‘Visions’ materialize at SUB Gallery

How many times have we driven past a charming rural landscape, or have seen a stunning sunset and thought, "If I could paint, I would paint this scene!" James Blankenship, emeritus professor of art, has taken these unrequited inspirations and through oil, watercolor, acrylic and pastels, created the collection, "Visions of Idaho." Running until Dec. 7, this exhibition is the first in the new Bi-Annual Emeritus Guild Art Exhibition Series, which showcases the work of retired art professors. A reception was held Wednesday, Nov. 19 to present the collection. Blankenship will also give a special artist lecture Dec. 4 in the Bishop Barnwell room in the Student Union Building at 6 p.m. Blankenship’s collection gives the viewer a glimpse into rustic, back road communities in Idaho, agrarian backdrops and the people who inhabit these areas. "My inspiration comes from my heritage of the Intermountain West," Blankenship said. "My family roots are from the early mining era and I feel a real admiration for those early mining families and what they had to endure." In the guest book designated for the collection, many viewers expressed their delight in the bright colors. In pieces like "Heaven and Earth" one can appreciate the sublime progression of pigments in a memorable Idaho sunset. In "Roseberry Seniors I" and two the cool blues, grays and purples convey jazzy equanimity. The characters portrayed look real, like the old men you would see crowding around an old pick-up. Their faces are realistic, yet iconic as they fit perfectly with their surroundings. The collection also features several portraits, including a girl with a guitar, and a girl with a cello. Blankenship feels a strong connection to the subjects that he interprets, especially musicians. He appreciates the discipline that is required for their art, and believes that discipline is of utmost importance in painting. While it seems to go against intuition, Blankenship talked about the similarity of landscapes and figures. "Landscape painting to me is simply an extension of my understanding of painting the figure," he said. "I also feel that this is true for still life and abstraction." For the most part, Blankenship’s work could be classified under still life, but there are some delves into abstraction. "Stoddard Mansion," done in watercolor, depicts the building through layers of reflecting and transparent rectangles, squares and lines. The form of a doorway reveals the identity of an otherwise abstract piece. In "Roseberry Seniors II," the ambiance is altered with chaotic brush strokes in the middle of canvas. However, none of the pieces are so abstract that they render the entire piece unrecognizable. There is one piece in the collection that stands out among the rest. The general spirit of "Visions of Idaho" reminisces on the true-to-life sights and scenes of country life. However, "The Critics" demonstrates a deviation into humor, surrealism and possibly sarcasm. The piece shows two cows in a field, musing over a large, wildly colored canvas. Are we like the cows mooing over exquisite art? Perhaps Blankenship will answer to the meaning of this piece in his lecture. "Visions of Idaho" can be seen upstairs in the SUB Art Gallery.

TERESA ARENZ
Arbiter Journalist

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