A selection of work by artist W. Michael Bush is on display
through Aug. 24 at the Pryor Art Gallery on the campus of Columbia State
Community College in Columbia.
“As an artist, my duty is to fidelity,” Bush said, adding,
“Fidelity to my own truths and ideas, to document my journey through life as a
member of this human race and to chronicle the vision that inspires my art and
makes up my world.”
Though Bush received his Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from Ringling
School of Art in Sarasota, Fla., and studied at Instituto Allende in San
Miguel, Mexico, and at the Art Institute of Chicago, he spent more than two
decades as a professional scenic artist in motion pictures. Some of his
favorites were Jaws, Hardly Working, Caddy Shack, Porky’s, Escape from New
York, Fire Starter and Tank.
Pryor Gallery Curator Rusty Summerville chose Bush for the
first of several planned exhibits featuring Tennessee artists because of his
popularity. Bush’s work has been purchased or commissioned by museums,
hospitals and corporations and appears in many private collections.
A self-described “figurative expressionist,” Bush creates his
art in his own studio in Bell Buckle. Among his work are sketches, sculptures, abstracts,
oils and mixed media.
“Figurative paintings are my journal of what I view during my
romp through day-to-day life,” Bush said. “I express this in a liberal style
filled with expression.”
The artist admits he sometimes is “caught up in a theme,” often
producing dozens of pieces depicting variations on a current favorite. For
example, he has created numerous paper sketches and oil-on-canvas paintings of
performing musicians that demonstrate passion and dynamic energy in motion,
several of which are showcased at the Pryor this month.
“There is certainly no shortage of artists doing musicians,”
Bush observed. “I just do them a little differently.
A recent body of work entitled "Variations on Musical
Themes" was created by painting actual musical instruments and their cases
and presenting each with an oil-on-canvas painting of the result.
Visitors to the Pryor will note bold and original
interpretations on some of Bush’s favorite themes, including horses and an
orange-haired girl. The artist’s fascination with the orange-haired girl began on
a trip to Chattanooga when he noticed a woman with a red umbrella and bright
orange hair walking in the rain.
“I am a colorist,” he said. “Color is instrumental in what I
do.”
One wall of the Pryor showcases Bush’s “Seven Virtues.” Each
of the seven large panels depicts a specific virtue – creativity, tolerance,
truth, love, wisdom, courage and freedom – using subtle motifs along with
Bush’s recognizable vibrant colors and definitive lines.
“Whether objective or non-objective, each piece of work
stresses my view of form, shape, color, hue and value to express my inner,
abstract, or outer, figurative, vision,” Bush said. “I don't wish to preach,
but to share this voyage and perhaps influence in some way, by sparking an
interest or raising a possibility in the mind of the viewer.”
The Pryor Art
Gallery, located in the Waymon L. Hickman building on the Columbia
State Community College campus, is open Monday through Thursday from 8 a.m.
until 8 p.m., and on Friday from 8 a.m. until 4 p.m. The gallery is also open
on weekends during special events. Exhibits are free and open to the public.
For more information contact PryorGallery@ColumbiaState.edu
or call Summerville (931) 540-2883.
For a preview of W. Michael Bush’s work, visit www.wmichaelbushartist.com.