Ordinary Saints on exhibit at JBU

"Ordinary Saints," featuring the work of artist Bruce Herman, will be on display at John Brown University's Windgate Visual Arts West in April.

An opening reception will be held from 6 to 7:30 p.m. Thursday, March 30, and the artwork will continue to be on display through May 2. Both the reception and exhibit are free and open to the public.

The mixed media paintings in the collection feature Herman's friends, family members and acquaintances. The paintings in "Ordinary Saints" are more than portraits, they tell the story of who the person is, said gallery director Charles Peer.

Herman's work focuses on the idea that people are all unique and faces are like finger prints -- each one is special, Peer said. Herman believes that each face tells a story and is worthy of looking at to see that uniqueness. He uses unique and special techniques in his paintings, includes a lot of gold and silver leaf, Peer said. The touches of precious metals imply the idea that people are valuable, he explained.

"By 'Ordinary Saints' I intend simply the recognition that the face of any person -- rich, poor, famous, anonymous, small, big, powerful, unknown -- the face of any person is infinitely worthy of our sustained gaze," Herman wrote in his artist statement. "We know in our bones that people are irreplaceable. And faces are like fingerprints. There are no two alike. We live in this mystery of this ordinary miracle -- the recognition that we live among immortals."

The exhibit shows there are many ways to tell the story of a person, Peer said. Herman layers a variety of textures and materials in his artwork that all work together to tell a story.

"They're not just portraits, they're really a story," he said.

Herman's artwork also shows the importance of ideas, Peer said. While Herman uses a wide variety of beautiful techniques in his paintings, they are all based on his ideas, he explained.

Herman is a painter and educator who lives and works in Gloucester, Mass., according to his website, www.bruceherman.com. He holds the Lothlorien Distinguished Chair in Fine Arts at Gordon College, where he has taught since 1984. His work has been exhibited in cities across the country, and internationally in Hong Kong, Italy, Canada, Israel and Japan. His artwork is also featured in many private and public collections, including the Vatican Museum of Modern Religious Art in Rome.

The Windgate Visual Arts West gallery is open from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday, and from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday. It will be closed on April 14 through 16 for the Easter holiday.