Kentucky Wesleyan College is hosting an art exhibition by Ryan McKain, “As the Mind Wanders, the Body Reacts, and so on!” through April 14 in the Ralph Center Gallery of Fine Arts at the corner of College Drive and South Griffith Ave. The exhibition is free and open to the public, and the gallery is open Monday-Friday from 8 a.m.-6 p.m.
McKain is an Evansville artist who says, “Creating! Creating is what flows constantly through my mind every day. An idea for this, an idea for that. Characters, events, palettes, arrangements, etc. Like many artists/creators, I’m addicted to the process. Research, execution, problem solving, repeat.”
He explained that in this exhibit his focus is mainly on purity, simplicity, palette and arrangement, in all regards to storytelling in the way of some ancient cultures. The works are all acrylic on canvas presented in a “print”-type style. “These were all made purposely for this show. In every piece, I provide both representational and non-representational symbols. With these symbols, I want the viewer to interpret the pieces with their own mind. Although similar in structure and composition, each piece has its own energy ‘point’ to lay across.”
The artist also shared that for this body of work he was inspired by many ancient and primitive cultures; Aztecs, Mayans, aborigines, Egyptians, some Asian cultures and more recent artists like Basquiat and Haring, whose style always have a little presence in his work. “With all creations catching my eye and influencing me in one way or another, I hope my work can make the viewer think about and question more with art, themselves and the world surrounding them.“
For more information on the exhibit, contact Professor Heather Logsdon, full professor of art and design at 270-852-3608 or hlogsdon@kwc.edu.