Art exhibit fits right in at library

BATAVIA — Perhaps no art show has been better suited for the gallery at the Richmond Memorial Library than Peter Langen’s “Unframed Drawings.”

The Batavia artist is showing his collection of 106 animal drawings throughout August, but it’s the way that he chose to display them that makes the library the perfect setting. They’re in alphabetical order.

Starting with “Adolescent Brown Bear” and finishing with “Young Elephant,” the drawings hang in the same way the books sit on the library shelves. It’s certainly a unique approach.

Langen also chose not to frame any of the pieces, instead opting to stick them to the wall with thumbtacks. He said he got the idea from how the library displays its annual youth art exhibit.

“It’s kind of like the way they’re tacked up in the studio,” Langen said. “When you’re at home, you would tack them up this way.”

Langen draws all of his animals from photos that he keeps in a file at his Batavia home. After he had noticed he had a collection of more than 20 drawings, he contacted the library about an exhibit. That was in 2013. Since then, he has added to his stockpile.

“Most of the show was finished before the start of the year,” Langen said. “Then it was picking the order.”

Langen said he spends between two and five hours on each drawing, using a 4B graphite pencil for each.

The exhibit varies greatly in subject matter, showing dozens of animals species — from a house cat to wild rabbits to polar bears.

This is Langen’s third exhibit the library, but the first to feature pencil drawings. The previous two were all photographs of acrylic paintings.

The exhibit runs through the end of the month and is open during regular library hours: 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday and Saturday.