Thomas More University’s Eva G. Farris Gallery is hosting three alumni artists for a diverse summer art series.
Local artists Bill Eagen, Ruthe Wyman, and Jennifer Baldwin will return to their alma mater to exhibit their unique works through August. The exhibits highlight the talent in Thomas More’s creative media department, while also exemplifying the career possibilities for young artists and the vibrancy of the art scene in the Northern Kentucky and Greater Cincinnati region.
Eagen’s exhibit, Landscapes and Cityscapes, runs now through June 9 and interprets natural landscape scenes coupled with contrasting views of manmade cityscapes. The oil-on-canvas painter shares his appreciation for the relationship between the forms and colors presented in natural versus manmade scenes, documenting how they come together to create beauty in the world. He says he has always found landscapes “both soothing and challenging.” For Eagen, his art is ultimately about the feelings it inspires in viewers.
Bill Eagan’s painting Liberty Hill (Image from TMU)
“I often get the response that my paintings create or recreate an experience,” he said. “That is very satisfying to me since they are based on an experience and there was a process in creating them.” His working studio is located at the Pendleton Art Center, where he can be found participating in the Center’s Final Friday events.
Layers… seen and unseen Paintings by Wyman will run June 15-30. The exhibit features paintings that use multiple layers in the artmaking process, including various textures and transparencies.
Wyman’s first career was teaching high school art at Williamstown Independent and Grant County High School. Her work as a professional artist has seen a great deal of success, being exhibited at numerous art galleries, government buildings, cultural centers, universities, art fairs, and businesses throughout the Tri-state.
“I am most proud of the accomplishment of being told that I have a style of painting that is unique and recognizable as mine,” said Wyman.
Her recent works exhibit a continual exploration of color, texture, and emotion.
The final alumni artist exhibit is Baldwin’s Ameliorative Practice, running July 7–Aug. 3. Baldwin explores the restorative process that she experiences while producing pieces of art.
“It’s a type of healing process or celebratory process,” she said. “In searching for the ‘right’ way to describe what might seem like a variety of subject matters or processes, I focused on why I make what I make.”
An Arts educator and youth arts activist, Baldwin works in a variety of mediums including painting, drawing, and printmaking. She owns her own business, where she creates paintings of dogs for clients, and does quality professional picture framing and art experiences for both the public and corporations.
Full interviews with each artist can be found on Thomas More’s Moreover website.
For more information about current exhibitions, gallery talks, and lectures, visit the Eva G. Farris Gallery website at www.thomasmore.edu/eva-g-farris-gallery.
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