Upcoming art exhibit at Alfred State offers a colorful, abstract escape

Art lovers are invited to take a walk “Off the Beaten Path” and enjoy some stunning and colorful artwork by Wellsville native Karen Lang at Alfred State’s Hinkle Memorial Library from Jan. 17 to Feb. 28.

In “Off the Beaten Path,” according to the exhibit’s description, elements of everyday life such as landscapes, flowers, and still life “are abstracted and reinvented using a combination of painting techniques – free-flowing watercolors, collage, ink, monoprint – sometimes mixed, sometimes standing alone.

“The subjects,” the description continues, “are mostly imaginary but appear familiar to us, with their essence drawn from the surrounding environment. Memories are reduced to color combinations and shapes; take a walk in the woods, smell the flowers, listen to the birds.”

Lang, a native of Wellsville, said her discovery of painting as a form of expression undoubtedly evolved out of a lifelong affinity to music. After completing a Bachelor of Music Education at Ithaca College, a year of string teaching in Penn Yan, and her Master of Music in Performance at Wichita State University, Lang said she felt the need “to explore the European roots of our musical and cultural heritage.”

“With suitcase and fiddle in hand, I set off for Germany and soon landed a job playing violin with the Berliner Symphoniker – an orchestra with which I still perform,” she said. “Berlin has become my home away from home; here I have my art studio and work as a freelance musician. Regular trips back to western New York and my ‘roots’ are still very important, though. I look forward to visiting family and friends, as well as finding comfort and inspiration in the quiet, rolling hills around Wellsville.”

After years of being inspired by the works of others in museums and art exhibits around the world, Lang said it was “inevitable that I, too, pick up a paintbrush.”

“Painting offers freedoms that are unknown to orchestra musicians, and is a wonderful complement to the audible arts,” she said. “Borderlines between ‘right’ and ‘wrong’ fade away, and the colors of ‘major’ and ‘minor’ become visible. Composer, conductor, and performer are united as one.”

“Off the Beaten Path” will be open for viewing during normal library hours. Additionally, a reception for the exhibit will be held in the Hinkle Gallery from 4-6 p.m. Friday, Jan. 25.

To inquire about exhibiting your work in the Hinkle Gallery, email library@alfredstate.edu or call 607-587-4313.