Gallery owner to present own work

Painter, video artist and musician Ryan Woods is unveiling his never-before-seen 2007 exhibit from 7 to 9 p.m. Saturday at the Bloomington Art Hospital, located at 1021 S. Walnut St. \nWoods holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from The Art Academy of Cincinnati and is the founder and owner of Sweet Hickory, a small, volunteer-run art gallery and record store located at 317 E. Third St. Sweet Hickory is committed to supporting the work of local and independent artists, according to Woods’ Web site, and each month it features a different exhibit by an artist. He founded the gallery because he realized that beyond the University, “there weren’t a lot of spaces available that were alternative to commercial galleries in Bloomington.”\nCurrently running at Sweet Hickory is Edible Secrets, a museum-style tour of recently declassified U.S. government documents, all of which pertain to food. It will end Oct. 14.\nWoods’ exhibit at the Bloomington Art Hospital will showcase all-new paintings. He said that this is the first show he has done in a while, so it is basically work he has finished since last spring and summer. The paintings are mixed-media works and include such materials as oil paint, acrylic paint, shellac, dry pigment, graphite, tar, dirt, collage images, resins and plaster.\nWoods explained that he has taken a lot of time to focus on his work recently, which has enabled him to finish a lot of ideas that he’s had in the past. He described these paintings as “a continuation of paintings from the past.” When asked what inspired this segment of his work, he said, “I would not say there is a specific unifying idea behind it; it’s all kind of new.”\nThe Bloomington Art Hospital specializes in hosting events that “transcend the typical show-going environment,” according to the venue’s MySpace page. \n“His stuff is really weird; it’s interesting though,” said IU sophomore Aaron Risch. “I’d like to see what he has for 2007 at the show, since none of it’s on the Web site.\nAlthough Woods has never featured his own work in his gallery, this exhibit may create a need to do so. \n“His work is unique and intriguing,” said sophomore Neil Bansal. “I am excited for his exhibit to be exposed at the gallery this weekend.”