PRINCETON – During the month of September, the Prairie Arts Center Gallery will be featuring art by Matt Adams.

An opening reception for this exhibit will be held on Friday, Aug. 30 from 6-8 p.m.

Born and raised in North Texas, Matt Adams (aka Matt Redbeard) spent his childhood years alternating time between his artist’s table, the river bottoms of the Trinity River, and his granddad’s wood shop. A self-taught artist, Adams has perused thousands of books, visited dozens of galleries in the US and the United Kingdom, and has made it his full-time career to pursue practical experiments which hone his craft.

For this collection, Adams drew inspiration from early Celtic illuminated manuscripts and artists including Albrecht Durer and William Blake. His lifelong obsession with the Book of Kells has contributed to his blending of lines and swirls, colours and creatures. A years-long study of Blake led Adams to include mythological and morality tales into his work.

The original pieces in the A Modern Mythology collection were created between 2015 and 2019 in Bureau County, Illinois. Adams works in ink, acrylic, watercolor, gouache, wood, resin, plaster, and from time to time, computer-aided graphic design. When possible, Adams repurposes materials to reduce his ecological footprint. Adams has volunteered his time teaching art to local students. He has enjoyed participating in art shows in Bureau and LaSalle Counties, and is honored to be featured at the Prairie Arts Center.

Adams moved to Bureau County in 2008. His family currently lives in Malden. When he’s not painting, you can find him restoring his family’s Folk Victorian home, tending the garden, or online at http://www.mattredbeard.com/.

The exhibit will be open on weekends in September from 1-4 p.m., except for the weekend of the Homestead Festival, Sept. 6-8.