`SIGNS & WONDERS'

"Denial" by Mark Elder

Mark Elder was graduated from St. Vincent's Seminary in 1972 and taught physical education at St. Vincent's School from 1979 to 1981.

That was before he found his true calling in a box of paints.

"Signs and Wonders," the May show at Gallery 100 in Cape Girardeau, is a 17-piece collection of work by Elder, now an art instructor at DePaul University in Chicago.

The exhibit will open with a reception for the artist from 5 to 7 p.m. Friday at the gallery at 1707 Mount Auburn Road.

The gallery's usual weekday-only hours will expand to 1 to 4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday for this exhibit only.

Elder attended grade school in Ste. Genevieve and has relatives living in the area. He is not a priest but remains a brother of the Vincentian Community.

Some viewers are surprised when they learn his often surreal work belongs to a member of a Catholic religious order.

"I've never fit into anybody's stereotype anyway," Elder says, laughing.

"With the surreal elements in my painting the viewer has a better chance of letting his or her imagination go into biblical themes more deeply, because of the mystery involved in these biblical themes," he said by phone from Chicago.

"If you choose to believe them, you have to let logic go out the window a little bit. Not everything can be explained logically."

One of his paintings is titled "The Immaculate Conception."

Elder also delves into secular themes, especially issues of social justice. Narrative representation describes his painting style as well.

"I was always interested in telling stories," he said. "And I love telling jokes. Art came out of it, a combination of telling a story and painting."

Being a member of the Congregation of the Mission, as the Vincentians are known, is freeing, Elder says. "All I have to worry about is trying to reach out to people and helping the poor.

"...There are all kinds of poor out there -- spiritually poor, emotionally poor, materially poor."

Elder received his master of fine arts in painting from the University of Denver only last year but has been painting seriously for the past 18 years. One of his works, "Charity Along the Trail of Tears," is on permanent display at Trail of Tears State Park and was used in the recent A&E production "How the West was Lost."

Locally, he also exhibited in "Art Experience '93," a Gallery 100 show, and his first-ever exhibit was at a frame shop in Cape Girardeau nine years ago.

He also is a muralist. His mural "The Spirit of St. Vincent's" overlooks I-55 south of the Arch in St. Louis, and another mural called "The Priesthood" can be found at St. Mary's in Perryville.

He wants to paint a mural of "Charity Along the Trail of Tears" in Cape Girardeau. "I'm hoping we can find a nice wall there," he said.