Finding strength in art

If you asked J. Mark Inman what his art could be classified as, he would tell you he honestly does not know.\nInman says three months ago, during his eighth hospitalization since being diagnosed with bipolar disorder, he just took it into his head to pick up a paintbrush and start painting.\nA musician, composer and artist, Inman is one of the thousands of people in this country subject to the realities of living with bipolar disorder. The condition is characterized by its ability to alter the mental state of patients diagnosed with the disorder, Inman said. Most commonly, bipolar patients swing violently between two completely opposing states of mind -- high or low.\n"The hospital had an arts and crafts program, and I started there with watercolors and acrylics," the junior music composition major said. "Something happened to my mind. It's very mysterious; I just started painting."\nHis first painting, an acrylic which features a face amidst brilliant contrasts of blue, yellow and red, now hangs on his refrigerator. The other artwork he has produced since that first brush with studio art will hang in a slightly different location until mid-November.\nAfter he introduced his work to some people in Bloomington, he was offered his own art exhibit at Gallery West Espresso, 702 W. Kirkwood Avenue. His show, which will run until Nov. 15, will feature what he calls "primal art."\nInman said some of his influences include his parents, his brother-in-law (a professional sculptor) and IU art professor and sculptor Jean-Paul Darriau. After a friend gave Inman a sketchbook of Darriau's, Inman based many of his own sketches off Darriau's. He is now becoming skilled in sketching proportion and the human form, and also the technique of cross-hatching, from simply studying the drawings in this sketchbook.\nHis work is varied, ranging from self-portraits to portraits of Mormon missionaries to depictions of historical events. It ranges from the highly stylized and recognizable to the eclectic free-form shapes which characterized abstract expressionists such as Pablo Picasso.\n"I bought some art history books after I started painting," Inman said. "My main influences are Picasso and Modigliani."\nAmong the variety of self-portraits and historical content, several paintings feature crucifixions, the subjects of torment being "madmen," a figment of Inman's imagination. Many of the subjects in his works are people, some who exist and others whom he imagines.\n"In these crucifixion paintings, the people presented are crazy and believe that they are Christ figures," said Inman. "However, these paintings pose the question, 'If you are being nailed to the cross, and you are deluded into thinking you are taking on the sins of the world, what's the difference between you and Christ?' I do not have an answer to this question."\nInman uses a wide range of colors, but his primary hues include orange, purple -- the color of royalty, which is predominant is his historical depictions -- and green.\n"Most of my self-portraits are green, the color of jealousy," Inman said.\n"Rape of Maria d'Avalos," a narrative of a little-known historical event, uses crayon and watercolor as mixed media. The painting is a portrayal of the brutality and madness, emphasized by bright colors and a careful mixture of crayon and watercolor translucency.\n"I could probably look at this for an hour, but they would probably close by then," said former art history major Matte Weltschmercs, who came to the opening.\nFascinated by Inman's use of precision in the artwork "The Murder of Gesualdo's Son," Weltschmercs said he found the work both horrific and symbolic of the artificiality of contemporary hierarchy.\n"The façade remains realistic, while the subjects are degenerate," Weltschmercs said.\nInman started writing and performing music at an early age. By the time he was 10 years old, he had begun composing his first musical pieces on the piano. Moving to Indiana from his native Massachusetts, Inman decided to attend IU because of its School of Music.\n"I love (the music school), I do." Inman said. "I'm experimenting right now with avante-garde jazz composition and performance. I do a lot of improvisation."\nAlso available at the show will be "Requiem," Inman's own album, a collection of classical pieces. The CD's cover art is unique also: Every CD features one of Inman's own original works of art.\n"I really don't know what I will do in the future. I'd like to live in Europe someday. I will continue painting and composing. My current goal is to graduate," he said with a laugh. "The point is to never give up on your art."\n-- Contact staff writer Olivia Morales at ormorale@indiana.edu.