The Spur

Issue date: 1/18/06 Section: Arts & Entertainment

This photo is on display on the upper level of the Student Center. The art show features photography taken by Tom Bruns and will run Jan. 18-27.

Tom Bruns is finishing up his senior year in Art Education with an art show. His art show will run from Jan. 17-28 in the upper level of the Student Center. There will be a reception Saturday, Jan. 21 from 11:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. with food and drink. Bruns will also have a question and answer session at 12:45 p.m.

Bruns hails from Worthington, Minnesota and commutes to Southwest Minnesota State University for classes.

"It's a very long drive some days," Bruns said. He chose SMSU because of its proximity to Worthington.

"I looked at Sioux Falls but all they had was private colleges," Bruns said. "I could barely afford public school. I would have had to sell the wife and kids to be able to afford private."

Bruns is no stranger to college. He received an applied associates of arts degree at the Hawkeye Community College in Waterloo, Iowa during the mid '90s.

"I specialized in both commercial and portrait photography," Bruns said. "Then I moved back to Worthington and joined into a partnership for a local one hour lab. I did that for three years and decided to go back to college for education."

After graduation he hopes to find a job teaching.

"I am also starting to apply for more art shows too," Bruns said. "But it all takes money, and that is something I am short on these days. It would be great to be able to start selling my pictures and be able to live off that along. I will just have to wait and see."

Bruns' typical medium is photography.

"I really enjoy showing people how I see things everyday," Bruns said. "The prism in an SLR camera turns the image the correct way when shooting. On a 4x5 everything is backwards. When I move the camera to the right it looks as if I am turning it to the left…it can be really confusing. But this also gives me time to set up the shot. It helps me lose the unwanted space and helps me see the elements that I want in the photograph."

Bruns' art demonstrates a theme of taking time to take in the little things in life.

"Over the past several years I have been going constantly," Bruns said. "Four and a half years of college driving back and forth to Marshall from Worthington, while trying to hold down a full-time job and spending time with my family. I have been on a constant go. This show is about slowing down and taking a closer look at things. In this case it is an old Studebaker pickup."

Bruns's recent art show at Minnesota West in Worthington held the theme of looking a little closer at nature.

He encourages everyone to come and take a look at his show.

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