LAKELAND (Sept. 22, 2011) – Like three-dimensional line drawings, Al Kriston’s graceful and colorful sculptures of dancers, musicians, pedestrians and imaginative creatures will come to life in Blacklight, an exhibition of his works at Florida Southern College’s Melvin Gallery. The exhibition begins with a 7 p.m. reception on Sept. 30 at the Gallery and continues through Oct. 28. The Melvin Gallery is located next to Branscomb Auditorium on the FSC campus.

Most of the 12 pieces in Blacklight are rendered in stainless steel bar, which Kriston bends and welds to represent human figures in a variety of pastimes. The sculptures are covered in fluorescent paint and when illuminated with ultraviolet light, they come vibrantly alive. The exhibition also contains some of Kriston’s more traditional sculptures, including Reach, a nine-foot tall bronze created as a tribute to the astronauts of the space shuttle Challenger. The result is an exhibition that contrasts the human figure from solidly realistic to whimsically light.

Kriston is a self-taught artist who worked for years as a plasterer before devoting himself full-time to sculpture. His work has won awards and been displayed throughout Florida.

The Melvin Gallery is open 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday when the College is in session and also during selected events of the Festival of Fine Arts series.