The Muscatine Art Center is excited to announce the opening of an exhibit bursting with color. Faith, Flora & Flair: exploring a painter’s sojourn, created by Muscatine artist Jim Elias, opens to the public on Thursday, September 19, and will be on view through Tuesday, December 29, 2024.
Elias’ collection of 51 various-sized paintings will be hung in the Musser-McColm mansion upstairs hallway and two adjoining galleries.
In Faith, Flora & Flair, Elias uses acrylics and watercolors to explore his faith and connection to the natural world.
“I am curious,” Elias said. “I’m a painter inspired by the constant flow of information and events I encounter every day. My work explores the relationship of movement, color, emotion, and my faith.”
Elias attended the University of South Dakota where he studied mass communication, fine art photography, and graphic design. His first career was in advertising, and 25 years later he became a business professor.
When his eldest son was getting married in 2016, instead of purchasing a gift from the wedding registry, he was challenged to “paint him a picture”. So that is what he did for the first time in 30 years. As a result Elias began painting professionally while still teaching.
Later that same year, Elias founded Sunrise Galleries in downtown Muscatine. In 2017, Sunrise Galleries curated and placed over 300 pieces of art in the then brand new Merrill Hotel on the Muscatine Riverfront. Another gallery opened in 2018, and although both locations are now closed, Elias’ work can still be viewed and purchased on his online gallery that was launched in 2021.
Elias primarily works with acrylic on canvas, board, and paper, as well as watercolor. He paints in a variety of styles using bold colors and strong brushstrokes, often coupled with layers of thin color washes. He uses the term “mind vortex” to describe the feeling of being overwhelmed by the constant bombardment of information and stimuli we experience daily.
“That swirling in my mind is what drives me to create” Elias Said.
Meet Jim Elias during the artist’s reception from 1:30 to 3:00 p.m., on Sunday, September 22, at the Muscatine Art Center. Admission is free.
The Muscatine Art Center is open Tuesday through Friday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Thursdays 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., and Saturdays and Sundays 1 to 5 p.m. The Muscatine Art Center is located at 1314 Mulberry Avenue in Muscatine, Iowa. Call 563-263-8282 for up-to-date details or visit www.muscatineartcenter.org for more information about programs and events.