Vivid views decorate the walls in the William T. Kemper Art Gallery in the K-State Student Union. The collection, “Geography & Color” by Mitch Stimers, features paintings inspired by landscapes and is on display from Jan. 16 through Feb. 7.
Geographic artist Mitch Stimers shows his love for the outdoors, mountains and wide-open spaces through colors, shapes and textures.
Walking into the exhibit, vivid colors and details greet the eye.
Stimers challenges his viewers to find the landscape in the color or simply enjoy the abandonment of stacking ten million rectangles of color into one square inch. While viewing the exhibit, others shared their thoughts on which painting they enjoyed the most and why it stood out to them.Related:
Volunteers plan clean-up campaign for Manhattan
Marisa Avila, freshman in animal sciences and industry, said she enjoyed Stimer’s reproduction of Birger Sandzen’s “Shallow Bay” because she liked the colors and how it reminded her of days warmer than those of a Kansas winter.
“It just makes me want to put my feet into the water and swim in it,” Avila said. “I would definitely want to purchase this piece and hang it up in my house, personally.”
Other K-State students also reflected their own personal emotions on the pieces of work in the gallery. Mitchell Yarnall, sophomore in architecture, said the painting “Belize” is the only one that speaks to him out of the whole gallery because of its avant-garde nature.
“In all the chaos there is still order, and he’s basically framing craziness, which is done really well,” Yarnall said. “Personally, I think the color plays a key role. I hate the color yellow, but it makes so much sense in this palette.”
Even if one piece of art work does not really stick out, the vibe of the gallery will set a mood that is unexplainable. Laurie Wesley, associate director of Counseling Services, stopped in the gallery thinking it only featured landscapes, but soon realized it was much more than that.
“I see a lot of the expressions of the emotions dealing with the colors, and it’s just exciting to see what the painter’s talent has to offer,” Wesley said.
The William T. Kemper Art Gallery is located on the first floor of the Union. The area is open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. For more information, visit the Union’s website at union.k-state.edu.
