Artist Reception: Tom Hlas, Finding Our Way

New work by Norfolk resident Tom Hlas will be on display at the Library for the month of July in an exhibition entitled “Finding Our Way.” Tom’s current body of work deals with line –  line that represents the story of our lives, our relationships, our journey, and our memories. Please join us for a reception for the artist on Sunday, July 5, from 4:00 to 6:00 p.m. Tom will be giving an artist talk on Sunday, July 12, at 2:30 p.m.

Tom’s artist statement:

“All of our life experiences remain with us. We may or may not remember them. They may fade and soften over time. They may be seen as sharp contrasts. Or we might glaze over them. These paintings portray those experiences and map our intertwining relationships.

I worked with meandering lines, created through sweeping movement, as in dance or calligraphy, where each line has a beginning and an end. In life, we start each day not knowing what’s going to happen, who’s going to cross our path, whose path we’re going to cross, or what direction an act, thought, or encounter will take.

Each mark is a commitment. I don’t erase it; it exists. I might glaze over it. I might push it into the background. But it has a life. It’s an act that leaves a mark. It’s a statement that I have to live with, that I have to own.

While the paintings are a personal moment captured in time, I hope you, the viewer, will also recognize a part of yourself, your own journey, and relationships in these tapestries of lines.”