By: Megan Clark Campus Life Editor
Need something colorful to lighten up these gray, Oregon days?
“Story Time: Contemporary Urban Narratives” is a stunning new art exhibit that opened in Campbell Hall on Jan. 6. It features work done by Len Davis and Roll Hardy, artists from Los Angeles and Portland, respectively.
While the two artists have somewhat dissimilar styles and techniques, the art they produce is eye-catching and plays with contrasts and emotion.
This juxtaposition of disparate emotions and color is prevalent in these two artists’ work and lends an air of complexity and increases interest. Alicia Neal, a fifth year senior and art major, said, “If you keep looking, you keep finding stuff.”
One of the most intriguing pieces was a large oil painting titled “Mirage” by Roll Hardy. While it was set next to two of his other, equally large, pieces, it stood out due its beautifully serene scene.
“Mirage” pictures young people in an indoor swimming pool, the oil paint adding to the effect of water glistening on their skin. “It looks really liquid and its very lively without being overworked,” observed Elaina Glassock, a junior art major.
While the painting utilizes neutral colors for the scene, brighter colors seem to spill out of the painting, with water breaking the banks of the pool and explosions of green foliage burgeoning forth from the cement.
Another piece by Len Davis titled “The Biggest Surprise of a Man’s Life” juxtaposes the rigid figure of a man who appears to be falling head first through the frame, with the somber face of an older man.
There is a terrific outpour of emotion through Davis’ depiction of his subject’s facial expressions, which range from sheer joy to utter sadness.
Ashley Davis, a visitor to campus, said that Davis “captures individual’s moments, struggles, and experiences.”
This art exhibit will be open from Jan. 6 to Feb. 5. If you’re already looking for a respite from schoolwork, check out Davis’ and Hardy’s art as it will simultaneously soothe and excite your mind and eye.
