Meditations on the Holy Cross Series #110318 acrylic 48"x32" by John Warren Oakes 2011

The Gallery at 916 and five local churches will present “Meditations on the Holy Cross,” an exhibit of art depicting the crucifixion by John Warren Oakes, during the Easter season.

Organized by Lynn O’Keefe, the exhibits are the first in Bowling Green in which an art gallery and a number of churches cooperate in presenting an exhibit and will conclude with a public reception hosted by the Presbyterian Church in its Arts Ministry Gallery from 5:30 – 7:30 p.m. Friday, April 29.

Oakes, a Professor of Art at Western Kentucky University, began the series in December 2008 and has completed more than 100 paintings in oil, acrylic and encaustic, 838 drawings, and a dozen low relief sculptures based on the Crucifixion. In Oakes’ words, “I am interested in depicting the life energy that emanates from Christ, not the dead body.  The challenge of painting a crucifixion that is not sentimental in the traditional sense but emotionally charged in a contemporary fashion interests me.”

In the works Oakes combines multiple visions of the crucifixion integrated with abstract forms and transparent layers to suggest rather than depict the event. Often hints of traditional images related to the crucifixion are barely visible, with the viewer contributing memories of the historical subject upon this framework, thus completing the image.

In addition to an exhibit at The Gallery at 916 and at 1019 State St. (April 1- April 29), the churches included in the joint exhibits of paintings, drawings, and sculptures are The Presbyterian Church (April 15 – May 20), Christ Episcopal Church (March 29 – April 29), St. Joseph Catholic Church (March 11 – April 29), Holy Spirit Catholic Church (April 1-April 29), and State Street Methodist Church (April 1 – April 29).

Oakes will donate a painting of their choice to the church that has the most registrants listing their church affiliation at The Gallery at 916 before April 29.

Oakes was an Albert Dorne Scholar at the Art Students League of New York. He received the M.A. and M. F. A. degrees from the School of Art and Art History at the University of Iowa and did graduate work at Harvard University where he received the C.A.A. He is a member of ArtWorks Coalition of Bowling Green, The Sedona Visual Artists Coalition of Sedona, Ariz., Encaustic Artists International, The Encaustic Art Institute of New Mexico, and International Encaustic Artists.