In this exhibition, New Views: Frederick Jones, James Walker Henry, and Kent Hammond, three contemporary artists presented new views from today’s art world with a visually stimulating mix of abstraction, surrealism, and originality. Each artist presented a new way of looking at and understanding the world around us.
Three digital photography collages by Frederick Jones explored the inevitable passing of time and the cycle of life through observations of nature. His studies of time are intriguing and profound, using familiar objects like trees, cornfields, and dandelions in place of calendars and clocks. Among his many educational accomplishments, Jones received his Master of Fine Arts from the University of Wisconsin – Madison. He is retired from teaching at Western Illinois University where he developed the Silkscreen and Computer Generated Art programs. He lives in Macomb, Illinois.
James Walker Henry paints Surrealist images full of intense color and compelling imagery. He selects current political and social events that affect him personally and emotionally to inspire his work and is, therefore, never at a loss for subject matter. His colorful, fantastical scenes momentarily camouflage powerful undertones of disenchantment and despair. Henry graduated from Southeastern Community College. He lives in Burlington, Iowa.
Kent Hammond is originally from Dubuque, Iowa – a graduate of Hempstead High School. Now living in Los Angeles, his large abstracts provide a glimpse into the dynamic, contemporary west coast art scene. He creates self-governing spaces that encourage “looking, thinking, and evaluating.” Of his paintings, he writes “[t]hey are inquisitive yet timid, clumsy yet magnificent, calculated yet informal.” Hammond graduated from the University of Iowa and received his MFA from Claremont College in California. He is currently on the faculty at the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising and maintains a studio in Los Angeles.