Bill Blizard, former faculty member and chairman of the Visual and Performing Arts Department at Springfield College, began taking photographs of blues musicians in the late 20th century. He amassed a large collection of snapshots from live performances, and decided one day to sort through them to obtain the most interesting. From those emerged the inspiration for his “photopaintings.”
With acrylic paints and chromatic pencils at the ready, Blizard took his black and white photos and turned them into enhanced and colorful large-scale renderings. Blizard exhibits a collection of his work alongside that of painter and video artist Tim O’Donnell.
Through Oct. 24, William Blizard Gallery, Springfield College, Springfield, (413) 748-3395, www.spfldcol.edu.