First of the year art show leaves you wondering, "Is it real?"

[February 20, 2019]     Have you ever stopped to consider if what you are seeing is what is real?

“Is It Real?” This is a decision we each need to decide when taking in the what we see, hear, or perceive by our five senses whether it is news, environmental reports, anything that surrounds us. And if we stop to consider what we perceive as real, in the end we might not know for certain.

Asked, "Is It Real?” the Lincoln Art Institute and Logan County Arts group rose to the challenge. Artists created works that would have their audience scratching their heads trying to determine if what they were seeing on the walls was straightforward or a twist on reality.

Jason Hoffman mounted a piece of steel on the wall.

Or is it?

Jason likes to experiment with new combinations of ingredients in his art.

“I find it interesting to mix paint and metal shavings to create a metal like look,” he said. Stand back and you see a steel plate, stand next to his installation and it is paint on canvas.

Reality can be managed by the artist.

Jason has been very busy with his art career, showing at galleries in Ottawa and Bloomington. He also is the go-to art installation person at the University Gallery in Normal.

Sheralyn Bolton tells the viewer of her piece what to expect. It is titled “Caribbean Dreams” and yet the abstract could be anything.

“Once I connected the title to it, the viewer is going to look for something specific in it like water and a beach, maybe a palm tree,” she said.

But take the title off, and it could be something entirely different to each person looking at it. “My husband thought it looked like one of the moons in a Star Wars movie before I put the title on,” she said with a laugh. “Turn it ninety degrees and something entirely new comes through,” she said. Reality is in the eye and brain of the viewer.

Is that a discarded ice cream container sitting on a pedestal in the center of the gallery? Maybe Moses Pinkerton should have cleaned up a bit more before opening the doors to the public for the evening at the Lincoln Art Institute. Look closer and a fun piece of art is apparent, complete with melted ice cream and a spoon.

Called “Frozen in Time” Moses asks, “Is it real, baby? I wanted to make the viewer smile when they saw it. When was the last time a piece of art made you smile,” he said.

According to him, it took three containers of ice cream to get the final pose just right.

Cheryl Spove used her past job of applying faux finish to walls in St. Louis to create her contribution to the exhibit. “I wanted to simulate reality with my painting. Maybe the painting represents reality better than what we might call the real thing,” she said.

“Is It Real” will be showcased at the Lincoln Art Institute through the rest of the month. Stop by and take a journey with the artists through their world.

The gallery is open from time to time, so take a chance and walk by to see if the lights are on. Or call curator and LAI Director Moses Pinkerton to arrange a private showing. His phone number is 217-651-8355.

[Curt Fox]