(COLUMBIA, Tenn. – Jan. 31, 2020) - - -Columbia State Community College’s Pryor Art Gallery is hosting the “No Boundaries” exhibit of abstract oil paintings, mosaic and gourd art featuring Michael Bush, Lynn Driver and Ann Light now through Feb. 28. An artist reception will be held Feb. 20 from 5:30 — 7 p.m.

“The "No Boundaries" exhibit consists of wonderful and unique works of art including masks made from gourds by artist Ann Light of Franklin, abstract paintings on canvas by Michael Bush of Bell Buckle and sculpted mosaic pieces by Lynn Driver of Bell Buckle,” said Rusty Summerville, Columbia State interim Pryor Art Gallery curator. “All three of the award-winning artists exhibiting in the Pryor Art Gallery are regionally known and have pieces of their art in many public and private collections in the south, southeast and eastern United States.”

From mermaids to mockingbirds, mosaic sculptor Driver animates an art form dating from the Byzantine Empire into an energetic force that heals and uplifts the spirit. Drawing influence from both nature and imagination, Driver creates sculptural mosaics out of stained and recycled glass, repurposed broken dinnerware and other found objects.

Driver participated in the gilding of Athena in the Centennial Park Parthenon. Her pieces have been exhibited at Cheekwood Botanical Gardens, Vanderbilt University, Monroe Carell  Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt and Watkins College of Art. In 2012, Driver was awarded a Master Artist/Apprentice Program grant from the Tennessee Arts Commission. 

Born in Florida, Bush spent years as a scenic artist for films, working on blockbusters like Jaws and Firestarter while painting on the side.Eventually, he left the film world and moved to Tennessee where he paints eight hours a day, seven days a week in his studio. Bush earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from Ringling College of Art and Design, and a Master of Fine Arts degree from the Institute of Fine Art in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico. 

Photo Caption: “Rain #5” by Michael Bush.

Bush’s figurative paintings are whimsical, colorful and full of rhythm. His mixed-media series, which pairs objects like shoes, typewriters and musical instruments with abstract paintings of the same object, are anthems to his perception that everything is art.

Light is best known for her award-winning series of art spirit masks, made from gourds, that reside in many public and private collections.

Photo Caption: “Gourd Mask #2” by Ann Light.

Light’s new work is a series called “My Mind’s Eye.” Color, design and her sense of humor drive this collection she refers to as “funky folk art.” Completely self-taught, she was once a technical writer, as well as a marketing manager. Light works hard at making art that could never be called serious, and relishes the opportunity to have you view her sometimes outrageous thoughts through her “mind’s eye.”

The exhibit is free and open to the public. The Pryor Art Gallery is in the Waymon L. Hickman Building on the Columbia Campus located at 1665 Hampshire Pike. For additional information about this exhibit, please visit www.ColumbiaState.edu/PryorGallery. For more information about the Pryor Art Gallery, contact Rusty Summerville at 931.540.2883 or rsummerville@ColumbiaState.edu.