- Liz Obert found herself looking through the lens of a camera
at some of Hungary's most distinctive architecture last spring.
Now snippets of those views are included in a series of paintings
she created while taking part in the 13th International Artists' Residency in Csopak,
Hungary. Obert, Linfield College associate professor of art, was one of 32 selected from
more than 500 applicants worldwide. Each participant gave a presentation on
their work and donated a piece of art to the Hungarian Multicultural Center for future exhibitions.
By the end of the residency, she had finished 12 paintings, which are on display
now through Sept. 29 in the Annex Gallery at the James F. Miller Fine Arts Center at Linfield.
Obert joined other artists, including photographers and painters,
for a month of discussion, work and creativity. For Obert,
who teaches art and photography classes at Linfield,
it was a rare opportunity to focus entirely on her craft.
"There was a lot of exchange of ideas and I brought that back to my classes,"
she said. "The biggest benefit was meeting the other artists and making connections.
It also exposed me to different types of art. Everyone's work is so different.
I got to see and hear a lot about different styles of painting and photography."
Armed with her digital Nikon camera, Obert toured the local area, near Budapest,
shooting photos to ultimately use in her art. She said the rural setting
near Lake Balatron encouraged artistic expression. "We were free to do what we wanted,"
she said. "I took side trips with other artists and I took a lot of photographs."
Obert was particularly interested in the Hungarian architecture.
"The country has been through so much," Obert said.
"So there's this texture that's really old and decadent, then there's the communist-era
modern housing cubes, and a contemporary layer, happening now, with graffiti on old buildings.
It's a really interesting combination that you can't find in the U.S."
Graffiti, an eyesore to many, is an art form to Obert. She photographs
unusual architecture or graffiti, transfers the image onto wood or
canvas using an acrylic gel method, then paints directly on the photo.
She sees her work as a collaboration of people over time.
"I like the idea of it being a record of time passing," she said.
"You have all these different layers exposed, from the original
paint to all the layers, and then in a lot of cases, graffiti that's painted on top.
I call these 'found paintings' because I find them, photograph them and
I put my final mark on them." This was Obert's first trip to Eastern Europe,
and though she speaks no Hungarian, she said,
"I learned that you can communicate a lot with your hands and gestures."
