The artwork of Wesley Berg (MFA '07), an adjunct faculty member at the University of Dayton, is currently being featured in the group exhibition, Gesture Control, at the Dayton Visual Arts Center (DVAC).
The exhibit uses several different mediums including graphite, charcoal, wood and Plexiglas to explore the relationship between humans, natural areas and wildlife. Berg’s drawings in Gesture Control continue a series that he has been working on for four years.
“These charcoal drawings act as tributes to a natural, wild landscape continually affected by modernity,” Berg said. “The imagery is meant to speak to our intrinsic connection to nature.”
Berg’s interest in exploring themes of nature and humanity derives from the time he spends outdoors hiking, trail running and exploring places around the world. During his time at the University of Florida, Berg discovered a lot about his own approach to drawing and began to explore the themes of nature, wildlife and humanity that he would pursue throughout his artistic career.
Berg said he would visit Payne’s Prairie and other natural areas around Gainesville then return to his studio and try to incorporate that connection into his work.
“During my time in my graduate program, my imagery was very different, but I feel a continuous thread throughout my work which started at UF," Berg said.
