Southwest Baptist University’s sixth exhibition of the 2015-2016 academic year features
artwork by local photographer Jessica King and Kansas-based painter Matthew Thonen.
The exhibition debuts Monday, Feb. 22, and runs until Friday, March 18.
King’s portion of the show, entitled “Monochromatic Tone Poems,” features landscapes
and other photos (one of which is pictured at right), while Thonen, a self-taught
painter working primarily in oils (whose work is pictured at left), will present expressionistic
pieces. 
“I am excited for the community to experience the work of these artists,” said Dawn Katzer, SBU instructor of art and director of the Driskill Art Gallery. “Thonen’s paintings invoke the feel of expressionism and have a touch of whimsy that draws you into a surreal world, while King’s photos capture the beauty found in nature in the most simplistic and yet powerful ways. Whether it is a breathtaking night sky filled with stars or an outstretched hand that holds a tiny grasshopper, her pieces invoke feelings of peaceful beauty.”
The artists will be in attendance at a reception from 6 to 7:30 p.m. Thursday, March 3, in the Driskill Art Gallery, situated on the SBU campus in the Jester Learning and Performance Center. The Driskill Art Gallery is free of admission and open to the public on weekdays from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.
For more information about the exhibition or the Driskill Art Gallery, please contact Katzer at (417) 328-1651 and dkatzer@SBUniv.edu.