Painter and UGA professor Joseph Peragine now has his first solo show on campus since becoming director of the Lamar Dodd School of Art two years ago.
“Low Anchored Cloud/Spring Hoax” is on view at the UGA Performing Arts Center Lobby Gallery, which is free and open to the public weekdays between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m.
Joseph Peragine’s “Pearl River.” (Submitted photo)
A reception honoring Peragine and his paintings will be held in the gallery Aug. 20 at 5 p.m. Light refreshments will be served.
“I’m really happy with the way it looks,” Peragine said. “It’s really fun to have it on campus. As an administrator, I’ve been the man behind a desk. It’s nice to share the passion side of me. It’s why I got into education, into art.”
The exhibition consists of 23 whimsical, vivid canvases. Three very large ones with animals are from a series called “Low Anchored Cloud,” which takes its title from a Henry David Thoreau poem. A cluster of 20 smaller ones is from “Spring Hoax,” which juxtaposes Day of the Dead skulls with flowers and insects.
“I think of making art as synesthesia,” Peragine said. “What does it taste like? What does it sound like?” He compared his blend of weight and humor with the music of Talking Heads and writing by Kurt Vonnegut, which both can tackle serious subjects in an off-kilter way.
Peragine appreciates showing his work in a less traditional space with so much foot traffic. He said the institutional cooperation reminds him of the most recent Dodd school graduation, which was in the PAC with Hugh Hodgson School of Music students providing music, and Georgia Museum of Art Director David Odo speaking.
“It was using the whole East Campus,” Peragine said.
“Low Anchored Cloud/Spring Hoax” will be shown until Dec. 21.
For more information visit https://pac.uga.edu/lobby-gallery.