'Roots of Reality' exhibit arrives at Daughtrey Gallery
Artist Paul Wolber explores, celebrates different perspectives, cultures in his painting exhibition
Mary Petrides
Issue date: 3/5/09 Section: Arts
He started painting landscapes and architecture while a teaching at Greenville College in southern Illinois, the sister college of Spring Arbor University.
"In southern Illinois, all you have is flat land and farm land and farms," he said, so he began painting barns.
One painting, entitled "Entrance," is of the doorway to a 100-year-old house he lived in while teaching in Illinois.
Assistant Professor of Art Barbara Bushey noted that in many of his country landscape paintings, a barn door or window is open and the viewer can see through to the other side of the structure.
"It sets up this lovely sub-painting in the middle," Bushey said.
She most liked the country landscapes, she said, as she peered through her bright red glasses at "Parma Landmark," her favorite of these. "I love the barns very much because I, too, have a love affair with gray," she said.
The exhibit also includes eight smaller paintings from Wolber's painting-a-day project.
Wolber said the painting-a-day project is popular among artists who want to paint regularly. He started his painting-a-day project when he retired in 2006, and he completes a painting nearly every day. He sells his daily paintings on his blog, pwolberart.blog.com.
"In a way for me it's like a diary or a journal, because I can paint something that I'm thinking about that day," he said.
He said he does not post every day; sometimes the paintings take longer to finish, and when he is China, he cannot post at all because the Chinese government tightly monitors blogs.
Larger paintings take more time, and Wolber said he sometimes uses his painting-a-day pieces to toy with ideas for a larger painting. And smaller paintings can attract buyers who wouldn't necessarily buy something bigger.
"This way [people] can own an original work for a few hundred dollars, and I'd say that's no more than people spend on a real nice meal at a restaurant sometimes," he said. "If you can afford that, you can probably afford a small painting for your house or your office or whatever."
Bushey said the acrylic paint he uses allows for greater control in realistic paintings.
"I would just hope that everybody celebrates his great power of observation and the great craftsmanship and control he has to create these works," Bushey said.
The exhibit will remain open until March 29.
"In southern Illinois, all you have is flat land and farm land and farms," he said, so he began painting barns.
One painting, entitled "Entrance," is of the doorway to a 100-year-old house he lived in while teaching in Illinois.
Assistant Professor of Art Barbara Bushey noted that in many of his country landscape paintings, a barn door or window is open and the viewer can see through to the other side of the structure.
"It sets up this lovely sub-painting in the middle," Bushey said.
She most liked the country landscapes, she said, as she peered through her bright red glasses at "Parma Landmark," her favorite of these. "I love the barns very much because I, too, have a love affair with gray," she said.
The exhibit also includes eight smaller paintings from Wolber's painting-a-day project.
Wolber said the painting-a-day project is popular among artists who want to paint regularly. He started his painting-a-day project when he retired in 2006, and he completes a painting nearly every day. He sells his daily paintings on his blog, pwolberart.blog.com.
"In a way for me it's like a diary or a journal, because I can paint something that I'm thinking about that day," he said.
He said he does not post every day; sometimes the paintings take longer to finish, and when he is China, he cannot post at all because the Chinese government tightly monitors blogs.
Larger paintings take more time, and Wolber said he sometimes uses his painting-a-day pieces to toy with ideas for a larger painting. And smaller paintings can attract buyers who wouldn't necessarily buy something bigger.
"This way [people] can own an original work for a few hundred dollars, and I'd say that's no more than people spend on a real nice meal at a restaurant sometimes," he said. "If you can afford that, you can probably afford a small painting for your house or your office or whatever."
Bushey said the acrylic paint he uses allows for greater control in realistic paintings.
"I would just hope that everybody celebrates his great power of observation and the great craftsmanship and control he has to create these works," Bushey said.
The exhibit will remain open until March 29.
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