ROCK SPRINGS — A new exhibit, ”Realm of the Mystic,” opened at the Community Fine Arts Center today with the work of Marwan Nahle, a combination of paintings and mixed media works he calls “recycled art.”
Marwan Nahle is a Lebanese-born painter and multi-media artist who has lived and worked internationally for the past 30 years. He has exhibited his work in Lebanon as well as France, New York, California, Oregon, Nevada, Arizona, Minnesota, Hawaii, Switzerland, Canary Islands, Spain, Italy, Germany, Jordan, U.A.E, Greece, and Australia. He has his work in museums in Lebanon & Utah. He is currently living in Manila, Utah.
Nahle’s paintings represent his lifelong physical and spiritual journey, combining forms and landscapes from his world travels into ethereal and mystical movements. The misty landscapes, and graceful, abstracted figures appear to emerge from the push and pull of the paint. Angels and guardians appear often in his compositions.
One of the main mediums and themes in his mixed media work is the use of recycled materials, creating playful and imaginative collages and sculptures from discarded toys, metal scraps, plastic debris, roots, fossils, branches and images. Nahle transforms what most people would consider “trash” into surrealistic creatures and fantastic landscapes, both whimsical and spontaneous.
His work is truly original and inventive, each piece telling a story and a history, the individual pieces within each piece and the one piece as a whole. His work forces you to look beyond the ordinary and create a new and radical mythology existing outside of any timeline.
“As a fulltime artist, I work with many mediums, such as but not limited to, painting with brushes, using my hands for collage, creating music to put to my short films, and making sculptures from objects I find while cleaning up forests, beaches, cities, and neighborhoods all over the globe. I draw my inspiration from Mother Earth,” said Nahle.
“My mission as a creative artist and educator is to inspire others by encouraging them and setting a space for them to simply play and be playful, exploring different mediums artistically. I love to work with all ages and believe art can assist in healing any ailment,” Nahle said.
The CFAC also displays the majority of the art collection which was started by the Rock Springs High School students in the fall of 1939. It hung in the school until the CFAC was opened in 1966 for the public to enjoy the hundreds of pieces of art collected over the years.
Sweetwater County School District #1 along with the city of Rock Springs and Sweetwater County Library System have a wonderful, longstanding collaboration. By working together the community has an impressive treasure of art for its citizens and visitors alike.
