by Beverly Alderholt, board member and exhibit coordinator

Longtime WAS-H artist, Erik Sprohge believes that a painting is more that a visual representation of a subject. He wants to show emotion with color and present works demanding us to think and wonder.

The retrospective of his work of 50 years now filling the WAS-H gallery is hung to showcase the themes he has explored during his long art-filled life. One wall presents Texana: landscapes, small towns and missions, and seascapes and beaches of our southern coast. Following that is a wild and whimsical group of human figures he likes to call “people in action, and paintings representing “magical Mexico.” As the viewer walks around our gallery she will notice that paintings become more and more abstract.. different in presentation but containing the same vivid colors and glimpses of human faces. This intentional order is loosely representative of the arc of Erik’s artistic journey.

This is the first and only time you will have the opportunity to see Erik’s splendid collection in person so don’t miss it. He will give his Artist’s Talk to speak on his art and history on July 30 from 5:00 to 7:00 and the show comes down on August 6.

Read more about Erik Sprohge here.