Embrace Your Inner Creeper

Viking Funeral, works by Holly Wist at the Stomping Grounds in Ames

Yesterday was my mom’s birthday (shout out to my mom!) and we went to the Stomping Grounds in Ames for lunch.  The Stomping Grounds is known for their tasty food and wide variety of teas, but did you know they also have sweet artwork too?  My mom and I sat in the back of the restaurant and as we waited for our waiter, I noticed behind my mom three very cool paintings.  After a few minutes of small talk, the paintings continued to beckon me so I excused myself from our table and got up to take pictures from my camera phone. 

Procession XII

Procession IX

The artist of these works is Holly Wist, a Drake graduate who currently lives in Des Moines.  Her dramatic use of (here comes the giant art history word of the day:) chiaroscuro is reminiscent of earlier artists such as the master of light himself, Caravaggio.

Caravaggio, The Calling of St. Matthew, 1600 c.e.

Wist's use of chiaroscuro in addition to the perspective makes the viewer feel like an outcast, or maybe even a stalker.  I can see them, but in the dark can they see me?  Looking at her works almost makes me feel sneaky like I’m doing something wrong.  This could also be due to the fact that I am on the Iowa State campus where as a high school student I used to sneak out at night and go to keggers with my friends.  The title of this show is Viking Funeral and what I got from Wist’s artist statement is that these works reflect moments in time in which a memorable event is coming to it’s end.  Take for example this piece which one can infer from her statement as the closing show of a music festival.  

Procession XI

 

I can totally see where she is going with this idea, but for me, it still looks like I’m creeping.  But I say, embrace your inner creeper!  These paintings rock and at only $200 buck a pop, I myself am thinking about buying one.  Check it out Ames friends, these works are a nice addition to the already awesome Stomping Grounds. 

For better pictures not taken on a camera phone and a look at the artist statement go here:

 http://amescart.org/2013/01/holly-wist-viking-funeral/