Feature Articles

October Issue 2002

Craven Allen Gallery in Durham, NC, Features Works by Paul Hrusovsky

While the idea of "Home Land" has new connotations in the aftermath of Sept. 11, Paul Hrusovsky has gone back to the roots of the words for his exhibition of that name at Craven Allen Gallery in Durham, NC, "paying a lot of attention to the images that the concept of home may inspire," he says. The works are informed not only by his own home and garden in Chapel Hill, NC, but by places in the country he has traveled, including a trip to Provincetown, Massachusetts -"a place where beauty and comforting spaces are evident throughout the town." The exhibit will be on view through Nov. 2, 2002.

But, while the viewer may find some obviously house-like images in some pieces, much of the work displays a tantalizing tension between the figural and the abstract. "I am interested in objects I come into contact with daily. Some of these are rocks, sticks, stones, and other natural objects, as well as images made by children," says Hrusovsky, who until this year taught art in Chapel Hill. Hrusovsky has developed these images over many years into his own personal iconography. Sometimes these shapes form the main subject of the painting, in other works they form a pattern that becomes part of the texture of the work.

Hrusovsky paints primarily in acrylic on canvas, meticulously building the paintings up layer upon layer, "scrapping some away and adding others." All the layers, including glazing and overpainting, give the surfaces of the paintings a tactile, almost sculptural feel. Color plays an important role in balancing the work - quiet blues, greens and browns are punctuated by vibrant reds and oranges.

Hrusovsky received a bachelor of fine arts in painting and ceramics from Ohio University, where he later returned for his master's degree. He has taught at all levels, from primary through university, and is a strong advocate for arts education. His work is featured in many corporate and private collections.

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