Article Photos

Advertisement

Although titled "Absolute Dot," the exhibit at the Northwest Art Center Hartnett Hall gallery at Minot State University is as much about the absence of dots as the presence.

Winnipeg artist Ewa Tarsia has four classically produced prints and several dozen pieces she calls "relief" because she uses the used plastic plates from the prints in them. The plastic is broken into mostly rectangular bits which are incorporated into subtly dotted canvasses which simultaneously draw the eye to explore tiny details while taking in the big picture.

"There's a lot of contrast in the works," said Avis Veikley, executive director. "The used plates are square and sharp, while the dots are round and smooth. The dots are sometimes arranged in larger dots, too.

"It's hard to tell which plates match which prints," she said. "Like many artists, she's nearly as interested in the process as the final result."

Tarsia is also an avid gardener at her home in Winnipeg, which is reflected in the vibrant colors she uses. In fact, if the exhibit is seen as a garden, then the only circular piece in it might be seen as the sun -- the eponymous "Absolute Dot."

Tarsia's exhibit, which runs through Dec. 3, will have a public reception Nov. 17 from 6:30 to 8 p.m., which is free and open to the public.

'Cartoodles'

Nov. 17 will also mark the opening reception for Jamestown artist Bill Nybo's "Cartoodles," which opens the following day in MSU's Gordon B. Olson Library Gallery and runs through Dec. 24.

Nybo has transformed a life-long habit of doodling into an art form unto itself. His show is a collection of doodles which are at once abstract, whimsical and very cartoon-like. They are more than simple line drawings, and include figures and patterns saturated with color by the markers he uses.

Admission to both galleries is free and open to the public. Hours are 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Mondays through Fridays at the Hartnett Hall gallery and by special arrangement, and during library hours at the Library gallery.