of awards. She has also served as the artist in residence at Hot Springs National Park in 2004. She was featured in the August issue of Pastel Journal.
Bishop uses an innovative technique in her pastel landscapes, according to Charles Peer, director of the university's Visual Arts Department Gallery. She applies pastel in only one layer of color to a black or dark blue velour board, breaking the paintings down into shape and design.
Bishop also has a very unique perspective on landscapes, he said. Many of her pictures are from her backyard in Hot Springs as well as from her home in south Texas.
"I thought it would be great for our students and community to see another way for viewing what's around us," Peer said.
Butler, a resident of Siloam Springs, has been in the graphic design industry for more than 20 years. He has worked in the creative department at Walmart, and he works at DaySprings and teaches computer graphics at the university.
Butler has been watercolor painting for about five years. He describes his style as loose and bright. His paintings are more abstract and he likes to let the colors run and bleed together. He occasionally incorporates pen and ink into his work.
Most of Butler's paintings focus on flowers, landscapes, architecture and birds.
"I think it's so wonderful that we have faculty that work in both (fine art and computer graphics) and try to approach problem solving from a artistic standpoint," Peer said.
For more information contact the university's Department of Visual Arts at 479-238-8561 or visit www.jbu.edu.
General News on 08/31/2014