Bob Balderston to hold one-man art show at Holiday Inn Express

Bob Balderston of Belleville will hold a one-man art show, “Gemini Dreams,” from 5 to 9 p.m. on Saturday, April 15, at the Holiday Inn Express, 46194 N. I-94 Service Drive, Van Buren Township.
Steve Smargon, a popular Detroit stand-up comedian, will perform a set. Moldy cheese and cheap boxed wine will be served, Balderston said. He asks that you RSVP in advance to either (248) 202-3635 or to bobbalderston.com . Balderston requests that guests be at least 16 years old, since some adults themes are used.
Balderston said he calls his work “abstractical,” which is a melding of abstract and pop art.
“The two genre were made for each other,” Balderston said. “Pop art tends to have a beginning and end, whereas, abstract knows no bounds, leaving the viewer to seek answers far beyond the canvas.
“Rather than prescribing to the ‘fishbowl’ school of art, where paintings just collect dust or are tucked away in a closet, abstractical art draws the eye, demanding your attention — like a train wreck, you cannot stop looking at it. The proverbial 800-pound gorilla in the room, indeed,” he said.
Bob explained further.
“When I lived near beach fronts, the only accepted art was beach scenes, while mountainous areas, required same themes as snow-covered hills and valleys. And, don’t get me started on lighthouse paintings.
“Art must embrace the five senses. If it does not, it’s not worth the canvas and quantities of paint that covers it,” Balderston said.
“When I moved to Michigan in 1998, I thought Detroit was a cosmopolitan haven for art, but over the years I found myself fighting the stigma, the social taboo — that being the ‘urban Detroit experience.’ There are hundreds, if not thousands, of artists plying that trade already, just like beach scenes and lighthouses. I refuse to be reigned in by a theme that I owe no connection to. I live here. I create art that has no boundaries, nothing to limit my message with. If I cannot connect, even at a raw, primeval level, then I have failed as an artist.”
Balderston said he paints in oil-based enamels, creating for the long run.
“I expect my works to still be expressing the message I put forth long after I created it, unlike ‘art’ painted on the sides of a building.”