UTM is committed to advancing the regional and global community through scholarly activities, research and public service, and one of the ways it fulfills that goal is through the university’s art gallery, which features periodic special exhibits.
“The gallery is a very important asset to the community at large,” said Douglas Cook, chair of Visual and Theatre Arts at UTM. “It provides an opportunity for many local artists to get their art displayed, and occasionally praised for its greatness.”
This week’s guest solo artist is Professor Brian Bundren from Freed-Hardeman University. Bundren’s style includes the use of many earth tone colors, such as brown, red or yellow. This unique palette choice lends Bundren’s work a unique perspective. Bundren never uses to many busy colors, instead spreading all of his colors out in a monochromatic and attention-grabbing way without being ostentatious. In addition, Bundren uses distinct and dramatic contrast in the lighting he depicts.
Cook believes that Bundren’s work is “extremely revealing and fascinating.”
“Bundren exhibits a very introspective nature of work,” said Cook. “If you knew Brian and saw his art, you couldn’t connect the two.”
Bundren’s beliefs are reflected through his work, as many of his paintings reference the Bible. In addition, Bundren’s work depicts various scenes from his hometown. In one of his pieces, What Lies Beneath, the viewer sees an image of a boy seeming to look under the grass and plains of a field. The piece has many different meanings depending on the individual, but one can still see the very earthy tones and nature scenes within the image.
The UTM art gallery attracts many people from a wide variety of places. It is certainly a culturally significant experience, and many are always curious to discover the next featured artist.
Feature photo credit: Kali Hill
