Provo artist Brian Kershisnik presents at SUU’s Art Insights
By Amanda DeBry
While SUU welcomes artists from all over the world for its Art Insights series, it is always excited to host Utah-native artists to show students the successes and talents of artists close to home. SUU and the College of Performing and Visual Arts are proud to host prominent Utah painter Brian Kershisnik Feb. 6 at 7 p.m. in the SUU Auditorium in Cedar City. This event is free and open to the public.
Kershisnik grew up dividing his time between his dad’s overseas assignments as a petroleum geologist and summers spent with cousins in Rock Springs, Wyoming. He was a friendly, curious kid with no notion at all of what he wanted to be when he grew up. Though he drew often to entertain himself, it never occurred to him that people actually did that for a living.
After trying his hand at ceramics at Brigham Young University, Kershisnik was not happy with the results. His friend Lee Bennion encouraged him to give painting a try. Gallery owner Dolores Chase noticed his exhibitions and encouraged him in his professional career. One art professor described his style as primitive-realist, and his paintinigs have a dreamlike quality that is focused on idealized human figures. Kershisnik views art as a way to “become more human.”
“Personally, I’ve always admired the work of Brian Krishisnick,” said Brian Hoover, an art professor at SUU. “The paintings I have seen of his tended to be large figurative pieces. Many of them depict people that are defying gravity and seem to float in landscapes or interiors. Many of them seem to be spiritual in nature or based on family … I am confident that all who attend Brian’s presentation will be inspired by this prolific Utah based artist.”
Kershisnik’s work is featured in collections and shows all over the world and in many prominent places across the state. His work can found in the Brigham Young University Museum of Art, the Covey Center for the Arts, David Ericson Fine Art in Salt Lake City, and Meyer Gallery in Park City.
