This year's Second Annual Contemporary Illustration Exhibition at the Bountiful/Davis Art Center serves up yet another slice of evidence that commercial art can be just as visually tasty as any work of fine art.
BDAC gallery director Arley Curtz has brought together some of the most talented and successful illustrators working and teaching in Utah today.Among those displaying work is Don Weller, one of the nation's leading graphic designers and illustrators, who served on the board of directors for the Los Angeles Art Directors Club and was president of the Los Angeles Society of Illustrators.
Robert Barrett, professor of illustration at Brigham Young University, is also showing work, as are other notable illustrators and instructors such as Kim Whitesides, Greg Newbold and Glen Edwards.
Also featured in the exhibit are these illustrators: Bethanne Andersen, Ron Brown, Mark Buehner, Rob Colvin, Bob Commander, Chris Hawkes, Cary Henrie and Karl Hepworth. Pat Hill, Lester B. Lee, Steve Kropp, Paul Mann, Roger Loveless, Sherry Meidell, Robert McKay, Robert Neubecker, Greg Ragland, Nathan Paret, Will Terry, Perry Stewart and Jerry Thompson.
Each artist -- working in such mediums as gouache, graphite, colored pencil, watercolor, oil, acrylic and digital imaging -- has done design and illustration for such distinguished companies as Hewlitt Packard, the NBA, Time Magazine, Newsweek, Random House, the Ensign magazine, Sports Illustrated and many more.
They've attended schools like Parsons School of Design, Art Center College of Design, the Hochschule der Kunste in Berlin, Utah State University, University of Utah and Brigham Young University.
While some of the work in the show is a repeat from last year, there is mainly fresh, dynamic storytelling that will please and inspire viewers.
Buehner's illustration, "Contemplation," is perhaps the most delightful piece in the show. Created for the children's book "The Balloon Farm," Buehner's illustration furnishes viewers with a large, peculiar-looking cow who contemplates the underside of a balloon that strangely resembles a cow's udder.
The stem of the udder balloon dissects the cow's head perfectly down the middle, and the complementary colors in the piece add to its visual pleasure. Building on the existing humor, Buehner renders a miniscule pig and farmer's head, peeking around the side of the cow.
Another excellent piece is Whitesides' airbrushed "Disney Magic," a straight on, frontal view of an ocean liner at sea. It's an example of consummate composition and skilled airbrushing, a technique that can quickly ruin a work of art if not done well.
Henrie and Brown incorporate digital technology in their pieces, and both are very good. Henrie uses his oil painting experience to create images, while Brown integrates his photography background to produce his large, techno/surrealist works.
Two of the freshest pieces in the show are colored pencil sketches by Weller. These are masterfully rendered, exploding with color and line.
Hill's "Ralph's Draped Nude" (ebony pencil) is an exquisite exercise in value and composition and is the closest thing to traditional fine art in the exhibit. It demonstrates well the skill of all the participating illustrators.
"The Second Annual Contemporary Illustrators Exhibition" will be at the BDAC, 745 S. Main in Bountiful, through Feb. 6. Gallery hours are 5-9 p.m. Monday, 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Tuesday-Friday, and 2-5 p.m. on Saturday.