John Brown University's Visual Arts Department is starting the school year with two simultaneous gallery openings on 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. and the artist will give a gallery talk at 6:30 p.m.
An exhibition by Siloam Springs artist, DaySpring employee and adjunct JBU instructor Dave Butler titled "Watercolors" will open at the same time in the Windgate Visual Arts Gallery East. The artist will also be giving a gallery talk.
The artwork for both exhibits will be on display from Tuesday through Sept. 26. Entry to the galleries is free and they are open to the public from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Friday, and from 2 to 4 p.m. on Sunday.
Robin Hazard Bishop's artwork has been in more than 50 exhibitions throughout the United States between 1983 and 2012, according to her website, www.robinhazard-bishop.com. Her works are included in many corporate and private collections, and she has won a number of awards. She has also she served as the artist in residence at Hot Springs National Park in 2004.
Most recently, she was featured in the August 2014 issue of Pastel Journal for her passion for color and eye for composition.
Bishop uses a very innovative technique in her pastel landscapes, according to Charles Peer, director of the JBU 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 native home of 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, who is 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 currently works at DaySprings and teaches computer graphics at JBU.
Butler has been doing watercolor painting for about five years. He describes his style 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 JBU Department of Visual Arts at 479-238-8561 or visit www.jbu.edu/art/gallery.
General News on 08/31/2014