What's Up - Your guide to what's happening in Fayetteville, AR this week!
Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/1419275
The goal, Smith recalls Thompson saying during the installation process, is for the art to speak for itself. Only a visit to the Joy Pratt Markham Gallery can determine if the pieces do, so in the meantime, a few of the artists featured in "Our Art, Our Region, Our Time" offer a glimpse into their practice with a few sentiments of their own: Marlie Allgood marlieallgood.com, @marlieallgood on Instagram "The work included in this exhibition is a scene that means a lot to me personally. Before the pandemic, I was living in San Diego. This was my first real experience on my own and living in a new, large city. In many ways, this was the best but also most difficult time of my life. The scene painted here was an everyday view I saw on my walk into work that continued to capture my attention. There were probably 50 or so pictures of this van on my phone before I left, always in the same parking lot with new colors of spray paint. My work relies heavily on my attachment to places I've lived or memories of these places. Homes can often be a temporary experience, but my paintings allow me to document on my own time, with nostalgia and healing." Allgood was always interested in art from a young age, she reveals. "I've probably taken every art class possible, but it all clicked for me during college when I took my first oil painting class. Oil paint allows me to achieve smooth gradients of color while giving the time to work slowly and observe." In many ways, she says, painting is a way for her to decompress and focus her mind on a task. Of course, the aim is to finish paintings, but it's fun to get lost in the process, Allgood admits. It was the encouragement from her family and art instructors that has always kept her going in her practice, but moving to Northwest Arkansas increased her support immeasurably. "I've been able to surround myself with like-minded people who love art just as much as I do, which is essential for any artist to thrive. I am thankful to be here, and I'm looking forward to meeting and connecting with more people in the community." Neil Callander neilcallander.com, @neil_callander on Instagram "I have a long list of favorite paintings. Lately I've been returning to the paintings of the Italian Renaissance — the frescoes of Piero, Masaccio, Masolino and Giotto. The frescoes in particular feel like they were painted with the idea that the viewer would return over and over. Their complexity, visual poetry and range of emotion never disappoints." Callander packs his paintings with cultural and personal references. In his "Our Art," piece, "Imagined Finn, Husky," Callander created a portrait of his son that imagines him as a child that needs husky-sized clothes. "In actuality he is a stringbean," he says. "Individual paintings definitely have specific ideas attached to them," he says. "Common to all the paintings is a desire to create something that holds the viewer, however momentarily, in thought and delight. And reminds them of what is timeless." Callander treats his paintings as objects as well as vehicles for information, he shares on his website. The edges of the canvas inform his compositions, reinforcing the flatness of the picture plane. Callander reveals that he wants the viewer to feel the reality of the surface through the pressure of the edges while also engaged in a tangible painterly space. OCTOBER 17-23, 2021 WHAT'S UP! 9 See Our Art Page 37 FAQ 'Our Art, Our Region, Our Time' WHEN — Through Nov. 5; gallery hours Monday-Friday 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and one hour prior to most performances WHERE — Walton Arts Center, 495 W. Dickson St. in Fayette- ville COST — Free, some works for sale; contact visualart@ waltonartscenter.org for pricing INFO — 443-5600; waltonartscenter.org/edu/visual-arts FYI — Masks required to view exhibition; when visiting during a performance, proof of negative covid-19 test within 72 hours or proof of full vaccination is required for entry. "Imagined Finn, Husky" by Neil Callander "I pack a painting with cultural and personal references and work toward an image that is provocative yet conceptually flexible," artist Neil Callander shares in his artist statement. This oil on muslin piece imagines Callander's son as a child that needs husky-sized clothes. "In actuality he is a stringbean." (Courtesy Image/Neil Callander) "Spanish Village" by Marlie Allgood "My work relies heavily on my attachment to places I've lived or memories of these places," artist Marlie Allgood says of the scene depicted in her piece, which she encountered each day on her way to work. "Homes can often be a temporary experience, but my paintings allow me to document on my own time, with nostalgia and healing." (Courtesy Image/Marlie Allgood)