ART TALK AT MCCC: Abstract artist Douglas Witmer will deliver the Distinguished Lecture at Mercer County Community College’s West Windsor Campus at 11:45 a.m. on Friday, February 7, followed by an opening reception for his exhibit “Currents” at The Gallery at Mercer at 5:30 p.m.

Acclaimed abstract artist Douglas Witmer will offer his insight into the creative process and how art responds to the dynamic conditions of the 21st century as part of the Distinguished Lecture Series at Mercer County Community College (MCCC) on Friday, February 7, followed by the opening reception of his exhibit “Currents” at the Gallery at Mercer.

Witmer’s talk, “Painting Do-er: A Reductive Abstract Artist in Response to Conditions of Our World,” begins at 11:45 a.m. in the Communications Building, Room CM108 on MCCC’s West Windsor Campus, 1200 Old Trenton Road. Witmer will share insights into his creative philosophy and how art responds to the dynamic conditions of the 21st century.

Rooted in “painted presence,” Witmer’s recent works activate the composition with sensuous color and improvised actions, operating within a formalist abstraction framework. The talk will provide a unique opportunity to gain a deeper understanding of his artistic focus, creative process, and extensive exhibition history.

The public is also invited to the opening reception of Witmer’s exhibit “Currents” from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. on February 7 at The Gallery at Mercer, also on the MCCC campus. Witmer’s work explores the materiality of the painted object through refined processes within the framework of reductive abstract painting. The subject of his work is presence, creating a visual place that invites a personal experience of seeing and feeling. This is evident in his largest work exhibited at MCCC, Forty, For You.

Forty, For You combines Witmer’s painting and music composition. Initiated in 2019, it responds to Instagram’s format with 40 square paintings and unique ambient music compositions. Released daily from February 26, 2020, during the pandemic, the series explores varied color compositions. The series, titled Day 1, Day 2, etc., showcases diverse variations with rich color and structured compositional strategies. The music may be accessed via QR codes, optimized with headphones or earbuds. The exhibit runs through March 29.

Witmer is based in Philadelphia and is internationally known within the field of reductive geometric abstraction. He holds a B.A. from Goshen College and an M.F.A. from The Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts and continues shaping abstract painting’s discourse through curated exhibitions and a philosophical approach to art making. Witmer’s extensive exhibition history includes solo shows at prestigious institutions globally and his work is featured in prominent collections.

Gallery hours are Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and Wednesdays from 12 to 7 p.m. For updates, directions, and other information, visit mccc.edu/gallery.