Pre-Symposium Day inspires fine art future

There may not be a lot of working Yuma artists, but a faculty member at Arizona Western College said he is cultivating the bounty of the next generation of talent determined to make a splash in the fine arts.
 
AWC presents a Pre-Symposium Day as part of the 30th Annual Art Symposium. It starts with a Friday launch of the three-day event in the main campus's new 3C Building boardroom at 9:25 a.m.
 
An exhibit includes working artists from around the country explaining their work. Stephanie Stephenson will open with a presentation followed by Mardis Nenno talking about her ceramics, raku artist Jim Romberg discussing his craft, and finishing with painter Danielle Wolf, says Bill Blomquist, professor of fine arts.
 
The free pre-symposium exposes the public to different artistic schools of thought, such as what the nature of art is, but especially for several AWC scholarship students it presents the possibility of making a living as an artist, Blomquist said.
 
"Some people do survive by making art and I think our students have as good a chance to dedicating their careers to the arts and becoming successful as anyone," Blomquist said.
 
He also said that a lot of people have misconceptions of what artists do, but since AWC is an institution of higher learning, it is the perfect venue to bring in a world of new ideas. The symposium was actually initiated by AWC professors who invited artists to demonstrate techniques even unknown to the faculty themselves, he said.
 
"It is a chance for students to interact with successful artists and get a whole new perspective on expanding their own work," Blomquist said.
 
Blomquist said he is especially proud of some of his students whose work will exhibited in a separate, yet nearby gallery with the visiting artists at the pre-symposium. An example of this is Francisco Rojas, a 27-year-old sophomore who is showing an acrylic painting titled, "Dali With His Bird."
  
Rojas said he chose to depict the renowned Spanish painter Salvador Dali because he admires his work. He also said he wanted to incorporate the warped-looking clocks from Dali's "Persistence of Memory" into his own art.
 
"For me, it means how time basically warps and I also like to use a dark background to imply the mysteriousness of Dali and his work," Rojas said.
 
Rojas said there is some amazing work at the pre-symposium and he learned a lot about how paints are mixed when he exhibited at least year's show.
 
Robert Villalobos, 22, will display his work titled, "Save A Polar Bear," which he describes as a reproduction of a photograph of a field trip to Santa Monica with friends. He decided to "ruin"  (the viewer's composure) by including a beached whale with a green tongue.
 
Although he said he is not particularly excited about the exhibit because he has never participated before, Villalobos said it is an especially opportune moment for local artists.
 
Josephine Towner, a senior, paints to reach personal goals, but is not seeking a degree.
 
Towner's portrait of a young girl with a seemingly oversized head is titled "Amiss." She said it is a deliberately skewed view in order to prompt the viewer to question what children might think of the adults who see them.
 
"I started in 2004 learning painting from Bill Blomquist, and he's inspired me in my growth as an artist," Towner said. "He's always encouraged me to seek new ways of looking at things, experiment with color and learn from famous masters."
 
Blomquist returned the compliment by calling his students very talented. He said these days it is very difficult to get into a bachelors art degree program because of intense competition. The pre-symposium will help build student portfolios.
 
"The schools pick only the most talented, so an exhibit like this will definitely look good on their resumes," Blomquist said.
 
The public is welcome to the pre-symposium, and for further imformation may call 317-6060 or check online at www.yumasymposium.org.