The Art Gallery at UWF presents an exhibition by Michael J. Deas and Gregory B. Saunders

The Art Gallery at the University of West Florida presents an exhibition of work by Michael J. Deas and Gregory B. Saunders. The exhibition will run from Feb. 8 through Mar. 10. A gallery talk with both artists, followed by a reception, will be held on Thursday, Feb. 8 starting at 5:30 p.m. at TAG in the Center for Fine and Performing Arts, Building 82.

Michael J. Deas is a New Orleans-based artist who works primarily in oils painted on wooden panel. Charcoal, graphite, and silverpoint drawings will be featured in the exhibition in addition to his paintings. The work on display will be both fine art pieces and work from commercial art projects. Deas has won many awards including five gold medals from the Society of Illustrators and the Hamilton King Award for single best illustration of the year. He has painted six covers for Time Magazine, twenty-one postage stamps for the U.S. Postal Service, and painted the redesign for the Columbia Pictures logo in 1991. As a well-known authority on Edgar Allen Poe, Deas wrote what is now considered the standard reference work, “The Portraits & Daguerreotypes of Edgar Allen Poe.”

Gregory B. Saunders, a Pensacola artist and UWF instructor, creates large-scale powdered graphite drawings through a unique process. Saunders describes this process as “trapping” the graphite powder between layers of acrylic spray. This technique enables him to create broad ranges of tonal values based on mass rather than line, which gives the work a photographic quality. The content of Saunders’ work is based around narratives or poetry and he incorporates a variety of subject matter including landscapes, mythological sirens, and animals such as ravens and snakes.

Both artists have been long-time friends and have mutually influenced each other in multiple ways. The gallery talk will be an informal conversation between these two artists and will provide insight into their respective studio processes, thoughts on contemporary art, and anecdotes from their experiences exhibiting work around the country.

TAG is open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Friday and from noon to 4 p.m. on Saturday. All events are free and open to the public. For more information, visit uwf.edu/tag, or contact Nick Croghan, Gallery Director, at artgallery@uwf.eduor 850.474.2696.

The Art Gallery at UWF seeks to challenge, stimulate and engage students and the greater public through direct interaction with works of contemporary art.