“Out of the Mind of an Illustrator” Exhibit @ Covey Center for the Arts (SLC: APril 1 - May 26)

“Out of the Mind of an Illustrator” opens at the Covey


PROVO, Utah — The Covey Center for the Arts is pleased to announce its next gallery exhibit, “Out of the Mind of an Illustrator,” by Joe Flores.

The exhibit will open Friday, April 1 with a reception from 6p.m. until 9p.m. and will remain open until May 26.

The exhibit will feature a variety of pieces, including illustrations, paper sculptures, fairies, magazine illustrations and book jackets, a variety of puppets, a model of a mechanical shark made of wood, a sock monster, and tee shirts, all done by Flores himself.

Flores said the exhibit more or less tells the story of life as an illustrator. He said illustrators and fine artists are quite different, albeit they are often trained very much the same way.

“Illustrators are storytellers, communicators and interpreters,” Flores said. “They convey the story.”

Flores said he doesn't necessarily think of the majority of his ideas.

“My second person — this guy who lives inside my head — is smarter than I am,” Flores said. “He's the one with the ideas; he speaks well; he makes ideas appear from nowhere.”

Flores has a rich background in the art industry, having taught at a variety of colleges in the area, been a t-shirt designer, worked in advertising and photography, and instructed in fundamental drawing and airbrushing, as well as commercial art.

Flores said this exhibit displays much of what passes through his mind.

“If you can make something that looks like what it is,” he said, “then why can't you create something that only exists in your mind's eye?”

And this exhibit shows exactly that, with pieces that are often quite imaginative and let the viewers inside Flores' head.

“Anyone can paint a pretty picture,” Flores said. “But it's the concepts, ideas and creativity that set you apart from everyone else.”

The exhibit will be held in the Secured Gallery of the Covey Center for the Arts, located at 425 W. Center Street in Provo. The gallery is open Monday through Thursday, 10a.m. till 6p.m., Fridays 10a.m. till 2p.m., as well as any time there is a performance at the Covey.


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