A local artists’ exhibit opened on Saturday at The Thought Lot and it surely did not disappoint.

At first glance you could tell these pieces of art were nothing ordinary. This is something Maryrose Runk aimed to achieve.

“I do not like to do typical abstract art. I like to clash things together,” she said. This is something seen throughout all of her artwork.

One set of pieces that stood out was David Bowie-inspired. The pieces were titled “Is There Life on Mars?”, “Starman,” and “A lad, insane.” The pieces meshed Bowie and space.

Runk said she likes making art about things she enjoys. She says she enjoys making pieces about “space, getting messy, teeth and weird news.” By weird news she is talking about bizarre events that happen. She had a piece in the exhibit which showcased one news event that had happened last year in San Francisco. It depicted a spiked baseball bat chained to a parking meter.

Skulls were very prevalent in many of her pieces. “Pastel Dreams of Death” showed skulls in a lighter way. She used pastel colors to make a serious topic seem lighter. Also used a lot in her artwork were animals.

In the piece “Octopi,” she used acrylic paint to depict an octopus’s tentacles and made it look like there was neon paint dripping from the tentacles. This work was done on wood. Jellyfish were the subject in a painting titled “Jelly.”

The visitors were really receptive to the artwork. Several had purchased pieces in only a short amount of time since the opening reception had begun. Along with the artwork, there was a DJ playing music, beer sampling and plenty of food to snack on.

“My style is all over the place,” Runk explained. She never went to art school, but found the passion for art by painting with her father. She said her favorite piece in the exhibit was the piece titled “Wolfe is Fine.” Runk likes this piece because it is based around “Terminator 2,” one of her favorite movies.

She also had several on display photographs. An image that stood out was “Ginsberg’s America Is My America.” It was a collage with acrylic paint over top depicting an image of Uncle Sam. Another that incorporated an image was “Kerouac.” It was a map with an image of a man painted on top.

Runk also had a piece on a wall which one could buy and get customized. Many visitors seemed intrigued by this.

The exhibit featured a variety of pieces and everyone seemed to find something they liked.

“I do not want to create the usual abstract artwork that many people make,” Runk explained. She certainly achieved her vision and it was truly amazing to see. 

Share