In the Moment with Justin Vining

The Harrison Center is pleased to present Justin Vining's "In the Moment" opening Friday, March 2 with an artist reception from 6 to 10pm. Vining's shows have become highly anticipated events, in part due to the artist's loyal and growing following. With close to 100 new works on display, this show will not disappoint.

In developing a concept for the bulk of the work for "In the Moment," Vining drew inspiration from a project he undertook last fall. He spent the month of November in the Hoosier Salon archives poring over newspaper content from the 20s, 30s, and 40s and in the process, discovered "tons of Indiana artists creating incredible work, much of it fairly rural or small town-ish." 

Vining, who was known early in his career for his illustrative, whimsical watercolor landscapes, has transitioned to a more traditional style in recent years. The more recent work, oil landscapes, are usually created en plein air. The new show has multiple, distinct groupings including a number of plein air pieces created over the last 12 months. Travel, both around Indiana (New Harmony, Brookville, Indianapolis) as well as locations outside the state, including Tybee Island, GA provided rich subject matter.

Back in the studio, he started doing preliminary sketches inspired by these newfound artists. All of the pieces on wood and early concept pieces in the show are inspired by that time period. Vining's own background as a farm kid made paying homage to art from this time in Indiana's history a natural fit.

Still another subgroup of work in this show came about at the start of the new year when Vining began to layer paint on panels in the studio, adding paint to each piece every week between that time and the show's opening. He says that this process resulted in paintings with a rich texture not heretofore achieved in his work.

It has been fascinating to see Vining's work evolve over the past few years and his enthusiasm and drive to grow in his craft is truly inspiring. Come see for yourself this Friday night in the Harrison Gallery and Gallery Annex. The work hangs through March 30.