Brad Wilkinson grew up on a farm in northwestern Kansas, where trees are an anomaly. AFTER the opening of Wilkinson’s show, Sonic Escape, a high-energy trio entertained about 100 people in the Creitz Recital Hall.
When he arrived at Neosho County Community College 20 years ago to take the reins of its art department, he was fascinated by a pin oak on the campus, so much so that several perspectives of that tree are in works he has on display in the Mary L. Martin Gallery at the Bowlus Fine Arts Center.
Wilkinson’s art, realistic and abstract, is on display through May 16 and open for viewing each weekday 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
“There are lot of subtleties in nature if you take the time to look,” Wilkinson, 63, said during a reception for his show Saturday evening.
His work ranges from drawings, to an abstract piece featuring dabs and streaks of colored hot glue, to old photographs reworked in Photoshop and accentuated by modern day art markers.
A favorite, Wilkinson said, is a futuristic piece with a small dark orb sprouting a proliferation of curved lines filling the canvas, all made with metallic markers, he said.
Wilkinson’s approach isn’t specific to any media or art form.
“I use a lot of mixed media,” he said.
One piece is a large birch oval with cattails and other applications; a second is a piece of Styrofoam a student tossed aside. He spray painted the foam and made a few additions for a three-dimensional wall-hanging.
Among the more intriguing are the old photographs and a huge canvas covered mostly with orange paint, “part of which I used a roller to apply.”
A photograph titled “Guy” is of his grandfather. He manipulated the photo to bring out the old man’s face.
Pieces featuring the pin oak show Wilkinson’s versatility.
In one, it was his hope for viewers seeing it for the first time to find their eyes traveling up its trunk and onto the branches. A second is a melody of reds that had one viewer remark it appeared the tree was ablaze.
The many approaches to art are an outcome of Wilkinson’s artistic philosophy. Don’t fear to make a mistake, he said was a frequent admonition to his students.
“You just have to trust yourself and go ahead and most of the time things work out,” Wilkinson said.
Shawn Wyckoff on flute, his wife, Maria Kaneko Millar, playing violin, and cellist Nan-Cheng Chen all are graduates of New York City’s Julliard School, a prominent music academy.
The threesome played for 90 minutes and drew extended rounds of applause after each number. They mixed vocals, humor and candid conversation with their instrumental music to make the evening most enjoyable.
Among venues they’ve played are Carnegie Hall and the Kennedy and Lincoln centers. The free concert was underwritten by the Sleeper Family Trust.
Eclectic art a Bowlus staple
