Bill Zack & Margie Prim April Exhibit at Gordy's

The intricate sculptures of BSU professor of art, Bill Zack, and landscapes and still life oil paintings of Margie Prim will grace the walls and pedestals of Gordy Fine Art and Framing during the month of April. An artists' reception will be held on the regular First Thursday, April 5th from 5 to 8 pm. Light refreshments will be served and the public is invited to meet the artists and view their works.

Bill Zack's sculptural pieces are architectural fantasies upon which figures play, dangle or dance. Elaborate stages are set with jewel-like surfaces and embellishments, sails, contraptions, strings and weights. Each draws the viewer in to read the title card, to try to decipher the meaning of the scene, and figure out how it relates to our human existence. According to his artist statement, this is exactly what Zack seeks. "I believe the greatest gift that visual art can offer is a sense of connection, reflection, and perhaps, inspiration." As a teacher, Zack has been inspiring students at Ball State for over twenty years in the classroom and as the Atrium Gallery Director since 2003. As an artist, he has been consistently active in both creating and exhibiting his works, and has won numerous awards throughout the United States. He is represented in numerous private and corporate collections.

Margie Prim is best known for her "plein air," or on site paintings of landscapes, river and cityscapes of east central Indiana. Quiet scenes depicted in thick, energetic strokes of oil paints are the signature style of the soft-spoken artist. Margie paints alone and with other outdoor painters when the weather permits. This past winter forced a new direction for the snow-bound Prim: she began painting from her own former paintings. The result is an exciting look at where she was and where she is now, as an artist. In one instance, the first painting, done six years ago, is a pleasant scene of a woods, a fence and one color-changing tree in the foreground. Her newer painting taken from it, titled, "Red Branches," is vibrant to the point of "glowing," with more contrast, more color, and thicker, freer application. If Prim’s earlier works remind viewers of the popular Impressionism, the newer paintings may favor the controlled wildness of the "Fauves," or "wild beasts" of the early 1900's: Van Gogh, Gauguin, Cezanne.

The exhibit may also be viewed during normal business hours: Monday through Friday, 9 AM to 5:30 PM, Saturday, 9 to 3, or by appointment. Gordy Fine Art & Framing is located at 224 East Main Street, next door to Civic Theatre in downtown Muncie. For more information call 765.284.8422 or visit www.gordyframing.com.