Friday, July 31, 2009

Attending the Reception...


A very interesting woman attended tonight's reception for the Nancy Rosen exhibition currently on display at Gallery 180 of The Illinois Institute of Art-Chicago. She made a quiet entrance, arriving alone. Her hair—a soft shade of light yellow bleached by Chicago's summer sun—contrasted a very atypical "little black dress". Her elaborate six-inch red heals [no exaggeration] were amazing works of art in themselves. They were perfect for an exhibition reception. They made a statement... This woman possessed confidence and elegance. When I spotted her, I knew that I wanted to photograph her... this image was captured.

If you find yourself at the northeast edge of Chicago's Loop, drop in and experience the exhibition. The Nancy Rosen exhibition continues through September 11th. Gallery 180 of The Illinois Institute of Art is located at 180 N. Wabash—at the corner of Lake and Wabash—in Chicago’s Loop. The gallery hours are Monday through Friday 9-6 and Saturday 9-5.

Tuesday, July 28, 2009

Installing Nancy Rosen


Nancy Rosen, "Stolen Time" Mixed Media, 44" x 60", $9,000

I spent the past few days installing the Nancy Rosen Exhibition at Gallery 180 of The Illinois Institute of Art-Chicago. It was an interesting experience. Gallery 180 is located on the ground level at the corner of Lake and Wabash in Chicago's Loop. While hanging shows, I've grown accustom to onlookers trying to be the first to see the work being installed. But this weekend was quite unusual. I found myself being distracted—and entertained—by the numerous faces being pressed up against the large glass panes. People were intrigued by the work. Some even entered the "closed" gallery to view the work while it was sitting on the floor awaiting placement. If this is any indication of the shows success, Rosen should be quite overwhelmed at Friday's reception.

The Nancy Rosen exhibition opens this Friday with a reception from 5:30-7:30. Gallery 180 is located at 180 N. Wabash in Chicago's Loop. All of the works in this exhibition are available for purchase.

The "Meditative Surfaces" Reception...


Last Friday night's reception for the "Meditative Surfaces" exhibition was really quite wonderful. Not only did some of my favorite artists attend—Paula Kloczkowski Luberda and Richard Laurent seen above at left—but I had some wonderful conversations with old friends and also met some new—very interesting—people. Nickole Lanham, the Gallery Director of the Schoenherr Gallery of North Central College, was wonderful to work with and she produced an amazing reception. The environment was festive as well as stimulating ...and the food was delicious.

The "Meditative Surfaces" exhibition continues through August 21st. The show highlights the work of Maggie Meiners, Deanna Krueger as well as my own. The Schoenherr Art Gallery is located at 171 E. Chicago Avenue in Naperville, Illinois 60566. All of the exhibited works are available for purchase.

Thursday, July 23, 2009

The Installation...


I spent much of yesterday with Gallery Director, Nickole Lanham, hanging and lighting the "Meditative Surfaces" exhibition in the Schoenherr Gallery of North Central College. The show—consisting of substantial wall hangings by Deanna Krueger, large-scale photographs by Maggie Meiners and a variety of my surface paintings—is meant to spark interest through the variety of media while using the cohesive concept of surface patterns to engage the viewer. Connections of color and color shifts are used as transitions to introduce the viewer to adjacent work.  The meditative qualities of the work is relaxing as the viewer wanders through the exhibition.


The opening reception for "Meditative Surfaces" is Friday, July 24 from 6-8 at the Schoenherr Art Gallery of North Central College. The reception is free and open to the public. The seventeen works included in the exhibition are available for purchase. The Schoenherr Art Gallery is located at 171 E. Chicago Avenue in Naperville, Illinois 60566. The exhibit continues through August 21.

Tuesday, July 21, 2009

An Interesting Distraction


Obviously, I'm very interested in textures and surfaces. It has become the content of my current work. Well, while being redirected through a business park to enter the parking lot of the Lincolnwood Lowes, I found myself distracted by a sculpture. I was in a hurry, so I reluctantly passed it by... did my shopping and headed off to my next errand. But the piece stuck in my head. The  following week, I found myself back at the Lowes nursery [I have a thing for garden centers] but this time, I stopped. I parked my car, crossed the street and went over to get a closer look at the work. 


The surface is quiet wonderful. It's made up of large aluminum rods which seem to be bunched together to create the intended shape. As I approached the sculpture, I thought it was an abstraction based on a torso. But after seeing the title, it was clear that the work is more conceptual then abstract. The artist is Josh Garber and the piece is titled "Tug" from 2006. From the Robert Steele Gallery website, Garber explains...
"My work is about interpreting gestures through mappings of coordinates. It is ... influenced by digital pixilation which dissects images with thousands of dots. Similarly, I use thousands of aluminum bars to map and then construct each piece."

You can find more of Garber's work at the Zolla/Lieberman Gallery in Chicago or at the Robert Steele Gallery in New York. 

Monday, July 6, 2009

Meditative Surfaces... July 24th Reception


Image: Charles Gniech, Meditation III, 2009, acrylic on canvas, 48x36"

"Meditative Surfaces" will be on exhibit at the Schoenherr Art Gallery of North Central College in Naperville, Illinois from July 24 through August 21 with an opening reception on Friday, July 24 from 6-8pm. The reception is free and open to the public. An overview from the press release follows:

This is a powerfully inspirational exhibition focusing on meditative surface patterns. The exhibition brings together the work of Painter; Charles Gniech, Mixed-media Artist; Deanna Krueger, and Photographer; Maggie Meiners. These three Artists are inspired by their own—very different—individual passions, yet the work comes together to present a united statement of introspection.

Influenced—for more then a decade—by the hundreds of the pre-historic stone circles throughout Great Britain, Charles Gniech is inspired by the natural stone patterns found on the surface of Megaliths. Gniech references and manipulates these patterns to create meditative imagery on which to ponder. Defining his work, Gniech explains:
“I have spent more then a decade exploring the meditative qualities of the prehistoric stone circles of Great Britain. Britain is littered with more then four-hundred and thirty of these prehistoric sites... most people are familiar with Stonehenge, yet there are areas concentrated with megalithic structures as far to the north as the Scottish Islands, and as far to the south-and west-as Cornwall. The largest complex of circles is just to the north of Stonehenge, at Avebury. My latest body of work is influenced by the meditative qualities of the fluid surface patterns found on some of these monuments. I have taken some artistic liberties, in the replication, manipulation and abstraction of the surface patterns found on these massive stone slabs, yet the work continues to convey the serene qualities regularly associated with nature and inner peace.”


Above: Deanna Krueger, Echo, mixed media, 69x61" detail

Deanna Krueger produces powerful mixed media forms created from recycled medical diagnostic film layered with monotypes. The film is torn, repositioned, and then stapled together to create various multi-faceted surfaces. The semi-reflective surfaces create a mesmerizing, gem-like quality. Krueger’s given titles hint at the conceptual nuances, which imply humanity’s collective search for meaning. Krueger explains:
“I am interested in humanity's collective search for meaning in the absurdity that is this life, and in the pleasure to be found in the various manifestations of that search.”

“…Serving as a marker of this time of transition, the materials speak to the recent evolution of information storage. When virtual documents replace paper, the lowly staple will become an artifact of an earlier information age. Modes of diagnostic imagery are shifting as well: X-Rays and MRI scans are increasingly being recorded solely in the digital realm.”


Above: Maggie Meiners, Slick, c-print, 40x40"

The large-scale abstract photographs of Maggie Meiners come from her “Childhood Contemplations” series. The mere size of these forty-inch square digital c-prints, allows the viewer to become engulfed by the imagery and to explore their inner mind. The various color patterns are meant to trigger memories on which to contemplate. In defining this body of work, Meiners explains:
“Although the use of blurred imagery seems to defy logic, this intentional shift in focus is meant to transfix and then transport the viewer to a mind space where memories run wild. Various spectrums of color are used as a guide to revisit and explore memories of the past.”
"Meditative Surfaces" will be on exhibit at the Schoenherr Art Gallery of North Central College from July 24 through August 21 with an opening reception on July 24 from 6-8pm. The reception is free and open to the public. The Schoenherr Art Gallery is located at 171 E. Chicago Avenue in Naperville, Illinois 60566

Saturday, July 4, 2009

Save the date... Nancy Rosen


A reception for the Nancy Rosen exhibition at Gallery 180 of The Illinois Institute of Art-Chicago, will be held on Friday, July 31 from 5:30-7:30pm.

Rosen’s large-scale mixed-media portraits—mostly women—are rich with quiet moments of humanity. Distorted and twisted, the figures seem to be visually influenced by the haunting portraiture of the early 20th century artist, Egon Schiele. While each artist has used the subject’s gaze to force a somewhat awkward moment with the viewer, Rosen’s—less tawdry—depictions capture introspection as well as the intimacy of tender human encounters. The encounters can range from a soft embrace to the hidden, reassuring brush of an index finger at the edge of the picture plane. Rosen’s painted and drawn figures tend to evoke a strange curiosity … an interest in the concealed thoughts behind each distorted face. Keep this in mind when experiencing the exhibition for Rosen points out that “...What you see in these paintings is your own reflection...”

The work of Nancy Rosen will be on display at Gallery 180 of The Illinois Institute of Art-Chicago from July 27 through September 11th. This exhibition is free and open to the public. Works are available for purchase. Gallery 180 of The Illinois Institute of Art is located at 180 N. Wabash—at the corner of Lake and Wabash—in Chicago’s Loop. The gallery hours are Monday through Friday 9-6 and Saturday 9-5.

Wednesday, July 1, 2009

red... A National Call for Artists


I have just completed the prospectus for the upcoming National Juried Exhibition titled, "red". If you're an exhibiting artist, this is a great opportunity.

The exhibition will be presented at Gallery 180 of The Illinois Institute of Art-Chicago. It will include images and objects containing—at least—a touch of red. The exhibition will be on display September 14 through November 11 with a reception on Friday, October 9th. Entry deadline is August 6th.

This National Juried Exhibition is open to all artists, living or working in the U.S. Work must be original. All media except video and installation are eligible. Each artist may submit up to 3 pieces for the entry fee of $30.

The Illinois Institute of Art-Chicago will purchase at least one piece from the exhibition, for inclusion into the school’s Permanent Collection. The Collection is diverse and can be viewed on location or on line at: gallery180.com.

Download the full prospectus at: gallery180.com