AUBURN -- Since the Schweinfurth Memorial Art Center opened its latest exhibit, "Mixed Paint: New Work by 12 Contemporary Artists," a wide variety of mediums and styles have been displayed, ranging from an impressionist piece depicting Niagara Falls to more abstract works that leave a great deal to the imagination.

On Sunday afternoon, artist Stephen Carlson, who has five pieces on display, took time to speak on the nature of his work.

Carlson, who received his BFA at the Art Institute in Chicago and went on to earn his MFA from Yale, currently teaches painting and basic design courses at Syracuse University.

Carlson's five pieces alternate with two in black and gray tones and three in shades of white, depicting simple designs of variations on squares and circles.

"I have a certain vocabulary of shapes," Carlson explained. "I have stencils and cut out shapes that I will move and paint and paint over and change around until I find the right relationship in the piece."

Carlson not only spoke about his own work, but also of artists that influenced him and who have impacted the way he approaches his work. Carlson said that while he works in paints, he was greatly influenced by photographers such as Walker Evans.

But it was while studying at the Art Institute in Chicago that Carlson stumbled across one of his greatest influences, Henri Matisse. Carlson admitted that initially he didn't really appreciate the work of Matisse, feeling like many art students trying to find their own voice, that his instructors were on the wrong path.

But when Carlson saw a piece called "Red Studio" he found a whole new appreciation for Matisse and his work.

"That piece just blew me away," Carlson said. "I was looking at in the Art Institute and I realized that it was really good. The way he plays with two dimensional and three dimensional space is just amazing."

To read the full report, see Monday's edition of The Citizen.