Art instructor plays with modern collage

Art instructor plays with modern collage

(Celeste Tholen)


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SPANISH FORK — Whether he is creating a collage from bits and pieces he’s found, teaching art at Westminster College, designing and developing web pages, or curating a show filled with work from other artists, Namon Bills is always creating something and trying something new.

Growing up in Spanish Fork, Bills has drawn for as long as he can remember, deciding to be an artist around kindergarten. Later attending Brigham Young University and earning a BFA in painting, he went on to earn an MFA in painting from Utah State University in 2006. Upon graduation, he took a job at a print shop in Spanish Fork, eventually ending up in the ad department of a local newspaper.

“I was ostensibly a graphic designer, focusing on ad creation and page layout, but, by virtue of working at a small weekly, I had the opportunity (out of necessity) to learn journalistic writing, photography and editing,” Bills said. “I ended up, somewhat reluctantly, being named editor of the paper when my editor left for a better position. At the time, this was overwhelming, but it was a great learning and growing experience that I wouldn't trade for anything.”

The newspaper closed in 2010, leaving Bills unemployed and underemployed for months. Always open to learning new things, however, he landed a job at software developer Izeni.

“While I had some design experience, I'd never done anything with web, and knew nothing about coding,” Bills said. “I'm still mystified but very grateful that I was offered the job. I've been there for the past five years, and have loved the opportunity to learn HTML and CSS, as well as increase my design skills.”

In 2012, he added adjunct teaching at Westminster to his schedule and teaches painting there. While he is a strong artist in his own right — he just wrapped up an exhibit, “Don’t Read This, Too” at the Springville Museum of Art, has shown in juried exhibitions all over Utah, and his work has been published over a dozen times — he has a passion for curation of others’ art, too. His first curated exhibition started by accident, he said.

To contact Namon Bills:
  • Website: NamonBillsArt.com
  • Facebook: facebook.com/namon.bills
  • Instagram: instagram.com/namonbills/
  • See: “Angels in the Architecture” at Springville Museum of Art
  • “I had an idea for a project based on a road trip across Utah, down historic Highway 89. I thought it lent itself better to a group show than a solo show, so talked to some artist friends about it, and we made the trip,” Bills said. “The resulting show, ‘The State Street Project,’ traveled to six venues, all in cities along Highway 89. The idea for the next show literally came out of the first one, and the ideas have kept coming ever since. That first show was in 2008, and since then I've curated or co-curated 11 other shows. It can be a lot of work, but I love the interaction with other artists, and it's amazing to see the shows materialize.”

    While Bills’ personal work often comes back to the theme of synthesis — basically, bringing together two, seemingly contradicting things with a higher, unifying concept, he tries not to impose his interpretation of his pieces on the viewer. He prefers to let them make associations or draw conclusions themselves. Bills’ insistence on this feels like another way he keeps creating, because it can encourage the thoughtful viewer to create an interpretation for themselves. And, creating, he feels, is integral to the human experience, especially his own.

    “Art makes me feel alive," he said. "The act of creation is, I believe, a fundamental part of the human experience, because it is a fundamental part of who we are. Without creating, we become less of who we are."


    ![Celeste Tholen](http://img.ksl.com/slc/2588/258877/25887704\.jpg?filter=ksl/65x65)
    About the Author: Celeste Tholen \--------------------------------

    Celeste is the former Deputy Managing Editor at KSL.com and now works in marketing. She spends most of her spare time balancing conflicting interests in the outdoors and movies/television.You can follow Celeste on Twitter: @CelesteTholen

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