From Aug. 26 to Oct. 31, Wheaton studio art faculty members are showcasing their recent creations in the Beard and Weil Galleries in Watson Fine Arts.
This exclusive exhibition which features works by Claudia Fieo, Kelly Goff, Andrew Howard, Patrick Johnson, and Patricia Stone is entitled “P3SF” to encompass everything that can be found in the gallery: painting, printmaking, photography, sculpture, and film. The gallery is open Monday through Saturday from 12:30 to 4:30 p.m.
Claudia Fieo draws inspiration from life’s mysteries and contradictions, juxtaposing them in her art. Through visual language, she says she has “sought to understand, and ultimately to accept, both the beauty and cruelty inherent in the cycles of nature.” Professor Fieo’s printmaking designs incorporate many natural elements to express the essence of nature.
Through his sculptures, Kelly Goff reveals the extent to which he values the notion of repair. “Sometimes this means that I physically treat a broken object…to stop [the] decay or put the thing out of its misery,” says Goff. Professor Goff’s recent works, especially, are “informed by locations where beauty meets calamity,” for even seemingly broken things can be preserved and made beautiful again.
Andrew Howard captures “some of the unique physical characteristics of the Southwest” and concomitantly expresses his “spiritual connection to these magical places” in his photographs. Howard says that, at times, exploring and photographing the landscapes sometimes feels otherworldly. According to Howard, “verbal description is inadequate to express what it was like to be in the presence of pure and raw nature, the way it has existed and evolved over millions of years.”
Combining digital media and documentary tradition, Patrick Johnson “creates short films that focus on artists, musicians and alternative lifestyles.” He has notably contributed in editing several feature films as well as producing and editing projects such as short films, commercials, and the like.
Patricia Stone uses a variety of painting processes, sometimes combining techniques involving collage or other types of paint. Lately, she has also been experimenting with printmaking. Her work is “a synthesis of observation and invention … it can range from abstraction to direct perception, but there is always a connection to reality that underlies the work.”
While the general viewer may not be an art enthusiast or a visual thinker, art has the power to serve as “the language of our time,” says Professor Stone. “It can show us many possibilities for good or ill that might exist. Art can direct our attention to important problems – like preserving our rivers and the natural world.”
Much of art’s benefits lie with the artists – in this case, the faculty. “We are able to give voice to our deepest thoughts, hopes, [and] fears,” says Stone. “It’s exciting to see the work out of the studio on a clean wall in a well-lit space.”