Artist Mark Rouse will be featured in Nickel Plate Arts’ December Stephenson Showcase in Noblesville.
Rouse, whose work coincides with the beginning of the winter season, said he loves the snow and the visual changes it creates. The effect on textures, colors and the physicality of objects are what inspire him to create, he said.
“I was in college during the Blizzard of 1978, and I remember what that was like when the snow was coming down and you couldn’t see much of anything,” Rouse said.
Rouse’s exhibit, “Snow Globe,” is on display through Dec. 31 from noon to 5 p.m. Wednesday through Friday and Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. in the Stephenson House at Nickel Plate Arts, 107 S. 8th St., Noblesville.
The concept inspired a small series, “Blizzards 1, 2, 3,” which will be featured in the exhibit and is a new style for Rouse. He will remove his digital elements and focus solely on acrylics, he said.
“This is going to be a different way of looking at (my art for) people who know my work. Like the Blizzard of ‘78, these paintings will be almost entirely white, and the images are going to be texture,” Rouse said. “The texture will give a clue as to what they are a picture of.”
Rouse said snow changes the outlook on things and inspired the artwork featured in his exhibit. Rouse, who will make his own impasto paste, said he will create a completely white painting that is rich with texture and use different shades of white and a little sparkle to do an acrylic pour from top to bottom to give the air of snow coming down.
Acrylic pouring is new to Rouse, who has only experimented one other time with smooth and circular surfaces.
“I’m anxious to see how this works. I’m going to play a bit with glitter to see what it does, but I’m guessing it will enhance the image,” he said.
Although the new artistic experiments will be featured in the exhibit, his signature mixed-media style will still be included.
“Instead of aiming mostly for things that people hadn’t seen before, I want people to see what I love. The mixed media that I do allows me to do that relatively quickly,” Rouse said.
Rouse also said he wants the exhibit to be fun and take viewers back to looking at things differently covered in a magical layer of snow.
The public can meet Rouse at his free public reception from 2 to 5 p.m. Dec. 17 at the Stephenson House.
Artwork can be ordered by contacting Nickel Plate Arts at 317-452-3690 or by visiting nickelplatearts.org/exhibits.
