ART: Lockport exhibit features whimsical sketches

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DOUG BENZ/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

December 13, 2007

By Paul Lane/lanep@gnnewspaper.com The Lockport Union-Sun %26 Journal Thu Dec 13, 2007, 03:02 PM EST

LOCKPORT — Who said doodling during class is such a bad thing?

Buffalo State College student Mark Adamusik has turned drawing into a lucrative venture, with his work being featured in several billboards and company logos. He has to complete an art show as part of his thesis before he graduates later this month, with that show debuting this weekend at the Market Street Art Center in Lockport.

Using pen and marker, Adamusik specializes in anthropomorphism, which is an artistic strategy where by non-humans are given human characteristics. In an example shown on his Web site, dinosaurs are seen screaming as the comet that wiped them off the planet nears touchdown.

“I depict animals in human situations for clever and humorous effects, as well as to suggest multiple meanings about the nature of everyday life,” said Adamusik, who works under the name Mark Adam. “My intent is to create a connection between my humorous scenarios and your own experiences.”

The exhibit is a requirement Adamusik must complete for instructor Gerald Mead, who himself is active on the local art circuit and is an admirer of his student.

“This exhibition of his distinctive ‘cartoon/realism style’ illustrations demonstrates his skill, talent and draftsmanship, as well as his particular brand of humor and irony,” he said in an e-mail. “Through this work, he invites us to enter a world where animals find themselves in situations that are more human than animal. The whimsy of the work gives it universal appeal, makes it accessible to the viewer and presents us with a unique perspective on the vagaries of everyday life.”

Having hosted several student displays over the years, Market Street welcomes the chance to let new artists show their work, director Sally Bisher said.

“His work is a little different than what’s usually shown here,” she said. “(Student shows) are always very interesting, a little outside the norm.”

Some 12 pieces will be on display, he said, with written explanations complementing each picture. Using colored markets to draw behind translucent paper, he creates a bleeding effect to the front of the scene to enhance the work.

This type of experimentation is welcome at Market Street.

“There isn’t always a good venue for it,” Bisher said of student work.

Adamusik hopes to work in graphic design or illustration upon graduation and considers the pending show a good step in that process.

“It’s pretty exciting,” he said. “There’s a lot of sly, clever humor.”

Contact reporter Paul Laneat 282-2311, ext. 2251.

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