PHOTO BY JERIAH DUNK: Vanderhill’s oil pastel drawings feature realistic landscape settings from right here in rural Iowa.
“Art is a very human endeavor,” said Margo Vanderhill, a local artist. “It is a way of looking for truth.”
Transforming the Landscape, an exhibit by Vanderhill, is currently being displayed in the Korver Visual Arts Center.
“I hope to get people to see more of what is all around us,” Vanderhill said. Her collection, which features landscape pieces done with oil pastel on pigmented paper, explores the beauty of our natural environments.
“We live in a beautiful but fallen world,” she said. “I want to capture that beauty.”
Vanderhill uses local scenery as the subject of her work.
“When the sun is setting, I drive to the edge of town, sit in my car and draw in real time — trying to get the clouds before they move and the sun before the light changes,” said Vanderhill.
Vanderhill’s sunset pieces seek to highlight the beautiful, changing colors of the sun just before dark.
However, sunsets aren’t the only thing explored in Vanderhill’s new collection. Transforming the Landscape also features a variety of local night scenes.
“Night is more mysterious,” she said. “Many things are hidden, but you’re aware of so much. It’s incredible.”
Vanderhill takes photographs of local areas and then captures the mood of night by drawing on black pigmented paper.
Her pieces speak to human connection.
“Even though there aren’t people out at night, you’re aware of them by the lights that are on or what’s left in the yard,” Vanderhill said. “You imagine families gathered inside cozy houses, and contrast that with the empty streets.”
Emily Stokes, Assistant Professor of Art, encourages students to visit the exhibit, even if art is not their chosen major.
“Often people are intimidated by art because they feel unsure as to what they should get from it,” Stokes said. “But it is amazing how often art can provoke meaningful thought and conversation.”
There will be a public reception to celebrate Vanderhill’s new work at 7 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 27. The exhibit will be on display until Oct. 18. Gallery hours are 8 a.m. to midnight Monday through Saturday and 1 p.m. to midnight on Sunday.
This exhibit is an extension of what Vanderhill feels is her goal as artist.
“There are some things you can’t put into words. That is the artist’s job — to explore the beauty in God’s creation.”
