CONTACT: Brad Anderson 785-827-5541 ext 5164 M-F 9a.m. to 11a.m. (office hours)

September 29, 2004

The Gallery at Kansas Wesleyan University will exhibit 40 photographic works by Nebraska artists Dana Fritz and Larry Gawel. Fritz will present 20 black and white images of formal gardens and Gawel will exhibit 20 color works that explore human perception regarding peripheral vision. The exhibit will be open October 1-November 5 in The Gallery in Sams Hall of Fine Arts at Kansas Wesleyan.

Fritz has traveled all over the world collecting images from the Versailles Garden to private

Sand Dune 2 Sand Dune, Desert Dome, Henry Doorly Zoo, Omaha, 2002 Dana Fritz

Japanese Gardens to public and private locations throughout the United States.

“My photographs illuminate the shifting balance of power evident in gardens and conservatories,” Fritz explained. “It is my intention that the images represent more than the beauty of the sites. The subject matter is plants, but the ideas can be extended beyond the garden.”

Fritz’s work does just that as viewers have an opportunity to compare the highly structured environment surrounding European formal gardens with the aesthetically sensitive choices made by Japanese landscape designers and their less structured approaches.

In contrast to Fritz’s highly detailed black and white medium format images, Gawel uses a medium format camera to explore an aspect of human vision that we seldom have a chance to experience. Gawel has named his most recent series of photographs ‘foveal (mis)conceptions’. The name derives from the fovea centralis which is the portion of the retina where our most detailed vision occurs. Areas outside this sharp detail is what constitutes

Untitled-21 from the series foveal (mis)conceptions Larry Gawel

human peripheral vision.

“I became interested in my peripheral vision during my commute to work, when the landscape through the side windows appears very different from the one in front of me,” Gawel said.

Using this observation and Gawel’s knowledge of the mechanics and structure of the photographic process he began using the camera to record his peripheral visions. “The cameras ability to ‘un-focus’ allows me to compose my images based on form rather than detail…..the sideways glance intensifies when faced head on.”

Gawel was a featured artist in the Memory show in Spring of 2004 at the Salina Art Center and gave a couple of gallery talks in conjunction with that exhibition.

Brad Anderson, Kansas Wesleyan Art Department chair, attended Gawel’s talks and made plans for the larger exhibit. “Larry introduced us to some of the new direction his work was taking and I thought Wesleyan could provide a good avenue for him to share his work with the Salina community,” Anderson said.

It was during one of their visits that Anderson was introduced to Dana Fritz, who is married to Gawel.

“Both artists have a strong exhibition record and are gaining a great deal of recognition for their work,” Anderson said, “It is a bonus to have both of them show in Salina.”

The artists will be holding a gallery talk at noon on October 22 on the campus of Kansas Wesleyan University and an artist reception will be held that evening at 7 p.m. in The Gallery. There is no charge for either event. Brown bag lunches are welcome for the noon talk; drinks and dessert will be available.

Gallery hours are 9 a.m.-9 p.m. Monday through Friday and weekends by appointment. Call 785-827-5541 ext. 5164 for more information.