Linda Relyea
The Paw Print
This February 10th, Adams State will host the exhibit, Fire and Rain, will feature large drawings by Mary-Ann Kokoska, an Colorado State University associate professor of drawing, at the Adams State University Cloyde Snook Gallery.
Kokoska will present a lecture on her work at 4 p.m. Friday, Feb. 14, in the Art Building room 227. An opening reception, from 5 p.m. until 7 p.m., will follow the lecture.
Kokoska said her recent work addresses the changing nature and “our changing perceptions of landscape” in response to global warming. “I revisit and question the traditions of a picturesque vista in light of recent climactic events. I am particularly interested in currents of water and air, specifically the effects of monster storms and tornados. The resulting build-up of clouds, torrential rains, high winds and tidal surges are the subjects for my imagery.”
The installation format and grand scale is intended to fully engage, overwhelm and even consume the viewer. “It verges on being a spectacle and touches on characteristics of the Sublime. I often reference dramatic imagery in art history such as Leonardo’s cataclysmic storms and deluges, Casper-David Friedrich’s Sea of Ice and Hokusai’s The Great Wave off Kanagawa to elicit an emotional response and contextualize meaning. In addition I appropriate photographs of natural disasters from news media and current events,” Kokoska said.
The exhibit continues through March 7. For information call the Art Department Office at 719-587-7823.
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