By Sona Schmidt-Harris | [email protected]

Artist James McGee’s exhibit, “Crossing Paths,” a collaboration of art and storytelling, will open July 10 from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. at Holladay City Hall. It is a repeat performance for McGee who had an exhibit at City Hall last year.

The show will feature portraits of residents who live and work in Holladay.

McGee will be exhibiting about 10 paintings for this exhibition, ranging from 24" x 30" to 32" x 40" in size. The paintings are acrylic and oil on parachute cloth, mounted to board.

Drawn to portraiture, McGee said, “I have always been interested in the figure. I studied illustration as an undergrad and focused primarily on drawing people. I believe that the portrait is the most expressive subject an artist can depict, and for that reason it is the most challenging. It was once said that the ‘face is the mirror of the mind and the eyes without speaking confess the secrets of the heart.’”  

Poetic in his description of his art, McGee further stated, “It is one thing to capture one's likeness in paint, it is quite another thing to reveal the psychology and character of a person. I feel it is my duty to faithfully translate and preserve the inner and outer beauty of each one of my subjects. The main concept of this exhibition is that we all have a face and a story. And each one is unique and beautiful.”

Holladay City Hall is located at 4580 S. 2300 East. The free event will feature refreshments and live music. Portrait models may be in attendance as well.