An opening reception for WNMU adjunct assistant art professor Paul Hotvedt’s new exhibit, “Landscapes,” at McCray Gallery of Contemporary Art will take place October 12, 2017, at 4:30 p.m.
About 65 of Hotvedt’s paintings and drawings will hang through November 15, but the public can preview them at the free reception, where light refreshments will be served.
Although Hotvedt paints primarily landscapes, the show will also feature a number of figurative paintings. The works range in size from 6-by-6 inches to 4-by-6 feet and feature scenes in New Mexico, Oregon, Kansas and Wisconsin.
“Landscapes” comprises work Hotvedt has done over the last five years. “It’s a chance for me to, of course, show my paintings and drawings to people, but also from an artistic standpoint, see all the work in one place and make evaluations so I might get ideas about what direction to take future art,” he said.
A painter for four decades, Hotvedt starts his pieces outside and finishes them in the studio. His creative fire and commitment to the art form is evident in his work. “It’s controlled passion. It’s the sort of thing you try to develop and sustain over a number of years,” he said. “My students were asking about my work, and I got street cred, because it was hard for them to imagine doing anything for forty years.”
At this exhibit, Silver City locals can see Hotvedt’s interpretation of some of the region’s familiar landmarks, such as Saddle Rock and the Ben Lilly Memorial area in the Gila National Forest. “I’m fairly new to New Mexico, so they might be interested in a newcomer’s view on the sights around here. That might be a reason to come out,” he said.
Hotvedt, who is teaching web design at WNMU this semester and taught graphic design last spring, said he is eager to see his work on the McCray Gallery’s walls. “It’s a first-class space.”
The reception is sponsored by WNMU Expressive Arts and WNMU Office of Cultural Affairs.