Ohio Wesleyan Graduate’s Artwork Explores the Passage of Time
“Stone Veil III.” (Image courtesy of Karen Poulson ’59)
DELAWARE, OH – Karen Poulson’s multimedia paintings include intricate, layered representations of the passage of time and stark, emotional glimpses of human figures. The work of the 1959 Ohio Wesleyan University graduate is on display through Oct. 28 in OWU’s Alumni Gallery, inside Mowry Alumni Center, 16 Rowland Ave. Poulson, a sociology/anthropology major, also will present a free illustrated gallery talk at 3 p.m. Sept. 29 in Room 121 of Edgar Hall, 35 S. Sandusky St.
Of her artwork, the Broomfield, Colo., resident states: “Much of my current work combines my interest in prehistory and the marks and remnants left by previous generations. I use a combination of additive and reductive processes, simulating the erosive and cumulative qualities of the passage of time. I create a surface by means of the use of collage, paint, drawn lines, etc., which I then break down by various means—peeling, scraping, dissolving; then I add to the surface, submerging and overlaying many times.”
Her OWU exhibition, “Reflections,” includes 28 pieces on two floors. The Alumni Gallery is open to the public from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. Admission is free.
Justin Kronewetter, M.F.A., director of OWU’s Ross Art Museum, said Poulson’s work ranges from tightly controlled paintings to very free expressionist works, representing a wide variety of artistic techniques and materials.
“Visitors will focus on different elements of Karen’s work based upon their own life experiences,” Kronewetter said. “But I think they’ll find many of the pieces laden with emotional content. Some of the works depicting the human form have a transparent, X-ray quality, while others depict masks. Many of the masks are incomplete, adding to the feeling that they have been excavated and recovered in fragments. It’s an exciting exhibit, and I’m pleased that Karen will be joining us Sept. 29 to talk about her days as a student at Ohio Wesleyan and provide her personal interpretation of many of the works on display.”
Learn more about Poulson and her artwork at ArtworkNetwork.com. Learn more about Ohio Wesleyan’s art exhibits by joining the Ross Art Museum group on Facebook.
Ohio Wesleyan University is one of the nation’s premier small, private universities, with more than 90 undergraduate majors, sequences, and courses of study, and 23 NCAA Division III varsity sports. Located in Delaware, Ohio, just minutes north of Ohio’s capital and largest city, Columbus, the university combines a globally focused curriculum with off-campus learning and leadership opportunities that translate classroom theory into real-world practice. OWU’s close-knit community of 1,850 students represents 45 states and 52 countries. Ohio Wesleyan was named to the 2010 President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll with distinction, is featured in the book “Colleges That Change Lives,” and is included on the “best colleges” lists of U.S. News & World Report and The Princeton Review. Learn more at www.owu.edu.