We are so excited to welcome artist Justin Poole to the Wilson Downtown Gallery for August and September! Stop in during business hours to view his show entitled “Around the World and Back Again,” or join us for our opening First Fridays reception September 3rd from 5-8pm.
More about Justin: Justin Poole is Associate Professor of Theater and the Theater Program Director for EMU, where he has also taught classes on art history. He and his wife Amanda lead semester-long performance and visual art-themed study abroad programs to Europe and Morocco. Traveling is the greatest source of inspiration for Justin’s own performance and visual art. Largely self-taught, Justin hones his drawing and painting skills while observing and sketching the works of the masters at some of his favorite Europe art museums, especially Vienna, Austria’s Kunsthistorisches Museum and the Albertina. He is also the Artist-In-Residence at Asbury United Methodist Church, where he manages the gallery space and seeks to integrate art and faith.
Artist Statement:
This show, entitled Around the World and Back Again, continues the theme of travel that runs through much of my artwork. For each painting, I usually use a photo or a variety of photos as references. I often omit certain objects and add or highlight others, while embellishing the colors and allowing my own romanticised notions of the locations to shine through. Some of the works are cityscapes of places in Europe and Morocco, which avid travelers might readily recognize. Yet others are of more intimate, or out of the way places. Some of the paintings are of familiar sites from right here in Virginia. Oftentimes, the different tastes and smells of a location come to define it in my mind; therefore, this exhibit also features still lifes. Each of these pictures has a story. For those who have traveled to the places represented here, I hope that this show evokes happy memories. For those who have not traveled extensively, I hope that this show sparks your interest and causes you to seek out adventures of your own.