NTCC’s Art Department Host Year’s First Exhibit

Steven Barker’s Camellia and Swan (44″x62″) will be one of the pieces featured in the exhibit.

The Northeast Texas Community College Art Department will host its first exhibit of the 2018-2019 school year September 7-26 in the foyer of the Whatley Center for the Performing Arts. A collection of drawings and watercolors by Steven Barker will be on display for public viewing during this time. A reception with the artist will be held Wednesday, Sept. 19 at 12:30 p.m. in the Whatley foyer. It is free to the public and refreshments will be served. NTCC art exhibits are open for viewing during regular business hours and there is no admission fee.

Barker is an artist living and creating in Mount Pleasant. NTCC alumni from 1997, he went on to Texas A&M University-Commerce for his BFA in 2000 and continued to Johnson State College in Vermont for his MFA in 2004. His drawings and watercolors make use of high detail rendering of regional subjects from nature as subtle allegories of aspects of life. Isolating them on the white of the paper, he says, removes location, time, and context, allowing the viewer to bring their own field of reference when interacting with the image. The right metaphor tells its own story.

“Steven is a phenomenal artist and we are very excited to showcase his work. The use of fine detail in his drawings makes them very lifelike and you will continue to notice new aspects of the piece even after viewing it many times,” Debbie Strong, NTCC Division Chair of Creative and Performing Arts, said.

We encourage visitors to call ahead at 903-434-8181 to ensure the gallery is open prior to visiting. You can view samples of Barker’s work at facebook.com/ArtpanelStudios.

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