Associate professor Barbara Westman is showcasing her own exhibit in the Martha Gault Art Gallery in Maltby titled “Color On White.” Westman has been able to participate in multiple national and international art exhibits.
This is Westman’s first solo exhibition, after taking part in several group exhibitions in the gallery. Gallery supervisor Theresa Antonellis had asked Westman to put on an exhibit, and it will go through Feb. 10.
Westman teaches fiber art and printmaking classes at SRU but says this work is much different than her usual medium.
“This gallery is a collection of works I have been working on and is inspired by the environment and observation,” Westman said.
All 17 pieces had to do with using watercolor or acrylics and composing them on a white background.
“These mentally recorded images undergo a process of deconstructing and simplifying, with an outcome often times being just a fair impression of the observed reality,” Westman shared in her artist statement.
Westman also explained that the deconstructing and simplifying allows her to create a whole new environment without the limitations of the physical world. This allows her to share with the viewer the world she sees that is hidden in all the visual information we see every day.
Westman describes her method as simply looking, analyzing, deconstructing, building and assembling her vision.
The gallery is open to anyone and Westman explained: “my art is a reference to my own environment, and I hope everyone finds something interesting out of it or can relate it to themselves.”
You can also view more of Westman’s work at www.barbarawestman.com.
