The Sphere of Magic and Other Visionary Objects

Yesterday my husband Andrew and I visited the Dublin Arts Council gallery on Riverside Drive. We visit periodically to see some of the art depending on how enthusiastic we feel about what’s displayed on the postcard we receive.

We have yet to be disappointed by a showing, though our preferences definitely influence how well received it is. I can tell you that Artist Mark Soppeland* hit it out of the park with this one. We couldn’t tear ourselves away from the light pieces in the first gallery studying the intricacies of each piece. Though it was difficult to choose a favorite, we each had strong feelings about a particular work.

*Artist Mark Soppeland, a distinguished professor of art emeritus at the Myers School of Art, The University of Akron, performs the roles of conceptualist, designer, craftsman, historian, philosopher, storyteller, pantheist, scientist and magician in The Sphere of Magic and other Visionary Objects/Extraordinary Images, his solo exhibition of mixed media paintings, collages and sculpture at Dublin Arts Council. The artwork relates to Soppeland’s interest in interpreting the symbolic and cultural baggage of found objects and images to evoke memory. (courtesy of DAC)

My favorite, or at least the one I could most identify with (or that those who know me would say it reminded them of me) was this one:

(kind of reminds me of a girl reading in a shed)

 This one (one of the 'Guardians') is probably more like me:

(yeah, I definitely have enough jewelry to support something like that)

Andrew really liked this one and definitely would have bought it had it not been for the $$$$ price tag:

(I think we both loved that it was made from an old slide projector)

Several of the walls contained collages displayed in rather ornate frames, which was a funny juxtaposition I thought, and certainly something I wouldn’t have thought of doing.

We also lingered in the last room off the kitchen which contained tile-like paintings, a couple of which we are still contemplating purchasing if we can find the space. My favorite, because of the color scheme and the fact that I think it would go with our décor, is a rather small piece:

If you live in the greater Columbus area I would strongly encourage you to visit the gallery and check out these amazing pieces. The light sculptures alone are worth a closer look for all the detail that went into them. Mr. Soppeland is truly a gifted artist and I hope to see more of his work in the future.