Taking time to look at things and interact with the environment is something Paul Laseau tried to introduce to his students when he taught at Ball State eight years ago.
"A lot of what is important for artists is what they see, what they notice in the world around them," Laseau, a retired architecture professor, said. "With the Internet now, what scares me is that people are separate from each other and not connected to their surroundings."
On top of being a professor for 25 years, Laseau has painted with watercolors for 15 years both locally and internationally. His collection, "Porches of Muncie," will be one of the featured displays for the First Thursday gallery walk for September, which opens 5 to 8 p.m. tonight with a meet-the-artist reception at downtown's Gallery 308. Admission is free and refreshments will be provided.
"This exhibit is all porches, mostly older ones," Laseau said. "Porches used to be a major part of peoples lives, where neighbors said hello or people had family gatherings."
Laseau said he draws inspiration from his favorite watercolorists Winslow Homer and Andrew Wyeth and frequently travels outside the country to paint mostly architectural pieces alongside their natural environment.
"Man-made things next to nature interest me," Laseau said. "I've found barns that have been weathered over time, and they just have that becoming-extinct appeal."
Some of his travel highlights include visiting England, France and Greece, where his career in painting began.
Laseau has also had paintings, drawings and photos represented in shows by the Watercolor Society of Indiana, the Minnetrista Cultural Center and the Red Tail Conservancy.
While the scenery around the world does inspire artists, Laseau said having a place to show their work locally is a blessing. He has been showing art in Gallery 308 for six years.
Laseau studies other artists and looks at the environment to see what makes places enjoyable, and said he believes in looking at things in different ways. He always told his students to get interested, have enthusiasm and just to go out and try things.
"To me, art is like anything else. I don't care about talent - unless you work at it, you're not going anywhere," Laseau said.
As an architecture teacher, Laseau went into more depth than the normal sketching instructor and was good at getting students started in polishing their sketching skills, architecture professor Harry Eggink said.
"When I was in school, professors just told me to go sketch," Eggink, one of Laseau's former colleagues, said. "Paul put together methods of how to develop the skill."
Eggink joined the Ball State faculty in 1977 and said he still considers Laseau a friend and mentor more than 30 years later.
"I was always drawing. Paul made sense out of it and made me a better teacher," Eggink said.
Eggink described Laseau as a man who loves to enjoy life and doesn't take things too seriously, noting the two attended conferences together several times and shared sketching classes.
Laseau, a nationally known architect and artist, is a founding father of the Design Communication Association. His art has always been about enjoying himself; it is a reward when other people get something out of his work, he said.
"I don't do art for the money," Laseau said. "Even if an artist did work for the money, they wouldn't stay in it if they didn't get anything out of it."
Laseau said he would rather do many paintings and get a few he likes rather than labor over one for a long time.
"What I like about watercolor and sketching is that it's best when it's spontaneous," Laseau said.
Works by other local artists including Margaret Cantrell will also be on display at the meet the artist reception. Gallery 308 board member Genny Gordy encourages Ball State students to attend.
"There are a lot of thinkers and creators; there are good conversations all around," she said.
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First Thursday
Gallery 308 features classes, and discussion groups and monthly exhibits by regional, national and international artists. It is the venue for September's First Thursday meet-and-greet artist reception from 5 to 8 p.m.
Address: 308 E. Main St.
Hours: Open noon-5:30 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday and by appointment. Closed Sunday through Tuesday.
Gallery 308 is closed the last Friday of every month in preparation for the upcoming First Thursday exhibit.
Cost: Admission is free and refreshments will be provided.
For more information call 765-289-8575 or visit gallery308.org
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