By Victor Henderson/reporter
Brent Kollock, who holds degrees in chemistry and biology, was on his way to medical school when he realized he had a greater passion for art than he did for medicine.
The Dallas artist’s newest collection, The Genesis of Melancholy, has come to the Carillon Gallery on South Campus.
While working at a surgical research center, Kollock began to question whether a career in medicine was something he wanted to continue pursuing.
“In a way, that kind of opened my eyes to the dedication that it takes to be a doctor, and I wasn’t quite sure that I wanted to go,” he said. “That’s 10 years after I got out of undergrad.”
Kollock is a part of the 2013 Texas Biennial, which has celebrated excellence in Texas art and artists since 2005.
This year, Joshua Goode, South Campus visual arts chair, was asked to participate in the biennial and selected Kollock’s work.
“They wanted us to select a Texas artist to exhibit,” said Goode. “The only other Fort Worth gallery that is participating is the gallery at Texas Christian University, so it’s a pretty big honor to be a part of this.”
Although Kollock deferred his dream of becoming a surgeon, he believes his pre-med background is what led him to become an artist.
“I don’t think very well in a linear fashion,” he said. “I think medicine is a challenging thing, but it’s challenging within a very particular confine whereas I think art can breach so many other areas.”
The Genesis of Melancholy is his attempt to either understand where he is and how he got there or avoid despair and disbelief in the world around him, Kollock said.
“I often feel as if I am living in a world dreamed up and written by a satirist or a sadist,” he said. “My pictures are an attempt to come to terms with the world around me.”
Kollock’s art is inspired by literature and, to him, represents the autobiography of his life.
Many pieces he creates end up being thrown out while others take a completely different form than he originally intended.
“Being in the studio for as long as I’ve been, I think I’ve learned a kind of editing process,” he said. “There are several things you must be able to do in order to make good art, with very few exceptions, and one of them is draw. I’m not a great drawer, but I’m a lot better than I was before I went to art school.”
Kollock doesn’t necessarily believe that anyone interested in becoming an artist needs to have a classical education in art. In painting for example, it is easy to cover mistakes. Any panel may have 10 or 15 different paintings under it, he said.
The artwork on display, which Kollock said are expressionist in form, is mixed media, featuring pencil, collages and oil and water-based paints.
The 16 pieces are available for purchase, ranging in price from $1,200 to $3,500.
The exhibit is on display from Oct. 10 to Nov. 7. The gallery is open Monday-Thursday by appointment only.
To make an appointment, email joshua.goode@tccd.edu.
