Artists pay homage to Burchfield's vision

The purpose of the exhibit is to interpret what Burchfield saw.
THE VINDICATOR
NEW CASTLE, Pa. -- The opening of the Hoyt Institute of Fine Arts' Charles Burchfield exhibit on Jan. 7 has more to offer than just a historical overview of one of the most acclaimed artists to come from this region.
It also features the debut of approximately 36 new works by eight regional artists who visited the Burchfield Homestead in Salem, Ohio, over a period of three months this fall.
Appropriately titled "Our Feet in His Shoes: Charles Burchfield Interpreted," the exhibit contains works painted from the same places Burchfield stood in the typical small town America of the teens and '20s.
Views from the same windows, the backyard, the front porch, and special places in the narrow circumference of Burchfield's natural world. Excepts for the four years spent at the Cleveland School of Art, Burchfield rarely left the borders of Salem before his employment took him to Buffalo, N.Y.
The artists
The effort was coordinated by Volant artist Thomas G. McNickle. Other participating artists include Elizabeth Babbs, Kate Burke, Tom Connelly, Sean McConnor, Kevin McLatchy, Jim Stuart and Wendy Warner.
Each of the eight artists painted their works in their own style. The purpose was not so much to copy Burchfield's distinctive form of painting, but to put their feet into his shoes and interpret what he saw in their own way.
"Our Feet in His Shoes" will run through Feb. 28.
Gallery hours are 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday and Thursday; 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesday, Friday and Saturday; and noon to 4 p.m. Sunday.