“Into the Sun”, gouache and ink by Roxi Mathis

JAMESTOWN, N.D. (NewsDakota.com) – The Jamestown Arts Center is host to exhibit “Gas Bubble in Eye” through March 7th.

Jamestown Arts Center Executive Director Mindi Schmitz says the artist used a personal experience to begin her pieces in the exhibit.

Roxi Mathis is a watercolor artist living and working in Minot, North Dakota. Dealing with a detached retina caused light distortions and patterns in her vision, so she combined these manifestations with real and imagined inspiration.

In discussing her art she says, “I like to work in detail with a lot of color and bold contrast, forming loose patterns based on the visual anomalies that I see. While much of my work includes North Dakota scenery, I also work with figurative elements. I try to tell stories that lead the viewer to find their own narrative in the work.”

Her work pairs real world subject matter like landscapes, animals and figures with the unreal visual anomalies that she experienced after having her multiple eye surgeries. The resulting artwork is a juxtaposition of soft watercolor landscapes, many of badlands-like buttes, with hard-edged, mostly abstract ink drawings. While each style isn’t unusual alone, the combination of the two makes Mathis’ work unusual and compelling–it challenges the norm. The ink drawings seemingly have no relationship to the landscapes, however the more one looks, narratives begin to emerge. Someone might see Native American dancers, gateways to alternative universes, microscopic minerals, birds in flight and severe storms.

Schmitz added that as part of having Mathis’ exhibit featured at the Arts Center, they’re also inviting the public to come to a “Meet the Artist Lunch” on March 4th.

Schmitz also took time to thank everyone for their participation in all the recent fundraising efforts for the Arts Center including their Wine & Cheese, Gala, and Giving Hearts Day.

They’re also currently working on their schedule for the summer Downtown Arts Market program.

For more information on everything related to the Jamestown Arts Center, visit jamestownarts.com or call 701-251-2496.

Listen to a full Let’s Talk About It with Mindi Schmitz below: