ABOVE: Judy Meyer holds her painting of flowers at Lincoln Park in the Red Rock Center for the Arts on Tuesday. Meyer has 24 of her artworks on display at the Red Rock now through the end of the month.

FAIRMONT– The latest rotation of artwork arrived at the Red Rock Center for the Arts on Tuesday. Through July 30 the center will be featuring the works of two Fairmont High School Alumni; Joe Burns and Judy Meyer.

The exhibit consists of approximately 50 works split between the two artists. Burns has a series of still life paintings made over the course of 2021 and Meyer has a series of alcohol inks.

“It’s always really nice to have local people that people in town can connect to. It brings people in doors and gets them excited about art,” said Sonja Fortune, Executive Director at the Red Rock Center.

Viewers can view the joint exhibit during the center’s open hours through the end of the month, and on July 30 there will be a meet and greet with the artists from 4 to 6 p.m.

Longtime visitors to the Red Rock may have seen some of Burns’ works on display before. Originally from Fairmont, Burns is a 23 year resident of Minneapolis who’s produced a series of realist exhibitions in the past few years.

In 2013 he produced a series of 47 portraits of everybody in his Southwest Minneapolis neighborhood. After that Burns spent a month and a half in the Bakken oil fields collecting materials which were turned into a multi-work project depicting its developing oil industry. His next project was a series of portraits of people who have immigrated to the United States, each portrait showcased a particular individual and their life story.

Most of Burns’ current works at the Red Rock were produced over the course of 2021 during the COVID-19 pandemic. While the pandemic temporarily halted people coming into his studio for portraits, Burns considered this to be an excellent opportunity for more still life portraits.

“You can set up a whole still life, and when you look at it wherever you look is going to be in focus for yourself. You’ve got to decide what is your focus on that still life, and so when you’re painting the still life it’s kind of like looking at something and everything else going out of focus,” said Burns.

Burns’ still lifes depict a myriad of objects ranging from tulips to landscapes to a drill press. Most of Burns’ subjects can be found in his own home or are rooted within his personal history.

“It’s whatever is in front of me, whatever catches my eye is what I’ll paint. Usually I don’t say ‘this’ll sell,’ if I do that I’ll for sure paint it and it’ll never sell,” said Burns.

Judy Meyer is an Alabama-based artist currently selling art through the Southern Artists and Makers Collective.

“Art is something that I’ve always done from the time I was little. One of the best memories from being tiny is drawing horses with my dad. I’ve always made art, I’ve never made a living off making art, but it’s always been part of who I am,” said Meyer.

While she had previously painted with more conventional oil-based paints, the works she’s exhibiting primarily utilizes alcohol based ink. Her paper is made for her by her daughter, Juilianna Mann. Alcohol ink dries very quickly after it’s applied, which leads to more spontaneity and unpredictability when producing inks.

“It’s very different than traditional painting; you can’t paint on top of what’s underneath

and layer or change the color. If you put an alcohol color on top of another alcohol color it spreads the paint underneath. … When I do something and I really like how it turns out, I can’t ever duplicate it. My daughter said these are amazing, they’re so spontaneous and fun and they help you grow, and (I’m) like ‘they make me insane,'” said Meyer.

Although she resides in Alabama, Meyer and her husband visit the area at least once a year to see family. During these visits she takes photographs of local scenes and uses those as models in her studio. In addition to these landscapes, Meyer also has series’ depicting animals and fantasy florals.

Almost all of the paintings at the Red Rock are available for purchase; prices for each work are located on the label.

For commission, Burns paints portraits of individuals and Meyer produces portraits of animals. Those interested in buying or commissioning a work can find contact information at the Red Rock or reach out online. Burns’ website is joetburns.com and Meyer can be reached through the Southern Artists and Makers Collective.