MONMOUTH, Ill. — "Paintings from the Nodular Sclerosis Series," an introspective exhibit of paintings that chronicles the journey of artist Chris Valle’s wife’s treatment of a debilitating form of Hodgkin’s Disease, will be on display Feb. 25 through March 21 in Monmouth College’s Len G. Everett Gallery.

An opening-day reception for the artist will be held from 2 to 4 p.m. in the gallery. Both the exhibit and the reception are free and open to the public.

An assistant professor of art at Lyon College in Batesville, Ark., Valle earned a B.F.A. degree in art from Valdosta State University in 1999, and an M.F.A. degree in painting and drawing from the University of Florida in 2002. While at Valdosta, Valle served as a part-time instructor in art. He was later an adjunct assistant professor of painting and drawing with the school of art and art history at the University of Florida.

Describing his "Nodular Sclerosis Series," Valle said, "The pill-shaped paintings in the first series explore the inner realm of the body, with forms suggesting the lymphatic system, cells and nodules. As I worked, fragments of landscapes and images of Athena (his wife) emerged in the paintings."

He continued, "The plant forms in the work are derived from two sources: the plant-like structure of the lymphatic system, and the plants and flowers in Athena’s hospital room, which I spent hours viewing, especially when I fell in and out of sleep."

Other forms in his paintings allude directly to the treatment process, such as IVs, cells and abstract forms that symbolize the cure. The "floating islands" within the paintings express the feeling of isolation that comes with the treatment of cancer.

"Like many patients, Athena felt that she was alone, that no one knew what she was going through," Valle remembers. "I also felt alone, because I indeed could not share Athena’s experience. In fact, I was unable to do anything, and most of the time she was on so much medication that she was not coherent, so I was in the hospital room alone with my wife’s body – a body which was on the verge of shutting down.

"As I sat in the darkness and looked at my wife covered in IVs and blankets up to her neck, my view of her was mainly a profile silhouette of her face," said Valle. "In certain paintings, then, silhouettes of my wife’s body become part of the islands expressing our isolation. By using silhouettes, I am able to create images of Athena that are very specific to her physiognomy, while at the same time I can also make the images generic so that Athena’s image also looks like many other female cancer patients, whom Athena comes to represent."

Since 1998, Valle has been represented in a number of solo, juried and group exhibitions across the country. In 2007, he received the juror’s award for the ANA 35 juried exhibition at the Holter Museum of Art in Montana. He also won the H. K. Holbein Award for the 2004 Gateway National Juried Exhibition at the Farmington Museum in New Mexico, and an honorable mention recognition at the 8th Annual Cross Timbers Small Works Juried Exhibition at Murray State College in Oklahoma that same year.

He is the author of two books: "Chris Valle: Paintings from the Nodular Sclerosis Series" and "Culturally Constructed: Paintings by Chris Valle."

The Everett Gallery is open during regular library hours: Monday through Thursday, 8 a.m. to midnight; Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Saturday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Sunday, noon to midnight.