Dan Dawson, a third-year studio art student at the University of Maine, is among six artists from the Bangor area to be featured in “Alive & Local,” an exhibit at Central Gallery in Bangor.
The month-long exhibit opened to the public on Saturday, Feb. 6, at an event that featured beer from Orono Brewing Company.
Dawson’s artistic focus is printmaking, with an interest in screen and wood block printing.
“I like to make prints because I can produce many versions of the same image. This has a twofold impact as I can share my art much more easily with many people but also each print doesn’t really capture the whole edition. This allows for a tiled display of an edition with a fuller impact,” Dawson said.
Central Gallery, located at 89 Central St. in Bangor, is a multifaceted art and performance venue with a mission to promote creativity. It showcases local artists through various events and programs.
Dawson’s first showing at Central Gallery was held last year. An artist whose work was supposed to be shown became unavailable, and Dawson saw an opportunity.
“I collected every print I have ever made and kept and put together an exhibition,” Dawson said.
He at first found discussing his own art unnerving, but now enjoys explaining the technical aspect of his work and receiving feedback.
“My inspiration is partially from my predecessors and partially from my desire to depict the human experience as I see it, first hand,” Dawson said. “My recent pieces are more developed and have the intention of depicting the struggle of coming to terms with mortality and the change that marks within a person.”
