Surls swirls

James Surls is a burly artist with seven children, all female. And he has a knack for humility.

Surls is an internationally known artist who’s had many of his works displayed in museums such as the Guggenheim and the Museum of Modern Art.

Both Surls and his pieces are making a stop at SMU during the month of January.

The Meadows Museum of Art will present “In the Meadows: Sculpture, Drawings and Prints of James Surls” Jan. 24 through April 20.

More than 50 of Surls’ art works will be on display. Surls plans to draw one of the pieces just days before the exhibit opens.

Surls plans to create this new piece on a massive 27 feet by 16 feet piece of paper. His tools: a black permanent marker and his creativity.

The huge canvas will take up an entire wall of the museum. Interestingly, Surls never uses an eraser, as if to never forget the path his creativity has taken.

A poem titled “Me, God, Evolution, Love, Relationships and You” will accompany the immense drawing.

Mark Roglam, curator of the Meadows Museum of Art, noticed the poem while looking at one of Surls’ sketchbooks and asked Surls to elaborate on the concept.

“It is unbelievably presumptuous, very self-centered and egotistical to deal with issues of that matter,” Surls said about his poem.

Another piece, as gigantic in size, will be fully constructed for the first time at the opening. In fact it will be the first time that the artist has seen his finished product.

Surls uses a variety of symbols and mediums to bring his art to life.

Some of his pieces are huge welded objects that resemble massive flowers made of wood and iron.

Others, small drawings that churn with meaning and feelings. Surls takes great pride in his art and the substance contained within each piece.

He’s not worried about a bad review. He just wants people to take something away from an exhibition.

“I don’t make art about nothing,” Surls said. “It’s all about how you look at things.”

In addition to the exhibit there will be three public lectures and a family day event held at the Museum.

Opening day Surls will present a gallery talk at 12:15 p.m. and give a lecture titled “Art: The Search Self.”