Current Exhibition: Rinsing The Sun, by: Carol Flueckiger

On display April August 7 – December 13, 2024

The MSC Visual Arts Committee announces the opening of Rinsing the Sun, by: Carol Flueckiger! The exhibit is on display in the Reynolds Gallery from August 7 – December 13, 2024.

About the Artist: Carol Flueckiger is a mixed-media artist whose work delves into feminist history, weather, and geography. Her signature technique builds on cyanotype, a light-sensitive chemical that she blends with drawing and painting. To see a video of her process, visit tx.ag/SolarPoweredPainting.

American feminist history informs the bicycle imagery in her artwork. Bicycles became a symbol of individuality during the women’s suffrage movement because women could travel independently, without a chaperone. The process of using sunlight links her work to sustainability, environmental awareness and the rugged west Texas landscape she calls home.

Flueckiger teaches in the School of Art at Texas Tech University and her work is represented by Charles Adams Gallery in Lubbock, Texas. Her research draws from institutions such as the Library of Congress, the American Antiquarian Society, Women’s Rights National Historical Park, Freedom Solar Corporation, and Solar Energy International. Flueckiger holds a BFA in Painting and Drawing from the University of Minnesota and an MFA in Painting from the University of New Mexico.

Message from the Artist: Sun and wind are abundant within the flatlands of northwestern Texas where I live. These flatlands are within the Llano Estacado, one of the largest mesas on the North American continent. I think of the Llano Estacado as the world’s largest light table because it is an environment that is more light than land, more sky than earth, and more horizon than pavement. In my mixed-media bicycle paintings, I use sunlight, water, paint, and ink to create layered surfaces inspired by this landscape. For example, I use cyanotype to sunburn negative space into watercolor paper that I rinse in a bath of tea. When the paper has dried, I draw with a continuous line to connect elements in the background with elements in the foreground. Titles such as Mostly Sunny Skies, Rinsing the Sun, and Fire King Aquifer are inspired by the daily weather forecasts of this semi-arid landscape.

Message from the Weather:

Dear Flatlands,

Nature is still in love with Courage. For their Fossil Water Anniversary, Nature has directed Solar Punk and Solar Energy to create a playlist based on the daily weather forecast. Courage has asked Aquifer and Playa Wetlands to be in charge of drinks. BYOB (Bring Your Own Bicycle). Sunshine and Wind are pedaling through my garden hose like the sun/water cycle “Turn the light switch off to conserve water. Turn the faucet off to conserve energy.” Relic Prairie is wearing shade under a tumbleweed crown.

Love,

Chances of Rain

Learn more about the artist at carolflueckiger.com or @fluckigerc