After a long, seemingly unending Midwest winter it is a breath of fresh air to experience the new exhibition Midwest Landscapes by Iowa City pastel artist, Marcia Wegman. Her images remind us that, good or bad, the seasons don’t last. Lush hills, calm rivers, snowy fields can all be found in Wegman’s detailed pastel works.
Wegman was born in Washington D.C. in 1935 and raised in Ohio. She received her MFA studying printmaking at the University of Iowa under print legend, Mauricio Lasansky. Before becoming a full-time artist, Wegman and her husband ran the iconic store Things & Things & Things in Iowa City for 34 years. Wegman follows in a long line of Regionalist artists who celebrate their surroundings in their art, beginning with Grant Wood who also made his mark in Iowa City and studied and taught at the University.
For years, Wegman worked in a variety of mediums before discovering her extraordinary skill at pastels and is now a member of the Iowa Pastel Society and a Signature Member of the Pastel Society of America. Her work ethic as an artist is rigorous. She challenges herself and maintains her skills by occasionally switching to abstract painting in acrylic as well as attending workshops and participating in regular drawing groups. Since 2009, Wegman has been selected for every Biennial exhibition at the Dubuque Museum of Art. Her work also has been selected for magazine competitions and major commissions. She has published several books, the most recent, Iowa Pastel Landscapes published by Penfield Books, is available for sale at the museum during the exhibition. Visit the artist’s website at marciawegman.com.