The Center of Music and Art has announced a new artist taking part in the monthly art show. The center is showcasing art work from local artists each month. For the month of November, artist Richard Strassguetl will be featured.

Richard Strassguetl was born in Munich, Germany in 1988. Ever since he was exposed to the history and art of the Byzantine Empire in a high school class, he has been captivated by its turbulent past, its rich culture, and especially, its Orthodox Christianity and Byzantine icons.

When he was a little boy, he first saw the powerful 13th century Deesis Mosaic in the Hagia Sophia, and it inflamed a new spirituality and devotion for Christianity within him. It was then that he began to copy the Byzantine Mosaics and Frescoes by drawing them with pencils and gold marker. Years later, after becoming proficient with acrylic paint and mediums, he started painting his first icons following the rules of iconography handbooks.

For him, creating icons is a very intimate, sacred experience. As he paints, he believes his emotions and spirit flow through him, and they are captured on the wood on which he paints.
During his sophomore year of college, he has been fighting through a period of depression which is reflected in his iconography. In these works, he uses themes such as “Decent from the Cross” and the “Lamentation” to express sincere and personal issues. He uses painting as a means of fighting through sadness with subject matter like Mary in the icon type “Mourn Not for Me, O Mother,” in which the Holy Mother embraces her dead son. On the other hand, icon types such as the Pantocrator and images of other Saints help and inspire him in his search for peace and comfort.

Richard is a Senior at Bethany College majoring in Visual Arts. He is a student of Kenn Morgan, Herb Weaver, and Aaron Anslow. The son of an American mother and a German father, Richard has duel citizenship. He is an active member within the Bethany fraternal chapter of Phi Kappa Tau, The Student Artist Guild, and the Kappa Pi International Art Honorary Fraternity. After he graduates from Bethany, Richard plans to return to Germany to study professional restoration of sacred artwork.

The current show will run through November 28th and is open to the public for free viewing during business hours at the center. Area artists interested in showcasing their work in future shows may contact the center at (740) 264-3111.