2008 Woodie Awards
Minutia becomes meaningful in Mullins library art exhibit
Niketa Reed
Issue date: 4/2/08 Section: Life & Style
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Wade's exhibit, "A Diversity of Shape, Color and Design," is the latest display in the lobby level of Mullins library. It will be on display through the end of April.
The exhibit is a collection of watercolor paintings, hallmarking the beauty in daily trifles from random life pleasures to snapshots of "remember whens."
"As long as I stay inspired, I keep painting. If I stop, it's because life happens," Wade said. "My subject matter has become shapes. Everything has a shape - your computer, your head; I try to find interesting shapes.
"I paint whatever moves me - I'm always looking, " he said.
Splashes of reds, yellows, greens, and oranges are prominent against the cocoa hues of the people illustrated in many of Wade's pieces. Among the subjects he explores are still life and family moments.
"I don't consciously say 'let me go find something positive.' The people doing normal things catch my eye. My paintings also reflect what I am. Even anywhere I go, I could see some good shapes," Wade said. He also describing himself as a "graphite guy" who does preliminary sketches leading up to paintings.
Wade started painting at a young age. He attended classes at Oshkosh University to study graphic arts. He became a professional artist in 1999 and has recently moved from his hometown of Milwaukee, Wis., to Marianna, Ark. Aside from his art interests, he devotes his life to ministry and will pastor the New Light Baptist Church, which will open in about three weeks.
He looks forward to filling the walls of the church with his paintings and photography.
Wade represents a generation of black Americans who are reversing the great migration trend of the early 1900s and returning to the South. His parents were from Arkansas, and he remembers admiring the beauty of its countryside in his youth whey they traveled from Wisconsin to visit relatives every year, he said.
Many of the pieces are a tribute to Arkansas' beauty, where he now resides with his own family. More of Wade's artwork can be viewed and bought at www.edwadestudios.com.
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