Jeff Williams uses texturing and symbolic figures in his mixed media painting to give an abandoned building (with a functioning coke machine) a mysterious aura. Williams’ artwork, as well as that of other LCA artists, will be on view at the Lincoln Arts Institute from October 14th to November 6th.
 

Texture and Tone the theme of Logan County Arts October exhibit at the Lincoln Arts Institute
Artist reception October 14th

[October 11, 2021]    Logan County Arts members will open their October, 2021 exhibition, entitled “Textures and Tones,” with a reception from 5 to 8 p.m. on Thursday, October14 at the Lincoln Arts Institute, 112 S. McLean St, Lincoln.

The gallery will also be open on Friday evenings from 5 to 8 p.m. throughout the month, with exhibiting artists on hand to discuss the works. The events will follow current Covid guidelines.

The show will illustrate the wide variety of ways in which texture and tone are part of contemporary visual arts. Springfield artist Jeff Williams uses a mix of acrylic media and photography to build up layers on his canvases, then rubs some of the acrylic textures away to reveal glimpses of images underneath. The resulting collage is like a fading memory, half remembered, half unfamiliar. Photographer Randy Washam also employs tones to create emotion or mood, as in his large photograph on canvas of a Super Moon rising above silhouetted farmland. The face of the moon glows eerily in a vignette of mysterious deep shadows and reflections.

Many artists use ordinary or found objects to create texture in their works. Jason Hoffman has made a thoughtful observation about “thoughtless” labor with an abstract work created from randomly cut and pasted pieces of strapping tape. “Sometimes we are frustrated by a job that seems mindless, endless and without a point,” he explains. “That’s what I was thinking of. The piece was finished when the roll of tape was used up.” Laura Elliott likes to create mixed media pieces incorporating natural materials she picks up during her walks. Since bark from each species of tree is distinctive in color and texture, a single piece discovered in the park, when included in an artwork, not only is beautiful but can bring to mind the entire tree and its original surroundings.

Pam Moriearty’s acrylic rendition of a flowering plant also emphasizes the subtle tones and patterns in blossoms and leaves.

She notes, “This is my homage to the early botanical illustrators. They accompanied the voyages of discovery, making paintings of all the unfamiliar plants as the only way to document their true colors. Sometimes you can tell, the artist was really captivated by the beauty of some exotic specimen with an unpronounceable scientific name.”

An entirely different way in which artists interpret tone and texture is used by Tony DiPasquale. He says, “I thought of tones and textures not as color or physical features, but as the tones and textures in music.” Listening to his favorite psychedelic or classic rock music, he tries to draw the music on to the paper. This helps him focus on the parallel fantasy universe whose creatures and adventures inhabit his drawings. These are not children’s cartoons or superheroes, but beings whose poignant encounters and minor tragedies are very similar to our own.

After opening night, the artworks will be available for viewing and purchase on Friday evenings and by appointment until November 6. Also available at the October reception will be information on the November show, a solo exhibition of works by artist Chris Tice, whose studio is at the Lincoln Arts Institute.

[Pamela Moriearty]