Oxford, Miss. Rectangular canvases with colorful,
intersecting lines bring life to the otherwise bare, white room. Grids of blues, yellows, and pinks run across
the surface drawing the eye to patterns that create squares and rectangles in
electrifying array.
The newest exhibit to Gallery 130 is
titled Not Exactly There by artist Michael Willie. When one walks into Gallery 130, they are
immediately greeted with Willie's paintings.
“This
exhibition exists as a distinct departure from my main mode of creation,” Willie
said.
Willie
describes this collection as entering the realm of non-objective painting. For Willie these paintings represent a new
stage of questions. Willie explained that these questions begin to surface when he was a decade out of graduate school.
“I
begin to think of the paintings as stand-ins for the constant questions
rattling around in my mind,” Willie said.
“We’re
very excited about the exhibit being here,” Nicki Weaver, an administrative assistant at Meek Hall, said.
Weaver went on to say that Willie’s
style is unique and will draw attention.
In the past Willie would base his
paintings on exotic landscapes such as Rome or South Africa. For Willie this collection represents an
evolution from paintings that served as a “witness to a place” to answering the
questions the audience might have in their minds when viewing the painting.
Willie’s collections of paintings
have been displayed in the Four Seasons Hotel in Boston as well as the
Renaissance Suites Hotel
Gallery 130 is located in Meek Hall
which is home to the University of Mississippi’s Department of Art. The gallery opened in 2003, and can feature
exhibits up to six weeks. Philip Jackson, an assistant professor at Meek Hall, arranges the exhibits.
Willie,
who earned his MFA in painting from Bowling Green State in Ohio, will present a
lecture on his painting in Gallery 130 on Thursday October 6. A reception will follow afterwards.
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