A little bit of Jackson County history will be on display and might even wind up being sold during an auction in June at an art gallery in Rochester, New York.
Brian McIntosh, owner of Covered Bridge Art, plans to enter four paintings of local bridges into the eighth RoCo 6×6 exhibition, which is at the Rochester Contemporary Art Center in Rochester, New York.
McIntosh’s four 6-by-6 foot acrylic and oil paintings feature the Medora Covered Bridge, the Shieldstown Covered Bridge, which is in the process of being restored, and two covered bridges no longer standing: The old Ewing Covered Bridge near Brownstown and the former Bell Ford Bridge in Seymour.
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An in-gallery preview is set June 1 through June 5 and will be available online May 22 and for purchase June 9.
“This gives people an opportunity to see art from all over the country,” said McIntosh, who is a Paris resident and a former 20-year Jackson County resident. Paris is located just north of Deputy.
He also said the pieces of art will reach a wider audience this way, offering a glimpse into southern Indiana and Jackson County.
“It will put this area on a national map,” the 54-year-old said.
McIntosh owns art studios in Brownstown and Paris and was one of the individuals involved with creating the mural on the W.R. Building on Ewing Street in Brownstown. It’s a 16-by-40 representation of Brownstown and Jackson County with colorful panels of its historic buildings and locations — a project that took about 16 months. It was completed in 2009.
“I love doing public art and murals,” he said.
McIntosh’s said his artistic talent is something that’s always been an enjoyment — not work. He picked up a paintbrush around 11 or 12 years old after his sister, who was a painter, taught him.
The French Lick native later graduated from the Harrison Center for the Arts at Indiana University Purdue University-Indianapolis, and today he works as a structural engineer for Collins Construction in Indianapolis.
McIntosh said Covered Bridge Art, which he runs with his girlfriend, Melissa Gater, has sold several hundred pieces of art. Besides public art murals, he specializes in restorations, fine arts history and enters art works into exhibitions and sells to private collectors.
Currently, he’s in the process of completing a 40-foot moving sculpture that will be located in old Ewing in Brownstown at the train depot. The stainless steel piece will depict a train traveling around the bend.
McIntosh also is working on finishing up the four paintings he will enter in the summer exhibition.
To create the work, he said he either goes to the location of the bridge and paints on-site or he’ll use photos and work at his studio. It can take him roughly 6 to 10 hours to finish.
“I enjoy painting the covered bridges because they’re some of the longest — they’re not ‘puddle jumpers,’” he said. “Not to mention, they have historical significance.”
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Search “Covered Bridge Art” on Facebook and hit “like” to follow updates.
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To see the exhibition Brian McIntosh will be displaying his work, visit http://www.rochestercontemporary.org/
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