Work by Fay Jones School Instructor Chosen for Small Works on Paper Touring Exhibition

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This lithograph by Tim LaTourette, called "Rise Above," was selected to be part of the 2016 Small Works on Paper touring exhibition, organized by the Arkansas Arts Council. It measures 8 by 8 inches.

FAYETTEVILLE — A lithograph created by Tim LaTourette, called "Rise Above," is part of a touring exhibition that will be seen in 10 cities across Arkansas throughout the year.

The 2016 Small Works on Paper touring exhibition, which features 37 Arkansas artists, will stop at Mullins Library on the University of Arkansas campus during the month of April. Now in its 29th year, this exhibition is organized by the Arkansas Arts Council and highlights artwork created by members of the Arkansas Artist Registry, an online gallery showcasing the artwork of Arkansas artists.

LaTourette is an instructor and woodshop manager in the Fay Jones School of Architecture and Design. He teaches the Furniture and Design elective course, in which he has students create projects and designs such as lights, tables and chairs. He also teaches guitar making in an independent study class. He uses a hybrid approach with the use of three-dimensional software for the designs and cuts that are made with a computer numerically controlled router.

For the Small Works on Paper exhibition, the selected artists created a total of 40 pieces, each no larger than 18 by 24 inches. The show debuted in January at the Batesville Area Arts Council, and then will continue to tour around the state through November. The entries were juried by Kati Toivanen, a professor of digital imaging at the University of Missouri-Kansas City.

"My piece is a lithograph using the technique called 'maniere noire.' The image is drawn reductively, or backwards in a sense, by scraping lighter tones from a completely black starting point," LaTourette said of his piece, which measures 8 by 8 inches. "The image is one of a series of pieces that use boats as subject matter. They're evocative of transition and passage, of flux and temporality."

LaTourette said that he is excited about the wide exposure he will receive from the show traveling to 10 different locations. He said that while his furniture-making work highlights his craftsman skills, he is eager for this exhibition to emphasize his interests in the fine arts.

LaTourette hopes that this show will be interesting for the Fay Jones School students who work with drawing and models in two- and three-dimensional formats.

"One of my ongoing goals is to maintain a creative, inquisitive atmosphere in the woodshop for our students. I have a multi-disciplinary approach to creativity myself, and find satisfaction in both two- and three-dimensional work, in teaching as well as in practice," LaTourette said.

The exhibition opened in Batesville and will be at the U of A from April 1-30, but it also will tour to cities such as Fort Smith, Conway and Russellville. A full schedule and list of artists can be found at www.arkansasarts.org.

LaTourette is also scheduled to present a show of work in the Fred and Mary Smith Exhibition Gallery in Vol Walker Hall this fall. The show will feature a range of LaTourette's work from the last two years, including prints, furniture, lights and some guitars.

In 2013, LaTourette was one of nine Arkansas artists recognized with an individual artist fellowship from the Arkansas Arts Council.

About the Arkansas Arts Council: The Arkansas Arts Council advances the arts in Arkansas by providing services and supporting arts endeavors that encourage and assist literary, performing and visual artists in achieving standards of professional excellence. In addition, the Arkansas Arts Council provides technical and financial assistance to Arkansas arts organizations and other providers of cultural and educational programs.

The Arkansas Arts Council is an agency of the Department of Arkansas Heritage. Other agencies are the Arkansas Historic Preservation Program, Arkansas Natural Heritage Commission, Delta Cultural Center in Helena, Historic Arkansas Museum, Mosaic Templars Cultural Center and the Old State House Museum. Funding for the Arkansas Arts Council and its programs is provided by the State of Arkansas and the National Endowment for the Arts.