“Epicene Still Life,” an award-winning oil painting by Michael R. Elmore, is among more recent works by Michael featured in River City Art Association’s May Artist of the Month exhibit in the lobby of the Vigo County Public Library in Terre Haute, Indiana.

To involve viewers in his thought process, Michael poses several questions for them to consider.

“Epicene Still Life” combines stereotypical male-related objects with stereotypical female-related objects. Elmore asks viewers, “In your mind, which are which? What message, if any, might this epicene composition have for you?”

At age 81, Michael still wields a steady brush.

One recent work is a double portrait titled “A Couple.” In it, he has intentionally left uncorrected some painting errors (“happy accidents?”). “Can you identify the errors? Several are glaring mistakes,” Michael asks the viewers. “Some others are more subtle. Why do you think they were left as is?”

Also on display is “Quarry Pond,” a composite landscape inspired by the ponds on Interstate 70 heading west between Brazil and Terre Haute. Elmore added the rocks to heighten interest. Of course there are no such rock formations around this “quarry” (which is actually a form of wetland in an abandoned coal mining area).

Visit the library to view all of Michael’s paintings.