DANBURY, CONN. — Because of his metaphoric and narrative style, artist John Wallace has been coined a storyteller — and his bold, original paintings have captivated art audiences for more than five decades.

From Feb. 17 through March 10, 2011, Wallace, a former art professor at Western Connecticut State University, will exhibit his paintings at the university’s Higgins Gallery. A reception for Wallace will be held from 4 to 7 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 17, in the gallery on the university’s Midtown campus, 181 White St. in Danbury. The reception will be free and open to the public. The gallery hours will be Mondays through Thursdays from noon to 4 p.m.

“John Wallace has been an inspiration and a mentor to generations of students at WCSU,” said Western Professor of Art Margaret Grimes, describing his paintings as ambitious and stunningly original. She said the artist’s more recent works “blend astronomical, astrological and mythological elements in an expression of the infinite and spirituality.”

Wallace, who received a B.F.A. from Washington University and an M.F.A. from Indiana University, taught at Western from 1982 through 2009 and was co-coordinator of the M.F.A. program from 2000 thru 2009. He also studied at Skowhegan, where he received a Margaret Tiffany Blake fellowship for creating a fresco in the choir loft of the South Solon Meeting House, which is now a historic landmark. He is also the recipient of a Huntingdon Hartford Fellowship and a Roswell Museum Fellowship.

 

Western Connecticut State University offers outstanding faculty in a range of quality academic programs. Our diverse university community provides students an enriching and supportive environment that takes advantage of the unique cultural offerings of Western Connecticut and New York. Our vision: To be an affordable public university with the characteristics of New England’s best small private universities.