Following text copied from http://aristotle.oneonta.edu/wordpress/news/2012/01/23/exhibition-to-feature-artwork-of-john-byam/
Exhibition to Feature Artwork of John Byam Runs 1/30 - 2/29
Opening Reception 2/2
An exhibition featuring the artwork of Oneonta native John Byam will open Monday, Jan. 30, at the Project Space Gallery in SUNY Oneonta’s Fine Arts Building. Titled “The Artwork of John Byam: As Near As Can Be,” the show features the output of a lifetime hobby of drawing, sculpting and sign making. A prolific, self-taught artist, Byam, 82, is still creating art, working out of a habit and desire to produce artwork that reflects his life and the culture that surrounds him.
The exhibition, culled from the collection of Delaware County antiques dealer Neil Rochmis, includes numerous wooden sculptures, drawings and enamel-painted signs created by Byam over his lifetime.
This is the first time Byam’s work has been displayed for the public. Curator Dennis Tomkins said he felt it was important for the debut to be held in Byam’s hometown. “I think it’s time that Oneonta realizes that it has someone who made this kind of work. It deserves notoriety,” he said.
Byam grew up in Oneonta and worked on the D&H Railroad and as a grave digger at the Plains Cemetery in Oneonta’s West End. He also served in the Korean War. His drawings, often done from newspaper and magazine photos, reflect Byam’s own life against the cultural backdrop of the time; sketches of cultural and historical figures such as Lucille Ball, Salvador Dali, Margaret Thatcher and Betty Boop are interspersed with drawings of family members and local landmarks.
The raw energy seen in Byam’s work is something trained artists strive to achieve, Tomkins said. “It’s egoless – he just does it. He’s very direct; he isn’t reflective. He doesn’t go back and correct his work.”
An opening reception for the show is planned for 5 to 7 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 2. The SUNY Oneonta Music Department’s Jazz Ensemble will provide music, and refreshments will be served. The reception is free and open to the public.
The show runs from Jan. 30 through Feb. 29. Hours are weekdays from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. while classes are in session. Tomkins will give a curator’s talk about Byam’s work at 3 p.m. Monday, Feb. 20, in the Project Space Gallery.
More information about the exhibition is available from Tim Sheesley, gallery director, at (607) 436-3456.
