MANSFIELD, Ohio – A ceramicist, painter and mixed media artist walk into a gallery and … the result is “Seriously Funny.”
The Mansfield Art Center’s (MAC) main gallery exhibition, which runs June 21 – July 26, features the works of Ohio artists Jack Earl, George Kocar and John Thrasher. While infused with humor, their works delve into the serious side of the human condition.
“’Seriously Funny’ is a show about satire — from the points of view of each of the artists,” said MAC Director George Whitten.
Earl, an octogenarian, has been recognized as one of America’s premiere ceramicists and a modern master. His subject matter, drawn from the world around him and life experiences, includes constructions, back-to-back reliefs, comic characters, Christ figures, tableau and figurines. His ceramic creations are simultaneously whimsical and thought provoking.
Kocar’s large, bold acrylic-on-canvas and watercolor paintings are far from subtle, almost cartoonish. Yet they are invested with somber images. That includes a number of Day of the Dead-themed paintings. A Bay Village resident and Cleveland native, Kocar has exhibited in more than 50 solo shows. His works have been displayed at the Cleveland Museum of Art, the Butler Institute of American Art in Youngstown, the Erie Art Museum in Pennsylvania, and galleries in New York City.
Thasher’s mixed media and graphite on paper images are as subtle as Kocar’s are bold. But his techniques are far from subtle. He creates interesting effects by several means, including burning on and through the paper and, in one case, shooting buckshot into it. Thrasher, a Mansfield resident, is an associate professor of art at the Ohio State University Mansfield Campus.
On a more serious note, MP Marion’s abstract painting exhibition, “Color Stories – Written in Paint,” will be on display downstairs in the MAC Foundation Gallery June 21 – July 26. The Ashland County resident said her paintings typify the flow of possibilities by incorporating texture, collage, mark-making and irreverent color.
“Finding new reasons to create images, my intention is to experience my own artistic authenticity and express my intuitive feelings through color and gesture,” Marion said.
“Seriously Funny” and “Color Stories – Written in Paint” will open with a reception 3-5 p.m. Sunday, June 21. MAC is located at 700 Marion Ave., Mansfield.
The mission of The Mansfield Art Center is to make the visual arts relevant to the lives of all people in north central Ohio. To accomplish this the Mansfield Art Center brings visual art to the people through exhibitions programming; brings visual art out of the people through classes, workshops, and creative experiences; provides educational outreach through programs, lectures, tours, and school services; and provides support and services to visual artists.
