Culture
Current Exhibits at OU-Chillicothe Feature Range Of Artistic Expressions
By: Jack Jeffery
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A pair of art exhibits are currently on display at Ohio University-Chillicothe through September.
University of Rio Grande faculty members Kevin Lyles (sculptor) and Benjy Davies (graphics and printmaking) will display True Stories, a show of printmaking and sculptural works in the Patricia Scott Art Gallery in Bennett Hall.
"The works in this show all have some sort of representative narrative within them for the viewer to see," said Lyles. The pieces include prints, drawings and mixed media sculpture.
"My work is molded by a myriad of influences," Lyles noted in his artist’s statement. "More often than not I am inspired by things I see in nature. Often inherent in nature are patterns, contrasts, textures and contradictions. When creating sculpture I combine these natural properties with the element and principles of design to create work that both interests and challenges me."
Lyles has been a professor of art at Rio Grande since 1990. He has a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from Abilene Christian University and a Master of Fine Arts degree in sculpture from Bradley University. His work is in private and public collections, both regionally and nationally.
Davies described fatherhood in his artist statement. "My work is a running commentary on the absurdity, tenderness, fear and confusion that characterize my life with small children," he stated. "Much of the work is inspired by the unpredictable imagination and irrational fears of childhood, which serve as an allegory for the unpredictable imagination and irrational fears of adulthood."
Elisabeth Murphy of Columbus will display her drawings and paintings in the Stevenson Center gallery as part of an exhibit, The Resurrection Portraits: Icons of Women’s History. Her works include 12 selected portraits, including six oil works and six that are mixed media, primarily chalk creations with a bit of charcoal and pastel.
Murphy, who has been painting portraits of women in history for more than 20 years, blends historical authenticity with artistic flair in this captivating show.
A brief biography will be displayed next to each portrait. Some of the subjects are well-known, such as Emily Dickinson and Georgia O’Keeffe, while others were once famous but have since fallen into obscurity.
In her artist’s statement, Murphy notes, "As an artist I enjoy the freedom to re-create history by researching and painting women who were once well-known, but who have since been forgotten. Each picture is composed using reference photographs, drawings of objects taken from life, models, written descriptions and props…Each picture is a window through which the viewer is encouraged to time-travel to a place where history is fascinating."
Photos courtesy of Ohio University-Chillicothe.