Omega Gallery Exhibit Opens 2012-13 CLS

Carson-Newman’s 2012-13 Concert-Lecture Series opens with the Omega Gallery Exhibition of X-Rays, Serpents, Madonna & Cows, featuring the work of Knoxville couple Don Dudenbostel and Cynthia Tollefsrud.

Dudenbostel’s interest in photography as an art form began in his early years growing up in Oak Ridge. He combined that interest with science as part of a high school science fair project in the 1960s. A friendship with a General Electric engineer introduced him to radiographic imaging and before long he had enlisted his mentor’s help in constructing his first x-ray apparatus from discarded parts. The low penetration system employs “soft x-rays” that cannot fully break through the delicate structure of the plants. The result is an ethereal take on everyday subjects. His portion of the exhibit will also feature photos from his native region.

A California native raised in the Midwest, Tollefsrud moved to Knoxville in the early ’90s. A self-taught artist who credits her parents with fueling her abilities, she says the John Gnagy Drawing Set they gave for her tenth birthday provided “charcoal smudged hands” and drawing basics. The need for steady income sent her into advertising, which she ultimately dismissed as “a bane to creativity.”

The pair met when their professional pursuits collided; Tollefsrud was working as a creative director in retail and hired Dudenbostel as a commercial photographer. Over time, both pursued their own muses; his of a very technical sort and hers being steeped in eccentricity.

“Don and Cynthia both offer unique and exciting works of art,” complimented Dr. Chad Airhart, the exhibit’s curator. “Don’s formally rigorous X-Rays are superb, as are his insightful and artistic documents of Appalachian people. Cynthia’s works are whimsical and humorous, revealing strange and colorful worlds that inspire the imagination.”

X-Rays, Serpents, Madonna & Cows will run through October 5. Omega Gallery is located in the Warren Art Building, on the corner of Branner Avenue and South College Street. Admission is free and the gallery is open on weekdays from 8 a.m. until 4 p.m. For more information contact the Art Department at 471-4985.