Steppenwolf 50: Through the Eye of Sandro Miller - The Art Center-Highland Park

Installation View (west wall), The Art Center Highland Park

I was first introduced to the work of Sandro Miller while attending this year’s Member Show at The Arts Club of Chicago. I arrived early and was waiting for a friend, so I began to wander around the space. I found myself standing in front of a black and white photograph, gazing at an intense portrait of a man whose face displayed the lines and creases earned by years of lived experience. His expression conveyed both exhaustion and pain. I looked down at the label and found that the subject was actor Al Pacino. (The image can be found at the conclusion of this article)

Later, I came across a post in which Miller reflected on the image:

"Capturing legends on the fly! This candid black and white portrait of the iconic Al Pacino was taken just as he walked out the stage door after his performance in the 2012 Broadway revival of Glengarry Glen Ross. Even in an impromptu moment, the raw emotion and presence shine through, showcasing the timeless power of photography." —Sandro Miller

That encounter stuck with me, so last weekend, I made a point of visiting The Art Center - Highland Park, to see Miller’s exhibition titled Steppenwolf 50: Through the Eye of Sandro Miller.

The exhibition presents a beautifully curated portrait series featuring performers from the historic Steppenwolf Theatre Company. While the exhibition includes two expansive groupings of individual images as well as singular portraits, its centerpiece is a series of diptychs displayed throughout the main gallery. The evident collaborations between each uniquely theatrical subject and the gifted photographer result in the collection of compelling diptychs. Each pairing includes a bold black-and-white headshot, with a vibrant—and often playful—color image in which the actor engages with a large circular aperture set against a bold red backdrop. Together, the images reveal both the introspective and performative sides of the subject.

Installation View (north wall), The Art Center Highland Park

As I moved through the exhibition, a hypnotic French soundtrack drifted through the gallery, creating a cinematic atmosphere that somehow heightened the photographs’ dramatic interplay of light and shadow. The experience was immersive, intensifying Miller’s presentation of each individual subject.

At the entrance to the main gallery, a curator’s statement sets the tone for the exhibition with a thoughtful observation by TAC Manager, Caleb John Smith:

"...Miller captures humanity at its most animated; Steppenwolf 50 is an intimate look at the physicality of the contemporary actor through the eye of someone who sees them as they are: human, alive, and full of light."

Smith’s observation aptly describes the exhibition. While the photographs celebrate the actors as well as their abilities to perform, they are ultimately images of people—revealing vulnerability, confidence, and humor. The images present the existence between the artist’s public persona and the private self. Miller’s gift is his ability to unite the subject’s authentic humanity through stunning images of artistic beauty.

Steppenwolf 50: Through the Eye of Sandro Miller continues through June 13 at The Art Center - Highland Park. The Art Center is located at 1957 Sheridan Road, in Highland Park. Learn more at theartcenterhp.org

Sandro Miller, Al Pacino, New York City, 2012, Digital archival print, 17 x 22"

From The Arts Club of Chicago, 2026 Members Show

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Sandro Miller is a globally renowned photographic and video artist whose mastery of lighting and visual storytelling has shaped a distinguished career spanning 45 years. Based in Chicago, he has developed an approach that blends artistry with empathy, treating his subjects as collaborators rather than mere sitters. Drawing inspiration from legends like Diane Arbus, Richard Avedon, and Sebastião Salgado, Miller absorbed the visual history of photography, building on these influences to create his expressive style.

Miller’s approach is rooted in collaboration and authenticity, emphasizing genuine emotional exchanges during portrait sessions. His skilful use of light and composition allows him to capture the essence of his subjects, revealing the truth behind their appearances. His work, whether in black and white or colour, digital or film, explores the deeper dialogues of contemporary life, transcending cultures and settings. His global reach, combined with his local roots, creates a dynamic, evolving body of work that reflects the complexities of human experience.

The Art Center Highland Park, a not-for-profit organization, is the North Shore’s home for artistic discovery and creative exploration. Through innovative programs, exhibitions, and classes designed for all levels and ages, The Art Center provides a welcoming space for our diverse communities to experience and participate in the arts.

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RITA GRENDZE - HELIOTROPES AND SKEPTICS - The Laura A. Sprague Art Gallery of Joliet Junior College

Rita Grendze, installation view of Heliotropes and Skeptics at the Laura A. Sprague Art Gallery of Joliet Junior College

There is only one week left to experience the Rita Grendze exhibition at the Laura A. Sprague Art Gallery of Joliet Junior College. The exhibition is titled Heliotropes and Skeptics and includes a series of beautiful watercolor and mixed media works, which flank a fiber-based sculptural installation. Together, the works offer a unique “feel-good” experience—perfect for Chicago’s gray winter days.

Grendze uses the heliotrope/skeptic metaphor as a way to reflect on human nature. The word heliotrope comes from the combination of the Greek words for “sun” and “direction.” It is commonly understood to symbolize admiration and love. The term brings to mind the way in which a plant’s leaves follow the sun as it moves across the sky—instinctively reaching toward light.

Within this context, Grendze explains that the skeptic should not be thought of as a negative influence, but as a necessary one. Without the skeptic questioning, the heliotrope would not be challenged to explore a stronger argument or deepen their convictions.

The installation of the exhibition visually reinforces the idea of “following the sun.” As you enter the main space of the gallery, you are immediately met by a series of colorful and friendly worm-like forms that seem to guide you into the space, subconsciously directing you toward an ominous black piece hung on the rear wall. These plush fiber-based creatures seem to wander throughout the space, creating a playful yet mysterious presence.

Rita Grendze, Uneclipsed, yarn, cord, metal hoop, 2024

The soft textures and vibrant colors invite a tactile response, tempting viewers to engage with the work. While the instinct may be to touch, the forms function as visual guides leading the viewer through the installation—much like heliotropic plants turning toward the light.

Make an effort to see this exhibition. It is well worth the time. Heliotropes and Skeptics continues through March 13 at the Laura A. Sprague Art Gallery of Joliet Junior College. The gallery is on the main campus, located at 1215 Houbolt Road in Joliet, Illinois 60431. Exhibitions are free and open to the public.

Rita Grendze, Stitches and Symbols, watercolor, graphite, yarn on paper, 2022

Rita Grendze is a sculptor making art from ordinary objects. Both her undergraduate and graduate degrees, as well as her year of study on a Fulbright Grant, focused on fiber art. For Grendze this has translated into a lifelong love of process and abundant, accumulative materials.

Grendze has taught at Maryland Institute, College of Art in the Fiber and Foundations departments, as well as at Jersey City University. Since moving to the Chicago area in 2001, she has worked in theater, created props for outdoor spectacles, has taught community workshops in Chicago and the suburbs, has completed commissions, and costumed plays, created large-scale installations and managed a gallery.

Grendze currently teaches in an arts integration program on the elementary and middle school levels. She is committed to introducing new ways of problem solving to a generation that is still reeling from the effects of the pandemic lock down. The bulk of her time, however, has been dedicated to her studio practice and to her family. Her recent residency at Millay Arts infused new energy into her home studio. Grendze shows regularly, including a recently completed two-person show at the Schingoethe Museum and a solo show at Waubonsee Community College.

Rita Grendze, Stitches and Symbols (detail), watercolor, graphite, yarn on paper, 2022

The Laura A. Sprague Art Gallery is a 2,055 square foot state-of-the-art exhibition space in the J-Building on the Main Campus of Joliet Junior College. The main campus is located at 1215 Houbolt Road in Joliet, Illinois 60431. Curated by Director Suzanne Gorgas, the gallery hosts several shows and receptions each year which feature the work of contemporary visiting artists and are accompanied by artist lectures. Gallery hours are Monday–Friday, 8am–8pm. Learn more at: https://jjc.edu/about-jjc/places-interest/laura-sprague-art-gallery

THE MEMBERS' SHOW - The Arts Club of Chicago

Tanya Gill, to gather (detail), 2025, found vase and thread

The 92nd Exhibition of Visual Artist Members
January 27–March 7, 2026

Last weekend, I was invited to visit The Arts Club of Chicago to experience the annual members’ show. The exhibition is intentionally eclectic, celebrating and showcasing the creative work of the club’s artist members. The works presented offer a wide range of media, styles, genres and forms, all produced within the past two years.

As I wandered through the expansive exhibition, which features more than eighty works of art, I found myself reacquainted with recent pieces by artists I have either worked with in the past or whose careers I’ve followed over the years.

Throughout the show, I became aware of the recurring theme of stitching and threadwork. The exhibition offers a number of fiber-based works, reflecting what seems to be a broader trend in the contemporary art world. For decades, fiber and textile arts were marginalized as craft. Today, that distinction continues to blur, as exhibitions increasingly highlight fiber as a conceptual and critical medium—recognizing the artistic relevance rather than dismissing it as merely decorative.

In a world saturated with digital imagery, curators seem drawn to artists whose handmade fiber-based processes highlight environmental issues—sustainability, consumerism, and their long-term impact on the planet. 

Tanya Gill, to gather, 2025, found vase and thread

One intriguing piece, to gather by Tanya Gill, brought to mind Kintsugi—a Japanese practice of repairing broken ceramics with lacquer mixed with powdered precious metal, intentionally highlighting the fracture. Rather than attempting to restore the object to its original state, kintsugi accepts the break as a part of the object’s life. It is believed that the object becomes more meaningful—highlighting modesty and impermanence—in its new state.

But Gill offers a new twist on this idea. Using a found vessel and thread, Gill reconstructs a shattered vase by meticulously reassembling its broken segments with a web of carefully intertwined fibers. On her website, Gill explains the conceptual origin of the work. A stroke survivor, she describes the firsthand experience of her brain repairing itself—highlighting that her traumatic experience is not unique, but part of the collective story. She says, “We all experience traumatic events that change our course, demanding that we remake ourselves.”

Vanessa Filley, The Sunlight Dragged Me Here (detail), 2025, watercolor and colored pencil on paper with thread.

Another highlight of the exhibition is the geometrically precise The Sunlight Dragged Me Here, by Vanessa Filley. A watercolor and colored pencil work on paper, adorned with meticulous pinholes and stitched lines of thread, the piece exudes quiet refinement that invites the viewer into a meditative world of precision.

The 92nd Exhibition of Visual Artist Members features an impressive range of work. While attending the show, be sure to seek out pieces by Susan Aurinko, William Conger, Lisa Goesling, Katherine Lampert, Maggie Meiners, Sandro Miller, Eric Steele, and Serene Wise. 

The exhibition continues through March 7th. The Arts Club is located at 201 East Ontario Street, Chicago, IL 60611. Gallery hours are Tuesday through Friday 11-6 and Saturday 11-3. The Arts Club is closed on Sunday and Monday. Learn more at www.artsclubchicago.org.

Vanessa Filley, The Sunlight Dragged Me Here (detail), 2025, watercolor and colored pencil on paper with thread.

TANYA HASTING GILL is a multimedia artist and educator whose work explores collapsing environments, adaptation, and restoration through object making, painting, drawing, video and fiber. Material investigation is central to her practice; she is invested in material properties, limitations and context. Gill constructively plays with material limits and combinations, drawing out new meanings. Her work shifts between the political, social and personal realms, endeavoring to visually articulate and reverberate feelings that we all share. Gill has been a Fulbright-Nehru scholar, as well as in residence at McDowell, Haystack Mountain School of Craft and The Ragdale Foundation. She received a BFA in painting from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, and earned a MFA in painting at the Cranbrook Academy of Art. Gill calls Northern California, Northern India, and Chicago home. Currently she is nestled in Chicago, IL where she is a Community Artist in Residence at Hyde Park Art Center.

VANESSA FILLEY is a mixed media artist who lives and works in Evanston, IL. She is interested in the energetic threads that orient and connect us, ground us in place and time yet tether us to our ancestral past and future, the lines that bring us home. Her work ranges from large scale sculptural installations to tiny embroidery pieces to poems, photographs, and drawings in watercolor, pinprick and thread. Filley was voted one of Photolucida’s Top 50 in 2018 and has shown work nationally and internationally including the Sonoma County Museum of Art, Berlin Photography Week, the Lishui International Photography Festival, FOCUS PhotoLA, Stricoff Gallery, Galerie Joseph Turene, Western Michigan University, Vivid Art Gallery, Arbor3Arts, The Affordable Art Fair,The Nashville Public Library, the Harold Washington Library in Chicago, the US Consulate General in Saudi Arabia and the inaugural Cosmic Geometries show at Secrist Beach in 2024.

Since 1916, THE ARTS CLUB OF CHICAGO has been a preeminent exhibitor of international art, a forum for established and emerging artists, and a celebrated venue for performers from around the world. For over 100 years, The Arts Club has opened its membership to artists and patrons of the arts, and its exhibitions to the public. At its inaugural meeting, the mission of the Club was defined as: “to encourage higher standards of art, maintain galleries for that purpose, and to promote the mutual acquaintance of art lovers and art workers.” The mission of the Club has since grown and expanded, and is now:

To encourage, foster, promote, and sponsor activities and presentations which would aim to increase public interest in the arts and related activities;To expand the artistic horizons of a public interested in the arts and related activities, which will include lectures, lecture/demonstrations, symposia, gallery talks, films, music, and dance presentations, and related educational programs designed to further these purposes; To maintain a facility for the presentation of these activities and exhibitions; To acquire by gift or purchase, and maintain a permanent collection of fine art, and to present temporary exhibitions of the fine arts in a gallery open to the public.

The Arts Club continues to uphold this mission, offering between three and four public exhibitions per year, a permanent collection including work by many modern and contemporary masters, and a diverse calendar of programming offered to its membership and guests.

PICTURES OF YOU – Bridgeport Art Center

Robert James Johnson, Not Enough Heart to Go Around (detail), 2024, oil on canvas

Pictures of You, January 16–March 6, 2026

Last weekend, a uniquely eclectic portrait exhibition, titled Pictures of You, opened in the Fourth Floor Gallery of the Bridgeport Art Center. The exhibition curated by Marci Rubin, presents a wide-ranging assortment of portraiture across a variety of contemporary practices. 

In selecting the exhibition, Rubin brought together an expansive mixture of painting, drawing, photography, mixed media, textile, and sculpture reflecting approaches that range from conservatively traditional to boldly experimental. The exhibition is installed in a salon-style format, to accommodate the extensive diversity of the work on view.

Robert James Johnson, Not Enough Heart to Go Around (detail), 2024, oil on canvas, 84"x84"

One of the more intriguing pieces in the show was created by Robert James Johnson. The seven-foot square canvas titled Not Enough Heart to Go Around is impossible to ignore.

The brilliantly colorful canvas combines classical technique with symbolic imagery, reinterpreted within a contemporary context. Johnson references historically familiar compositions yet paints with emotion, resulting in a deeply personal inflection. The artist appears to include himself within the composition, a gesture that may offer insight into the work’s title.

Together, these elements might imply the emotional transition or vulnerability of being caught between giving of oneself and self-preservation. And perhaps the repeated figure might also imply an internal dialogue, reinforcing the work’s focus on the psychological experience rather than the narrative. In any case, the painting deserves careful contemplation.

I’ve always believed that the creation of art was a version of therapy—dealing with our personal issues or observations of the world around us—while side-stepping the involvement of a therapist. So, is the painting critique of today's society? Does it reference inequality, injustice or neglect? Is it a comment on the world in which we live? The fear of not having enough... the fear of giving so much that nothing is left?

The three figures in the painting—each a presumed likeness of the artist wearing a pensive expression—seem to represent the passage of time. The space suggests a room with a centralized table. On the table, a human heart rests on a silver tray, becoming the focal point of the composition and the painting’s title. Across the top of the canvas, a symbolic heartbeat pulsing briefly before flatlining and concluding with a fast-forward symbol entwined by a poisonous coral snake.

While the exhibition includes works that demonstrate solid traditional technical skills, the collection also challenges the typical ideas of portraiture by offering a range of contemporary approaches. Through the use of diverse materials and styles, Pictures of You emphasizes the ongoing exploration of the portrait in contemporary art.

Mey-Mey Lim Sojourner Stoneware 2017 15x11x8

John Benton, Point of View, 2023, oil on canvas, 20" x 24"

Katharine Oltogge, Melancholy, 2025, oil on canvas, 18" x 24"

Pictures of You continues through March 6, 2026 in the Fourth Floor Gallery of the Bridgeport Art Center, which is located at 1200 West 35th Street, Chicago, IL 60609. Learn more at bridgeportart.com/

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Robert James Johnson is a 2024 recipient of the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events Individual Artist Program grant. He is a graduate of Studio Incamminati School of Contemporary Realist Art in Philadelphia and holds a BFA from the Savannah College of Art & Design. Originally from Miami, he is now based in Chicago.

Marci Rubin
Fiber based Installation/Sculpture artist/Curator Bridgeport Center Chicago

Marci Rubin earned a BFA from Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, New York, and an MFA from the University of Chicago. Following her graduate studies, she founded Framing Mode & Gallery, a contemporary art gallery and custom framing studio in Chicago’s South Loop, which operated from 2003 to 2018 and functioned as a site for socially engaged artistic practice.

Since 2022, Rubin has served as Curator at the Bridgeport Art Center in Chicago, where she oversees the curation, design, and installation of exhibitions for the 4th Floor Gallery and Corridor Gallery, alongside an active studio practice. Her work has been exhibited nationally in academic and nonprofit institutions.

 

TIMELESS BODIES Midwest Ceramic Exhibition – Oliva Gallery

Aaron Becker, Firm Foundation, stoneware, 22” x 12” x 9”

TIMELESS BODIES, November 7–December 13, 2025

The first piece of art that I purchased was a small, molded cement sculpture by Thomas Zaroff from Kavi Gupta’s Vedanta Gallery. It was the mid-nineties, and I was at the beginning of my own art career. When I saw the piece, I was enamored. The subject was a brick-sized male figure lying on his back, resting on his elbows with his knees raised—as though reclining on a beach looking at the ocean. I left the gallery without making the purchase but couldn’t stop thinking about the form. The following week, I returned to purchase the sculpture. Thirty years later, it sits on a ledge in my bedroom and still makes me smile.

This weekend, Timeless Bodies: Midwest Ceramic Exhibition opens at Oliva Gallery in the Logan Square neighborhood of Chicago. The exhibition—juried by Chicago artist and curator Nancy Pirri—serves as both a regional survey of ceramic sculpture and an invitation to consider how three-dimensional art can be seamlessly incorporated into our personal environments. The exhibition is curated as a series of vignettes—sculpture grouped on pedestals, tables, shelves, and freestanding pieces, complemented with wall-mounted works. The gallery becomes a living environment of ceramic, alluding to how one might live with sculpture.

There is an inherent intimacy in ceramic sculpture—each form shaped by the human hand and displaying the tactile evidence of its creation: the subtle impressions of a fingertip or the surface of the palm. These works are not necessarily intended to dominate a space, but rather to coexist harmoniously within it, enriching daily life by transforming space, reshaping light, and—most importantly—inviting deeper connection through contemplation. Whether positioned on a pedestal, arranged in a bookcase, or placed on a tabletop, a ceramic form possesses the capacity to transform its surroundings, quietly inviting meditative reflection. 

Timeless Bodies explores the enduring power of the human form as expressed through ceramic art, featuring a dynamic range of sculptural works that span realism and abstraction. This exhibition offers a glimpse into the beautifully thought-provoking ceramic art being created throughout the region. 

Aaron Becker’s Firm Foundation loosely reinterprets the prehistoric Venus of Willendorf through a contemporary lens, drawing upon the ancient figure’s exaggerated, bulbous forms while presenting only the lower half of the body. By isolating this segment, Becker emphasizes the grounding and stability implied by the title, transforming a symbol of fertility into a commentary on endurance and cultural layering. The sculpture’s muted tones contrast the subtle defacing marks that cover the form. In this fusion of prehistoric reference and urban intervention, Firm Foundation becomes a unique dialogue between past and present, permanence and impermanence.

Dawn Liddicoatt, Trappings #6, stoneware, 12” x 9” x 9” 

Dawn Liddicoatt’s Trappings #6 presents a fragmented female torso that appears to be dissolving. Muted in color and finished with a rough yet molten texture, the sculpture evokes a sense of erosion and transformation, as if the figure were succumbing to time itself. The work suggests the destruction or disintegration of the human form, yet within the decay lies a quiet beauty—an echo of endurance. Consistent with Liddicoatt’s ongoing exploration of connection, time, place, and history, Trappings #6 reflects the fragile relationship between humanity and the environment, blurring the boundary between body and landscape.

Susan Volk’s Iris stands as a meditation on grace and quiet strength—a vision of the sacred feminine rendered in sculptural form. The head of a woman rises with an elongated neck, its surface carved in flowing, ornamental patterns that echo the organic elegance of Mucha’s line. Her eyes are gently closed, as if turned inward toward reflection, while fragile glass tears descend along her cheeks, catching the light like prisms of emotion. Muted yet radiant, the sculpture balances poise and vulnerability, beauty and sorrow. In Iris, Volk weaves together themes of human nature, and reverence, transforming the female form into an emblem of timeless serenity and spiritual resilience.

Susan Volk, Iris, stoneware/glass, 21” x 9” x 11”

Timeless Bodies is on view at Oliva Gallery from November 7 through December 13, 2025. An artist talk is scheduled for Saturday, November 15th from 3–5pm. 

Artists Participating in Timeless Bodies include: Nikki Renee Anderson, Monica Bâlc, Lynn Basa, Aaron Becker, Sharon Bladholm, Debbie Burk, Lisa Farris, Autumn Horwath, Lynda Lawson Karr, Jayne King, Dawn Liddicoatt, Linda Marcus, Johannah Tomita Martin, Amber Matthews, Suzanne Mauro, Carole McCurdy, Bobbi Meier, Arny Nadler, Andryea Natkin, Alexis Lee Ortiz-Duarte, Roberta Ulrich-de Oliveira, Susan Volk, Christopher Williams, Runhui Xu, and Thomas Zamiar.

Oliva Gallery is located at 3816 W. Armitage Avenue, Chicago, Illinois, 60647. Learn more at olivagallery.com

Aaron Becker aka BaBBLEoN is a recording artist and trained ceramicist that has manifested an evolving art practice creating a truly unique interdisciplinary way of life. Born in Wisconsin, grew up in Minnesota and now resides in Chicago's Albany Park neighborhood, Becker has held down a ceramic business, teaches classes, created art collectives and recently launched Asif1111.com which will serve as a multimedia hub for himself and other teaching artists. Becker creates expressive works of art around the idea of spirit and human experience with strong sense of technique and aesthetic.

Dawn Liddicoatt is a multidisciplinary artist whose primary focus is on creating hand-built ceramics and figurative sculpture in clay. Her work explores themes of connection, time, place, and history—particularly as they relate to geologic processes and the human relationship with the environment. Drawn to the tactile nature of working with clay, she often constructs representations of the human form, especially the female figure. This interest has led her to revisit the origins of such imagery by reinterpreting Paleolithic Venus figurines and developing her own contemporary versions. Her Venus on Horseback, for example, possesses greater agency than the traditional Venus figures, which are typically depicted without hands or feet—this Venus moves through the world with purpose. A committed anti-racist, Liddicoatt also uses her art to explore, document, and illuminate issues of race and social justice, while emphasizing the shared bonds that connect all people.

Susan Volk is a Chicago based artist who works in oil paint, ceramic sculpture and mixed media. Beginning her academic career at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, she later attended the Art Institute of Chicago where she received a Bachelor of Fine Art in painting and sculpture. Her current work explores the themes of human nature, archetypes, and the sacred feminine. She works on both private and public commissions including public murals for Oak Park, Evanston, Chicago’s Italian Village Restaurant, and sculptural work for the corporate headquarters of Turtle Wax Company. Her work has been featured in the 35th Annual Oak Park River Forest Infant Welfare Society Designer Showcase House, the celebration of Women’s History Month in the Chicago Public Library System, displayed on billboard for Expose NOLA French Quarter/Jazz Festival in New Orleans, and at the 6th Annual Central Time Juried Ceramics Exhibition. She is currently represented by Edward Montgomery Fine Art Gallery in Carmel-by-the-Sea, CA, Blue Sky Art Gallery in Santa Fe, NM, and Inner Haven Gallery in Grayslake, IL.

Oliva Gallery is dedicated to showcasing exceptional work by contemporary artists with roots in the Midwest and beyond. Through exhibitions spanning painting, sculpture, and mixed media, the gallery fosters critical dialogue, interdisciplinary exploration, and inclusive cultural engagement.

Thomas Zaroff, 1995, Private Collection

HOLDING SPACE – A Thoughtful Exploration of Healing, Memory, and Material - Oliva Gallery

Jan Nakao, Chicago, 2024, oil, 28"x22" 

Holding Space - Opening Reception: Friday, September 5 from 5-9 pm

An Artist Talk is scheduled for Saturday, September 13 from 1-3 pm

I’ve been painting for decades. There have been passionate periods resulting in prolific amounts of work, and slower times devoted to exploring technique and imagery. In both cases, the work was always created with sharp focus. Throughout my painting career, there have been many occasions when intense concentration evolved into meditation—dissolving my sense of time and allowing me to paint from the unconscious mind. Even now, I find that once the direction of a painting is established, I need to mentally step back to avoid interfering with a wonderful—and perhaps unexpected—outcome. I’ve come to believe that it’s a God thing.

I share this story because I recently received a press release for a show opening at the Olivia Gallery on Friday, September 5, from 5–9 pm, titled Holding Space - A Thoughtful Exploration of Healing, Memory, and Material. The exhibition brings together artists whose work seems to be guided by a divine influence. Whether understood as spiritual inspiration, an unconscious meditation, or an intuitive force, this influence becomes the common element that shapes each artist’s process. It is the thread of consistency that weaves through the exhibition and links the works together in conversation. 

Holding Space becomes more than a collection of individual pieces; it forms a shared reflection on the presence of something larger than the self within the act of creation. The exhibiting artists are Jan Nakao, Laurie LeBreton, and Macus Alonso. While the work of all three artists is outstanding, my attention turns to the two-dimensional pieces of Jan Nakao.

Influenced by Jungian analysis and trauma psychology, Jan Nakao’s paintings draw on the unconscious mind and the visual language of geometric abstraction. Guided by what the artist describes as a “third hand”—a sense of divine guidance that moves beyond conscious control—the imagery presents a conceptual environment that emerges from beneath conscious thought.

The imagery develops through repeated geometric shapes that often fall into rough, grid-like patterns, suggesting both order and instability. Rather than acting as rigid boundaries, the grids remain open and flexible, creating a rhythm that highlights variation and imperfection—resisting resolution. The paintings are less objects to interpret than spaces to encounter. They invite viewers to sit with ambiguity, letting meaning surface through experience rather than analysis. In this way, Nakao’s paintings act as both maps and mirrors: structured through recurring forms yet deeply personal in their emotional tone. They reflect a search for balance between chaos and control. 

Together, the works of Jan Nakao, Laurie LeBreton, and Macus Alonso offer a compelling exploration of the unseen forces that shape human experience. Each artist, through their distinct approach—whether Nakao’s intuitive dive into the collective unconscious, LeBreton’s tactile meditations on transformation, or Alonso’s vibrant investigations of form and movement—invites viewers to pause, reflect, and engage with the emotional and spiritual dimensions of art. The exhibition creates a shared space where intuition, ritual, and personal story come together, leaving viewers with a sense of reflection and the power of art.

Holding Space – A Thoughtful Exploration of Healing, Memory, and Material, continues through September 27. Oliva Gallery is located at 3816 W Armitage Ave, Chicago, IL 60647. Learn more at https://www.olivagallery.com/

Jan Nakao, Windows to the World, oil, 28"x22"

About Oliva Gallery
Oliva Gallery is dedicated to showcasing exceptional work by contemporary artists with roots in the Midwest and beyond. Through exhibitions spanning painting, sculpture, and mixed media, the gallery fosters critical dialogue, interdisciplinary exploration, and inclusive cultural engagement.

About Jan Nakao
Jan Nakao, trained as a Jungian psychoanalyst, creates paintings guided by images from the collective unconscious. Her practice draws from decades of work in the field of psychological trauma and is shaped by intuition and the internalized “third hand.” The result is a body of abstract work rich with emotional depth and symbolic resonance. Nakao holds a Diplomate in Jungian Analysis from the C.G. Jung Institute of Chicago (2005) and degrees from the University of Illinois at Chicago and Champaign-Urbana.

About Laurie LeBreton

Working with handmade paper and natural materials, Laurie LeBreton constructs large-scale installations that reference ritual garments, natural growth, and inner transformation. Her sculptural work operates in the space between delicacy and resilience. These forms test the boundaries of material and meaning, offering viewers meditative entry points into the emotional and spiritual dimensions of healing.

About Macus Alonso
Macus Alonso’s geometric abstractions investigate structure, rhythm, and movement through color and form. A central theme in Alonso’s practice is the relationship between the body and spatial construction, drawn from multicultural influences and grounded in personal narrative. Her use of layered paint and structural patterning encourages a dialogue between spiritual exploration and material experimentation.
 
 

NATHAN BRAD HALL - “Undercurrents” at Gallery Victor

Nathan Brad Hall, I love You the First Time, oil on linen, 80" x120"

I recently received an email from an old friend who wanted to make sure I knew about an exceptional exhibition that just opened at Gallery Victor in Chicago. He thought I’d be interested, given a series of large-scale male figurative paintings I created in the early 2000s—meditative works exploring the moments between sleep and waking. In those paintings, I used dramatic contrasts of light and dark, “chiaroscuro” inspired by my passion for the paintings of the Italian master Caravaggio. Naturally, I was excited to see the exhibition. So, this past weekend, I ventured out to the River North Gallery District to view the large-scale paintings and charcoal drawings of Nathan Brad Hall.

I wasn’t disappointed. The exhibition is visually stunning—filled with atmosphere, nuance, and a sensitivity to the human experience. Each painting offers a bold and emotionally defenseless rendition of the figure, inviting the viewer into a space of raw vulnerability. Hall paints human emotion—capturing quiet moments of introspection—the moments when we consider possibilities or confront our fears. Through subtle gesture and expression, Hall paints not just the human body, but the emotional undercurrents that run beneath the surface of the flesh.

Nathan Brad Hall, Day Break, oil on linen, 58" x 58"

Lighting becomes a secondary character within Hall’s compositions. At times, it's harsh—emphasizing the musculature of the figurative form. This approach is evident in Day Break as well as in many of Hall’s charcoal-on-paper works. Yet the romantic use of dappled light is also central to his practice. In I Love You the First Time (oil on linen, 80” x 120”), Hall utilizes filtered light for a dreamier effect, with highlights and shadows flowing across the figure and fragmenting the picture plane into abstract areas that guide the viewer’s attention through the composition. The level of detail commands the viewer’s attention: the hair appears dimensional, and the eyes seem to peer directly into the viewer’s soul.

With subtle references to the dramatic realism of Caravaggio, Nathan Brad Hall creates evocative modern meditations of presence, power, and vulnerability. He paints the human form with precision. The depiction of flesh is flawless in its imperfections—both beautiful and scarred, emerging from darkness into stark focus. The compositions are cinematic, yet emotionally intimate. 

The Undercurrents exhibition continues through August 30. Gallery Victor is located at 300 West Superior Street, Chicago, Illinois 60654. The gallery is open Tuesday through Saturday 11-5. Additional Information can be found at galleryvictor.com

Nathan Brad Hall, Haven, charcoal on paper, 29.5" x 23.5"

Nathan in the studio with I Love You the First Time

Nathan Brad Hall lives and works in Brooklyn, New York. His work has been widely exhibited and is held in private collections across the U.S. and internationally.