Drawn, Cut, Torn and Pasted, a different exhibit

Lining the walls of the Davis Art Gallery, four Missouri artists display their artwork in the "Drawn, Cut, Torn and Pasted" exhibit.

Dan Scott, curator of the Davis Art Gallery, has the responsibility of choosing the themes for the exhibit. This year he wanted to show different techniques of using paper for art.

Scott displayed the work of four artists that have different themes and styles. Together they "complement each other and really serve to show what is classically possible with the material," Scott said.

Upon entering the stark white gallery, Mark Langeneckert, Mary Lamboley, Joyce Yarbrough and Deborah Huelsbergen's artwork is seen hanging on the four walls of the gallery. The simplistic environment of the gallery allows the viewer to focus on the quality of the artwork. Muffled voices are apparent from the passing students and teachers, but the gallery was otherwise quiet and calm.

Langeneckert's gouache on paper, also known as painting with opaque watercolors, was my favorite collection of art in the gallery. The colors he used throughout the collection popped from the white matting, and drew the viewer to his art. Each piece featured one or more subjects perfectly portraying his character's emotions in the particular scene, as if it were no longer watercolor on paper.

"Before ‘The David'" was my favorite piece by Langeneckert. The emotion portrayed from the girl in the scene is shown by the details he added to her face. Her posture and expression tell a story to the viewer, and he captures her mood through the scene.

Yarbrough used scissors, paper and watercolor to create magnificent black and white silhouettes into artwork that stood as unique pieces in the gallery. Yarbrough's collection offered her interpretation of nature scenes through paper and watercolor.

Yarbrough's "Dandelion Flyin" was one of my favorite pieces in the gallery. The intricate details she added to the dandelion were unbelievable. She captured an image of a dandelion blowing in the wind and transformed it into a new piece of art by cutting the image out of paper. The piece, much like many of her others, was made of black paper on a white background, however the minimalism of her artwork highlighted the details she added to the scenes.

In comparison to Yarbrough's images captured in black and white, Deborah Huelsbergen brings humorous scenes of color to the gallery. Huelsbergen uses paper tearing techniques with color paper and pastel to create a collection of "when I'm out of the house" pieces.

Huelsbergen engages the viewer within her collection by adding details and additions that pull the artwork together. The viewer has a fun time looking for the element that is similar throughout all the pieces. Her joyful and whimsical pieces add an amount of comedy to the gallery.

Lamboley brings a completely different technique to the exhibit with her pieces of charcoal and ink on paper. Her pieces evoke a sense of wonder and imagination when looking at the scenes. The amount of detail she adds in each piece is unique, setting her apart from other artists featured.

Pleased with the overall look of the show, Scott believes sculptural pieces would be added if this theme were used again.

The artwork shown in the exhibit was unique, illustrating different techniques and skills. The exceptional art in the "Drawn, Cut, Torn and Pasted" exhibit is a fantastic exhibit that is highly visit-worthy. The exhibit within Davis Art Gallery is open to the public until February 24, 2012.