UTSA presents art exhibit representing range of drawing styles

Top photo: "Embedded Toxicant," ink and acrylic on paper, Daniel Zeller
Center photo: "Plat," gel ink, Fiberglas and latex paint on wood panel, Judith Cottrell
Bottom photo: "Liberty Island," graphite, Darice Polo

(Jan. 14, 2010)--The UTSA Department of Art and Art History presents the exhibit, "Intense Concentration," through Feb. 14 in the UTSA Arts Building Art Gallery on the Main Campus. The wide-ranging exhibition curated by Scott A. Sherer, UTSA associate professor of art and art history, features seven nationally known artists who explore the medium of drawing in styles ranging from the representational to the abstract and in scales ranging from the intimate to grand, wall-size pieces. The exhibition is free and open to the public.

"In our contemporary postmodern context, we continuously consider and re-consider multiple inspirations and objectives; multiple methodological approaches; multiple historic, present and future relationships; and multiple interpretations in multiple contexts," said Sherer. "In diverse ways, 'Intense Concentration' demonstrates our fascination with the physical character of objects of perception, the inherent illusion in any representation and the instability of any determination of significance."

The series by Albert Wong, "Beyond Illusory Space," extends trompe l'oeil traditions with investigation into basic elements of drawing practice. Darice Polo considers the reality of photographic discourses to represent objects and experiences from one historical context to another.

The starting point for Janet Chaffee is the intricacy of lace, and from small samples, she renders the relatively flat but inherently three-dimensional knots into expansive patterns of intersecting lines. Hong Chun Zhang explores dimensions of thought that begin from actual experiences. Her large-scale drawings of loosely braided hair directly reference the relationships among Zhang and her sisters, but the fantastic scale of the work suggests diverse associations of familial correspondence and individuality, beauty and excess, physical presence and transitory memory.

Daniel Zeller mirrors the repetition that exists in natural forms, and his practice is evidence of the discoveries that occur through commitment to his craft, like the advanced skills used in creative calligraphy. Kris Jones approaches drawing as opportunity to integrate scientific, historic, psychological and spiritual interests and inspirations. Evoking the processes through which new subject matter generates research and innovative analysis, Jones' fields of color and delicate lines activate the relationships between the intuitive and the deliberate. Judith Cottrell restricts herself to the use of gel ink in fine, arcing lines, creating variable tonal fields that animate the surfaces of flat panels.

----------------------------

Gallery hours are Mon-Fri, 10 a.m.-4 p.m., Monday-Friday (closed Jan. 18 for Martin Luther King Jr. Day); 1-4 p.m., Saturday and Sunday; and by appointment.

From Interstate 10, take exit 557 to UTSA Boulevard. At the second traffic light, turn right onto James Bauerle Boulevard. Turn left onto O'Neil Ford Avenue and then make an immediate right into parking lot 8. The Arts Building is on the right at the top of the walkway to the center of campus.

For more information, contact Laura Crist at 210-458-4391.