Lynn Boggess to hold art exhibition at Fairmont State this September

By Debra Minor Wilson
Times West Virginian

FAIRMONT August 27, 2008 09:30 pm

— West Virginia artist Lynn Boggess creates landscape paintings so realistic you can identify them from real life.
A collection of his works will be the first exhibition of the new academic year at Fairmont State University and Pierpont Community & Technical College.
An opening reception will be held from 7-9 p.m. Wednesday at the James Davis Brooks Memorial Gallery, fourth floor, Wallman Hall. The exhibition will continue through Sept. 30. Admission is free and open to the public. Regular gallery hours are Mondays through Fridays from 11 a.m.-4 p.m. For special arrangements, call or e-mail Curator Marian J. Hollinger at 367-4300 or mhollinger@fairmontstate.edu.
“Boggess is one of the foremost painters in West Virginia and the region,” Hollinger said.
He left his position as a professor of art at Fairmont State several years ago to devote himself full time to his art, she said.
He splits his time between Fairmont and Summersville. His wife Jennifer and son Evan are also painters.
“They’re the family that paints together. Their work is very different from one another. They’re avid and excellent artists.
“She has a conceptual style. Any notion you have for landscape she blows right of the water,” Hollinger said. “It’s very gorgeous, very elegant. She will have a show with us in February, so we’re doubly blessed.
“It’s hard to get either one of them to have enough work that’s not sold or committed elsewhere to have a show here.”
Boggess will also donate one of the paintings to the Fairmont State art collection.
“His style is naturalistic,” Hollinger said. “When you look at one of his landscapes, you see it as a landscape. You can identify where he painted. But he edits out the detritus of humanity, so what you see is the beauty of the landscape.”
His work is “extraordinary, technically and in terms of his selection of places and his passion for his subject matter,” she said. “It’s very rich and a person feels drawn into the painting.”
Whether you know something about art or you just know what you like, “His work appeals to all levels and all interests of viewers,” Hollinger said.
“Most people like landscapes of some kind or another. His are both traditional and very contemporary in the way he approaches his subjects. They’re accessible and also layered in meaning so someone who knows something about painting can derive a deeper appreciation. But anyone who just likes a nice picture can respond favorably to his work.”
Other events include:
October: The first Masquers’ production, “The Mandrake”; a two-person photographic exhibition; the Fairmont State Collegiate Singers performance.
November: “Scrooge the Musical”; Fairmont State University Community Orchestra.
December: FSU and Community chorus performance of “The Messiah”; jazz ensemble concert.
January: American Shakespeare Center performances at East Fairmont High School; FSU student performance of “Rent”; painting exhibition of FSU alumnus Derek Overfield.
February: conceptual landscape exhibition by Jennifer Boggess; theater performance in February and March (to be announced).
March: West Virginia Symphony; wind ensemble; abstract painting exhibition in gallery.
April: West Coast Jazz presented by FSU jazz ensemble; FSU Community orchestra concerto concert; Montana Repertory production of “To Kill a Mockingbird,” sponsored by student government.
May: FSU wind ensemble; stories from Farmington Mine Disaster.
E-mail Debra Minor Wilson at dwilson@timeswv.com.

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