NORTHERN CONSTRUCTS

THE FINE ART OF ILLUSTRATION, merged with electronic imaging

"Construct" - Something constructed especially by mental synthesis < form a ~ construct
of a physical object by mentally assembling and integrating sense-data> (from Webster's New Collegiate Dictionary).

The works in this exhibition are not only based on "art making" but also on forming "constructs." These constructs are attempts to translate into visual form various interpretations of individual "realities." These realities are not intelligible only to the makers involved. For art to be successful it needs to be made known to its audience as well as its originator.

In this exhibit there are works of students and a faculty member at Northern Michigan University. The University is located in Marquette, Michigan in the beautiful Upper Peninsula at the southern shores of Lake Superior. The works are from students in the Illustration Program from both lower and upper division classes. There is a variety of works utilizing may diverse concepts and media. One of the main goals has been the integration of analog or traditional illustration techniques with those of electronic imaging. While drawing and painting still dominate other technical means, electronic imaging has become a powerful force not only in the applied arts of illustration and design, but also in other areas. While these young artists are experimenting with visual storytelling, children's books, and advertising, they are also exploring their own emotional and psychological growth.

The faculty member's work is that of Thomas Cappuccio, Professor of Art in the Department of Art and Design. His work bridges the worlds of painting with those of illustration, and of electronic imaging. This synthesis is in itself a construct. Digital art has blurred the distinction not only between different forms of art, but happily between that of art and science. Cappuccio has been teaching at Northern Michigan University since 1975, and has participated in over 120 juried exhibitions on the national level. His works are found in public as well as in private collections.