Joann Rea ~ Worldview

Tapestry, oil on masonite, 48" x 36"

Joann Rea is one of nine artists currently exhibiting at Gallery 180 of The Illinois Institute of Art-Chicago's "Worldview" exhibition. The work included in the exhibition is diverse—presenting a variety of perceptions and interpretations of the subject, Worldview. The two paintings shown by Joann Rea represent the density of lush forestry in early fall. The images are created with a an obsessively  complex buildup of patterns created with tinny brushstrokes. The brushstrokes emerge into a composition of movement reflecting the transitions of life. Rea explains...

Although both “Tapestry” and “Spirals” are luxuriant paintings of leaves and branches, they are also woven patterns of colors and brushstrokes that lead the eye from one curve to another in the painting. In “Tapestry,” especially, the composition winds its way up the middle of the image, with the leafy brushstrokes following the movement. Straight lines of purple tree trunks both create a stark color contrast and prevent the woven patterns from dominating the composition. “Spirals” is not so much the painting of a tree but more the painting of a tree’s vivid gold and red colors swirling through a maze of green leaves, while the branches hold everything together. 

The Worldview exhibition will be presented at Gallery 180 of The Illinois Institute of Art-Chicago through January 10, 2013. All works are available for purchase with a portion of the proceeds donated to Worldview Education and Care. Gallery 180 is located at the corner of Lake and Wabash in Chicago's Loop.

Spirals, oil on masonite, 30" x 24"

Joann Rea has been capturing the nuances of nature and the environment for over 35 years, successfully showing and selling her original oil paintings through a number of galleries across the country. Her work was handled by the Dyansen Galleries of New York throughout the late 1980s and 1990s and was shown in Dyansen galleries in Boston, MA; Soho, NY; Arlington, VA; Waikoloa, HI; Tokyo, Japan; and San Francisco, CA. Independent galleries that have shown her paintings include Marin-Price Galleries, Chevy Chase, MD; Southwest Gallery, Dallas, TX; Park West Gallery, Southfield, MI; Kruckmeyer and Cohn Gallery, Evansville, IN; Fisher Gallery, Washington, DC; Main Street Gallery, Annapolis, MD; and the Prince Royal Gallery, Alexandria, VA. Joann currently maintains a studio at the Noyes Cultural Arts Center in Evanston, IL.

.

Murray Hidary ~ The Repercussions of Sandy

Abstract Color Series, Series 17#1 • digital photograph • 40” x 30” 

Producing a national juried exhibition is always a challenge but the stress increases as the work from around the country begins to arrive... or doesn't. Last Saturday morning, as I began hanging the Worldview exhibition in Gallery 180 of The Illinois Institute of Art-Chicago, It was obvious that a create was missing. After a sweep of various storage areas, I contacted the artist's representative. She tracked the create to find that it was in New York... detained and possibly destroyed by super storm Sandy.

I hung the exhibition without the two Murray Hidary photographs... But the story does have a happy ending. As I was standing in the gallery—an hour before the private preview reception was to begin—FedEx delivered the crate containing Hidary's work. With a few minutes before the guests were to arrive, I uncreated the work and placed the images on easels. The following morning, the pieces were  appropriately installed—included into the exhibition before the reception and available for purchase.

The Hidary images are amazing colorfield pieces mounted behind glass and floating just in front of the wall. An explanation of these rich and thought-provoking photographs, was offered by his gallery...

The dilemma between what remains objective in photography and what is transformed by one’s own perceptions is met head on by Murray Hidary’s work. The blurred color fields in his Abstract Color Series as well as his progressively blurred objects series’ challenge how we visually organize the world. By defamiliarizing commonly encountered objects, he creates new realms within his photographs that inspire to transcend our grounded notions of perception and reality.

Hidary chooses to bring attention to that which goes largely unnoticed by us through his bare lens. His work is shot in 35mm using primarily Kodak and Fuji films and printed on a variety of surfaces including photographic and watercolor paper. Filters were not used to achieve any of the colors or effects in the work, and the images have not been digitally enhanced or physically manipulated during the developing or printing processes. Hidary’s work frames an alternative view of the world that remains true to its’ original composition from the point a photograph is snapped to the final print.

The Worldview exhibition will be presented at Gallery 180 of The Illinois Institute of Art-Chicago through January 10, 2013. All works are available for purchase with a portion of the proceeds donated to Worldview Education and Care. Gallery 180 is located at the corner of Lake and Wabash in Chicago's Loop. 

 

Abstract Color Series, Series 17#2 • digital photograph • 40” x 30” 

Hidary’s work has garnered wide praise and regularly appears in gallery and museum exhibitions. His work is also held in many private collections. His photography has appeared in myriad group shows including the San Francisco MoMA’s 15th Biennial Auction, at the Guggenheim Museum, and the San Diego Art Institute. Solo exhibitions of Hidary’s work have been featured at Karpeles Museum (Santa Barbara, CA), East Link Gallery (Shanghai, China), and the Nabokov Museum (St. Petersburg, Russia).

.

Richard Laurent ~ Worldview

Richard Laurent, Veil of Tears, oil on canvas, 24"x48" 

Friday's reception for the Worldview exhibition at Gallery 180 of The Illinois Institute of Art-Chicago was well attended. Richard Laurent is just one of the nine artists exhibited in the show. His work "Veil of Tears" is from a series of paintings that address Criminal Traditions from a visually symbolic point of view. Laurent's statement reads...

"Around the world, millions of females live too close to their bones and too far from their dreams. They are at risk for honor killing, forced childhood marriage, acid violence, female circumcision, and more. These practices go back thousands of years and still continue today even though they result in the maiming and death of thousands of women each year. This happens worldwide, including in the United States. My work is intended to raise consciousness around these issues because consciousness is the first step toward global change."

Pieces from Laurent's series will be included in a upcoming group exhibition that is planned to travel the country with the intention of raising awareness of this multilayered issue and perhaps leading to social change. Additional information about the Criminal Traditions exhibition can be found on the CAA Exhibition Opportunities board.

The Worldview exhibition will be presented at Gallery 180 of The Illinois Institute of Art-Chicago through January 10, 2013. All works are available for purchase with a portion of the proceeds donated to Worldview Education and Care. Please join me this friday for the reception, from 5:30-7:30pm. Gallery 180 is located at the corner of Lake and Wabash in Chicago's Loop.

Richard Laurent is widely exhibited, with numerous awards and recognitions. Recent solo venues include the Atrium Gallery, Fine Arts Building Chicago, Gallery H, Three Oaks, Michigan, and the University Club of Chicago. Laurent has also been included in the Oil Painters of America Eastern Regional Exhibition for the past six consecutive years. Richard Laurent is represented by Gallery H, Three Oaks, Michigan.

Opening Friday at Gallery 180 of The Illinois Institute of Art-Chicago

Glory Days  • oil on canvas • 36” x 48” 

This Friday, I will be hosting a reception for the Worldview National Juried Exhibition at Gallery 180 of The Illinois Institute of Art-Chicago. The exhibition is a benefit for Worldview Education and Care... a 501(c)(3) charity that supports education and health care services in the Arumeru District of northern Tanzania.

One of the nine exhibiting artists is Chicago area painter, Anne Smith Stephan. Her beautiful subtle abstract colorfield paintings are calming in presenting their emotionally-driven content. The artist explains...

My work explores the wounds of life. Memories of these moments float in the recesses of one’s mind and then­—suddenly—jarring recollections appear out of nowhere, startling in their depth. Many moments in life are tranquil and beautiful, others are unsettling and horrific. My work approaches the range of memories that make up a life.

The Worldview exhibition will be presented at Gallery 180 of The Illinois Institute of Art-Chicago through January 10, 2013. All works are available for purchase with a portion of the proceeds donated to Worldview Education and Care. Please join me this friday for the reception, from 5:30-7:30pm. Gallery 180 is located at the corner of Lake and Wabash in Chicago's Loop.

Bloodlines [top] • oil on canvas • 30” x 40” 

Gone [bottom] • oil on canvas • 30” x 40”

Anne Smith Stephan received her BA in Fine Arts and Philosophy at Barat College in Lake Forest, IL. She has studied at the Contemporary Art Workshop, the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, Northwestern University, and the Evanston Art Center.

Her work has been exhibited at Woman Made Gallery, Chicago; the James R. Thompson Center, Chicago; Noyes Street Cafe, Evanston; Gallery Mornea, Evanston; and the Evanston Art Center. For several years she was represented by AnamArt Gallery in Naperville. She recently had a solo exhibition at the Chicago Cultural Center and is currently in a group show at the Oak Park Art Center.
She was formerly on the faculty of the Evanston Art Center teaching oil painting and is a founding member of the Wilmette Arts Guild. Her work is in many private collections around the country.
.