The Art Institute of Las Vegas
Presents
“Bugs & Neon: The Drawings of Brian Swanson”
curated by Amanda Farrar
September 20 – November 30, 2011
Artists’s Receptions: Thursday October 20, 6:30PM – 8:00PM
Illustrator Brian Swanson Bugs and Neon show exhibits two collections of line drawing prints in two galleries.
First collection of vintage Vegas and nearby electronic signs from the Neon Museum Boneyard done over a 10 year period, entitled Drawings from the Boneyard. These images are tightly cropped renderings of bulbs, tubes and sheet metal works of wonder created by artisans of an almost bygone era. The unique feature of these renderings is that they use no preliminary sketching, and employ ink committed to paper at the site of the neon signs.
The second collection are the Bug Speak renderings that are in contrast tightly detailed renderings of insects and other such creatures. Each specimen embellished by its own bug language, in the naturalist style with a tongue-in-cheek attitude to match their voice, behavior, and physiology. A smaller selection of these works are one of the only permanent exhibits at the Las Vegas Springs Preserve’s Nature Exchange for over 4 years.
Brian Swanson thanks the Art Institute of Las Vegas for hosting this event, and also the support of the Neon Museum of Las Vegas and the Las Vegas Springs Preserve.
