The abstract art of Kurt Herrmann may match the busy schedules of most Penn State students.

Herrmann's work will be on display at the HUB Gallery through March 2 in the series titled Selected Works 2003-2006.

Ann Shields, head of the HUB-Robeson Galleries, said students are attracted to Herrmann's work because it is a reflection of the world in which they live, where so many things are going on.

"The canvases are very busy, and you have to stand and be there for a while and sort it out," Shields said. "The paintings reflect the business of students' lives."

About 36 of Herrmann's pieces are on display in the HUB Gallery, including watercolors, acrylic paintings and wood pieces, which are painted on wood and mounted on fabric, said Carol Brooks, gallery assistant for the HUB-Robeson Galleries.

Lauren Chyle, art publicist for the HUB-Robeson Galleries, said Herrmann tends to produce work in series.

"Herrmann's work is very abstract and portrays a variety of things from landscapes to whimsical images," Chyle said.

Herrmann said the paintings on display are selected from a series he created between 2003 and 2006. He said his paintings are not to be taken literally because they do not represent anything.

"I have many different kinds of work," Herrmann said. "I have a lot of interests because I don't like to tie myself down. I like my work to be diverse and bring more things to the table."

Herrmann said his usual painting technique includes working on three series at the same time, each of which includes 10 to 15 paintings. Five or six of these different series will be represented at the HUB Gallery.

"I like to work on a few series at a time to stay fresh and bounce back and forth without getting bogged down on one," Herrmann said. "I wanted to exhibit different series to give an idea about how I work in the studio."

Herrmann displayed work about three years ago at the Pasquerilla Spiritual Center, Shields said.

Herrmann recently wrote to Shields and said he developed a whole new style, which is the reason that Shields decided to exhibit his work again at Penn State.

"Since 2003, [Herrmann has] been working on a new style," Shields said. "I thought students would like this because it is colorful, has some imaging and some abstract works."

Brooks said she has also noticed a change in Herrmann's art.

"Herrmann has a whole new style that is very different from the last one," Brooks said. "It is abstract with some words and some figurative things in there."

Herrmann said his interests in art began when he was a child and continued when he studied art at Lock Haven University. Herrmann said his great influences include the two periods during which he studied in Madrid, Spain, and Siberia, Russia. "In Madrid, I traveled all over Europe, from Morocco to Denmark, and spent a lot of time in the Prado Museum in Madrid," Herrmann said. "I went abroad to Siberia to see the work, the people and the places. My school had a program and no one had gone yet, so I decided to do so."

Herrmann's work features Russian symbols and words.

"I suppose I have a little more freedom in what I can say when I write something in Russian," Herrmann said. "I understand it, but visually it's still relatively abstract. I like the way Russian sounds and the intonations."