Hard Lessons in Zoology, an exploration of the animal form by Bradley Wilson will be the featured exhibit at In-Town Gallery this December.
All are invited to a meet-the-artist reception at the gallery from 5-8 p.m. during North Shore’s First Friday events, Dec. 4.
Review for Bradley Wilson:
Sensitive, almost sensual lines of graphite, moody color paintings, and a deft touch with assemblages transport the viewer beyond the obvious and beg one to consider what lies beneath the surface of these animal images.
Mr. Wilson is the consummate artist. There are no lines drawn between life and work. His home is a studio where he and his artist-wife live. He received a formal art education, a BFA from UTC and an MFA from the University of Mississippi, and he has those artists he looks to for inspiration, Richard Dieberkorn and William Eggleston in particular. Mr. Wilson’s work has its own voice though, and if you sense music is in his brush or pencil strokes, then it’s probably a little Keith Jarrett playing in the background.
“Seven years ago I became interested in the idea of painting as an improvised performance," said Mr. Wilson. "I had grown dissatisfied with making work that was fully conceived at the beginning, worked out through studies and sketches, and then executed onto canvas. Something important was missing. I began to make paintings with no formulated plan. I let the image emerge slowly or quickly out of the painting process itself. I began playing with color, line, texture and shape. I embraced uncertainty as an essential element of creating.”
Don’t let that fool you into believing that his work is unstudied, though. Not only does Wilson have the form down, but he is fully engaged in the psychology of his work. He has the ability to reach inside and grab the soul of his subject. This show, Mr. Wilson tells us, “will explore how some of the darker realities of human existence are reflected in my animal imagery.” Again, Mr. Wilson surprises us by being both deep and humble. His goals as an artist are “to have fun and enjoy the process of creating art and to share my pieces with whoever may appreciate them.”
The Hard Lessons in Zoology exhibit will continue through the month of December at In-Town Gallery. The gallery celebrated its 35th Anniversary in September. Located on the “Hip to Historical” North Shore, at 26A Frazier Ave., between the Market Street and Walnut Street bridges, adjacent to Coolidge Park, it is open 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Monday through Saturday, 1-5 p.m. on Sunday’s through December, and until 8 p.m. on most First Fridays. Call 267-9214 for information.