Artist Hugh Ratigan’s show, Art of Exploration, is on display at the Parma Public Library Gallery through the end of February.
Two of Ratigan’s fondest memories were the times he met Astronaut Colonel James B. Irwin. On one such occasion, Ratigan brought the Colonel to see a mural he had painted in which Ratigan depicted Irwin in his July 1971 role as a moon explorer aboard Apollo 15. The Colonel happily autographed Hugh’s artwork. The signed section of the mural lives on today in the classroom of Ratigan’s daughter who is a teacher.
When viewing Ratigan’s work, it is easy to imagine the connection between the two men. His art features a variety of what might be called spacescapes. Viewers become adventurers exploring other worlds, and can find themselves on shear ice blue cliffs or in the presence of laser beams, rocket ships, and shooting stars. They can also visit ancient walls and mountains that rise-up from barren crusts or islands born of sea and sand. There is much to witness in Hugh Ratigan’s Art of Exploration.
Ratigan’s show is the 98th in a series of exhibits hosted by the Parma Public Library Gallery, which features the work of area artists and photographers. For information or to inquire about exhibiting work, call Rosalind Lipomi, Adult Services Librarian, at 392-8350. For program information, visit www.parmapubliclibrary.org.
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