The Department of Art and Design at Southern Arkansas University, Magnolia, will present a new exhibition in the Brinson Fine Arts Gallery through then end of March.
The exhibition will feature “Clyde Downs: Landscapes 2003-2007.” Hours for the Brinson Arts Gallery are from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.
“The works in this exhibition reflect my interest in the natural world,” said Downs. “Most of the paintings in this exhibitions are landscapes which allow for experimentation color choices and emotional voicings.”
Downs has been an associate professor of painting and printmaking at Northwestern State University in Natchitoches, La., since 1991. In addition, he also teaches courses in illustration and sequential art. He holds a B.A. in advertising design from Louisiana College and an M.F.A. from Stephen F. Austin in Nacogdoches, Texas.
He is a native of Louisiana and grew up in the Alexandria/Pineville area. He was influenced by the works of N.C. Wyeth, Howard Pyle, and Dr. Seuss that he encountered in the public library as a child. Later, the comics and work of Jack Kirby, Steve Ditko, and Dick Spring influenced him to study art in college. It was in college that the discovery of the work of Vincent Van Gogh led him to pursue a career in painting. Realizing that art could tell stories (comics and illustration) or that it could be visual poetry (Van Gogh), Downs chose the path of visual poetry.
Downs has exhibited both regionally and nationally, with works recently accepted in a National Landscape Competition in Bethesda, Md., and in the Alexandria Museum’s National Exhibition, the September Competition. Works have also been accepted in an International Landscape Competition held online by Upstream People Gallery.
Recent trips to the American southwest have inspired Downs to deal with landscapes dealing with not only with local landscapes, but also with the landscapes of west Texas and New Mexico. Going to New Mexico on a faculty enhancement grant, he produced a large body of work inspired by the landscapes he found there.
When not found teaching or painting, Downs can be found practicing acoustic guitar.
