TUNKHANNOCK — The Dietrich Theater invites all to visit its exhibit featuring the artwork of local artist Ben Hastings. Painting with acrylics and watercolors, Hastings captures the local landscape from country roads to street scenes to local landmarks. He also paints abstracts as well as whimsical forest creatures.
According to Ben, “My artwork always begins with a prayer to St. Luke and a long walk with a sketchbook. One summer afternoon, I stood on a sidewalk sketching the streets and houses in front of me, and a gentleman walked out of his house and asked what I was doing. After I explained, he waved his hand saying, ‘Move along, there’s nothing to see here.’ There was something to see there. There is always something to see.
“Art has been defined as an imitation of nature,” he continued. “The most important skill of the artist is observation, seeing concrete realities existing in time and space right in front of him. The artist imitates that reality through marks on paper.
Hastings, an amateur artist, works as a cook in Moosic. He studied the fine arts of drawing and painting at the University of Alaska. He lives in West Pittston with his wife, Regina. His artwork will be on display at the Dietrich through the end of May during scheduled movie times. For more information, contact the Dietrich Theater at 570-996-1500.
