Large-scale portraits, dense with rich color on heavy wood frames, adorn the Student Union Art Gallery like watchful sentries or distant relatives.
UNC Charlotte undergraduate William Puckett showcases new work in “Exploration in Application: Searching for the Problematic in Portraiture,” which will be displayed in the gallery through Wednesday, July 10.
Puckett, locally renowned for public art installations and murals throughout Charlotte, merges styles in “Exploration in Application” in attempt to change audience perceptions about how people want and need to see the human form displayed.
“The scale of the pieces is incredibly impressive—both the application of the paint and the vision behind the portraiture,” said student art gallery coordinator Liz Walton. “It’s a break away from traditional figurative art and is refreshing in that it doesn’t hold to perfect anatomy but still expresses emotion extraordinarily well.”
Puckett was a recipient of an Arts and Science Council Regional Artist Project Grant and a City of Charlotte Neighborhood Matching Grant in 2011. In addition, he was the selected artist for the Mint Museum grand opening in Uptown. He also was voted Best Local Artist by Creative Loafing in 2011 and Best Public Artwork by Elevate Magazine in 2012. His work “Obama Profile Mural” was featured during the Democratic National Convention last year.
Puckett is currently working on a solo exhibition “Stereotypes of a Southern Male Misunderstood” set to debut in winter 2013. He also was featured in the 2013 second quarter edition of the UNC Charlotte magazine; read it online (page 28).