By J.A. REIDEL

Gallery 070

Gallery 070’s October show will feature the paintings of Adrian Hatfield, whose work is filled with images of dinosaurs and faraway galaxies.

There will be an opening reception from 6 to 9 p.m., Friday, Oct. 3.

Hatfield, who teaches painting at Wayne State University in Detroit, said his interest in science and dinosaurs began as a child.

“Both of my parents are scientists — my father is a geologist and my mother a microbiologist,” Hatfield said. “Needless to say, our house was filled with science-related books, magazines and images.”

Hatfield now fills in the gaps of hard science with his own creative whims. His work often includes images of ancient reptiles freefalling through liquid wallpaper.

“I use the decorative patterns because I see them as a metaphor for science,” he said.

Conceptually, the same is true for his depictions of outer space.

Hatfield said he was initially surprised to find out that the photographs from the Hubble telescope are actually constructed images using a wide range of information to create black and white images, which are then colorized by the scientists.

“Basically, those beautiful images of space we see are images created to explain celestial events, and are not in any way what we would see if we looked out of the window of a space ship,” he said. “The fact that these aesthetic decisions on the part of the scientists are often read by the average viewer as reality is fascinating to me.”

Gallery 070 is open 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Thursday to Saturday, or by appointment. For more information, call 463-9280.

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