“Clinton Foot Bridge” by Matthew Lopas, 2019-21; 57”
x 48”, oil on wood.
CONWAY, Ark. (March 17, 2022) – The work of Hendrix College
art professor Matthew Lopas will be featured in “Structures: Inside/Outside,”
an exhibition with fellow artist Jason McCann at
Boswell Mourot Fine Art, 1501 South Main Street Suite H in Little Rock.
The opening reception is Saturday, April 2, from 6 to 9 p.m.
There will be an artist conversation on Friday, April 8, from 6 to 8 p.m. The
show runs through Saturday, April 23.
Boswell Mourot is open Tuesday through Friday 11 a.m. to 5
p.m., Saturday 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., and by appointment.
For more information, call 501-454-6969 or visit www.boswellmourot.com.
About the artist
Matthew Lopas graduated from the University of Michigan in
1988 with a B.A. in Chinese Studies. He had a longstanding interest in Chinese
philosophy and culture, plus had studied karate and tai chi, so the discipline
felt like a natural fit. He spent his junior year in China studying Mandarin at
Nanjing University with the Council for International Education Exchange. At
the University of Michigan Residential College, Lopas took several drawing and
sculpture classes. After graduation, he wanted to continue taking art courses,
so he enrolled in the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. He graduated with
a B.F.A. in Painting and Drawing in 1991 and then enrolled at Yale University,
where he earned an MFA in Painting and Printmaking in 1995.
Lopas joined the art faculty at Hendrix College in 2000,
where he continues to teach in small class sizes that let him work closely with
students in a non-competitive atmosphere. His favorite courses to teach
include Digital Drawing and History of Materials and Techniques of Painting.
The latter course introduces students to art making through historic materials;
they begin the semester harvesting pigment from creeks in Petit Jean State Park
and making paint from scratch, then use processes like egg tempera and fresco
before ending the semester with Renaissance oil glazes.
Lopas is a professional exhibiting artist, even given the
time constraints of being a full-time professor. He is in numerous collections,
shows work nationally, and is represented locally at Boswell Mourot Fine Art in
Little Rock.