tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-45204096064335116112024-03-28T13:29:00.656-05:00Chicago Fine ArtChuck Gniechhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09625536586669363996noreply@blogger.comBlogger330125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4520409606433511611.post-2314318944616152992024-03-28T13:19:00.006-05:002024-03-28T13:28:28.891-05:00EXPO CHICAGO - April 11-14<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWLnp3NOASDv0Q6X1UMIBYqZS_b8cFpZ04uqsuZoPrCeh8Prd_8sa4Y4dgxni7xGPuKFKGaESNsstIX_maJdOeSYcbjcbZoftax7sTWyLX3ENW_inipS5dR6eBtSWAaoqbRb2EwNA7OXaBfxA-_gTqXuyoQ4FqOUkL55fMys5TkBRnfTlx-FIhrBj3/s1600/flubacker_expochicago2018_vernissage_high-res-116.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWLnp3NOASDv0Q6X1UMIBYqZS_b8cFpZ04uqsuZoPrCeh8Prd_8sa4Y4dgxni7xGPuKFKGaESNsstIX_maJdOeSYcbjcbZoftax7sTWyLX3ENW_inipS5dR6eBtSWAaoqbRb2EwNA7OXaBfxA-_gTqXuyoQ4FqOUkL55fMys5TkBRnfTlx-FIhrBj3/s320/flubacker_expochicago2018_vernissage_high-res-116.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Aptos, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><br /></p>EXPO CHICAGO 2024, is returning to Navy Pier from April 11th to 14th for its eleventh iteration. Expo will Showcase 170 of the world's outstanding galleries from 75 cities and 29 nations. The International Exposition of Contemporary & Modern Art will showcase the work of more than 3,000 artists and—as aways—host a wide range of diverse programming.<br /><br />This year's exposition will introduce specialized segments, including EXPOSURE—dedicated to solo and dual artist presentations from galleries in operation for less than a decade, PROFILE which highlights individual artist installations and thematic exhibitions presented by distinguished international galleries, Editions + Books which presents a curated selection of artist books, editions, and multiples, and—of course—Special Exhibitions offer meticulously curated displays by non-profit organizations. <div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJmTeLMk3FKGuTKguLxEjjHFaKiEeqp9jzs8IGKEljSrjkYYRWi3A6Tz364gQnPjR7wfDdzAXkqKXySOtoBHLL4Ucwer4ylmDmD1cWvoZLjLHuQOAEP719OT7XhpJ7fjcWM_WqKmbeX3dKQ48_HUYKNSVq6qVXe1IxfmCHYIN6hKUNEY3AE_JiIJJM/s2000/EXPO%20CHICAGO%20Opening%20Night.%20Photo%20by%20Kyle%20Flubacker.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1171" data-original-width="2000" height="187" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJmTeLMk3FKGuTKguLxEjjHFaKiEeqp9jzs8IGKEljSrjkYYRWi3A6Tz364gQnPjR7wfDdzAXkqKXySOtoBHLL4Ucwer4ylmDmD1cWvoZLjLHuQOAEP719OT7XhpJ7fjcWM_WqKmbeX3dKQ48_HUYKNSVq6qVXe1IxfmCHYIN6hKUNEY3AE_JiIJJM/w320-h187/EXPO%20CHICAGO%20Opening%20Night.%20Photo%20by%20Kyle%20Flubacker.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i style="font-family: Aptos, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Kyle Flubacker, photo</span></i></div><div><br />Exhibitor information, scheduled programming, and ticket information can be found at <a href="http://expochicago.com">expochicago.com</a> <br />This is an annual event not to be missed!<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Aptos, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p></o:p></p></div></div>Chuck Gniechhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09625536586669363996noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4520409606433511611.post-79937908554972805562024-02-11T12:44:00.008-06:002024-02-11T18:35:24.909-06:00Judging ...WHAT THE HECK??!!!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCB63P1Hu4TaTKTpwbq2wjmNoahUEJzOgIam9PrSKVu2lu-rkOVrwRchuturK9jkKTPM_fF6VFIzQqDUjdQhAF3xWaRusLHojRrPOIvsGX0d202BHj2c2kBY7pI3V37sZFtuY1dXBNxyLH0tU4AQ08EZhcAfyXqtqE8EA4_AGx_Jep4_Oju1l17TXT/s591/Purse.pop%20up%20detail.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="444" data-original-width="591" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCB63P1Hu4TaTKTpwbq2wjmNoahUEJzOgIam9PrSKVu2lu-rkOVrwRchuturK9jkKTPM_fF6VFIzQqDUjdQhAF3xWaRusLHojRrPOIvsGX0d202BHj2c2kBY7pI3V37sZFtuY1dXBNxyLH0tU4AQ08EZhcAfyXqtqE8EA4_AGx_Jep4_Oju1l17TXT/s320/Purse.pop%20up%20detail.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Bradford Purse, Detail, “Pop-Up Balloon Safari at Failing Wildlife Monument”, oil on canvas</span></div><div><br /></div>Curating a group exhibition is always a challenge. Hours, days—even weeks—are spent viewing, re-viewing, and selecting work that tells an exceptional story with a visual throughline. Having curated more than a hundred exhibitions, I understand the process. Curators, Janice Meister, Claudia Craemer and Debbie Craemer embraced the challenge. Meister selected the wide range of art objects, and the Craemer sisters presented them exquisitely within the Tall Grass Gallery. <div><br /></div><div>The works in this show surprise, bewilder, and amuse the viewer with strange combinations of reality. I was able to preview the show and honored to select the award-winning work. The judging process is always completely subjective based on the judge’s life experience, knowledge, and personal bias. That said, here are my award selections. <br /></div><div><br /></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuTL5p91nxGqGsCjgVitGjiqHkz2Pl31jBNeSX7xut4Lh6jhqMZzDCZjHZEZeSn_JhLUg-j2gS_8JgHDazCb1cpElwad6p-yo17B0xH9neLCBUDMIlTJ_XCsM1uhvwcDX_e7mH0J-Bj8k7mBxi1FEcjxhidbG2g8gCsZa1UwNjW0G-kiFPd2dwBnOy/s476/Purse.pop%20up.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="476" data-original-width="374" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuTL5p91nxGqGsCjgVitGjiqHkz2Pl31jBNeSX7xut4Lh6jhqMZzDCZjHZEZeSn_JhLUg-j2gS_8JgHDazCb1cpElwad6p-yo17B0xH9neLCBUDMIlTJ_XCsM1uhvwcDX_e7mH0J-Bj8k7mBxi1FEcjxhidbG2g8gCsZa1UwNjW0G-kiFPd2dwBnOy/s320/Purse.pop%20up.jpg" width="251" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Award of Excellence</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Bradford Purse, “Pop-Up Balloon Safari at Failing Wildlife Monument” oil on canvas.</span></div><br />Timely and beautifully painted, Purse takes an opportunity to make a powerful statement about the state of the world today. With a bit of dark humor and skillful brush, I found myself lost in the beautiful details of the composition. </div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglweAIsEjRVmyX95UWd3ZyHOvECSuHC4s3sw8Lv6WZeweTs100twuGbt1w5EQxHeHXTDUmbnzSe5veMv-__XIBanHQZqPVQbrA4BGQ85HTfyl5YhlylKAENpfZrg1Fu83Eq2kHgML7nQWCKhuioPfmzZCEfAcR19DuWXIwm0u3fHCAyMJWsSd4DIz8/s354/Garrett%20gold.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="354" data-original-width="243" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglweAIsEjRVmyX95UWd3ZyHOvECSuHC4s3sw8Lv6WZeweTs100twuGbt1w5EQxHeHXTDUmbnzSe5veMv-__XIBanHQZqPVQbrA4BGQ85HTfyl5YhlylKAENpfZrg1Fu83Eq2kHgML7nQWCKhuioPfmzZCEfAcR19DuWXIwm0u3fHCAyMJWsSd4DIz8/s320/Garrett%20gold.jpg" width="220" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Award of Excellence</span></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Jeanne Garrett, “Gold among the Ashes” archival pigment print on rice paper with gold leaking. </span></div></div><div><br /></div><div>Loosely reminiscent of the work of Jane Fulton Alt who photographed controlled prairie burns in the early 2000s, this intimate piece presents the silent elegance of the destruction and rebirth of the forest floor. Garrett explores various levels of depth within an abstract landscape. Perhaps a comment of the current climate crisis, the image offers many conceptual interpretations. </div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYUmAkS4d7MLX-ZPyMxpAVAmPP3SaXxC-Gs-xeyg-k6oaJF97Sx-JR-1D9SbbfAR_s0uhE70wA7aaRRapDxDB-4QE_WqNS1BpDG4RVj_emL6dG13S_8pXek2SgnFC16O76VKR7OQ0lwFmcsuCbJxQtV5jjq-rj57GKPlwLrYLdDGn5CZTslfalsxmZ/s546/Stewart%20wear.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="546" data-original-width="195" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYUmAkS4d7MLX-ZPyMxpAVAmPP3SaXxC-Gs-xeyg-k6oaJF97Sx-JR-1D9SbbfAR_s0uhE70wA7aaRRapDxDB-4QE_WqNS1BpDG4RVj_emL6dG13S_8pXek2SgnFC16O76VKR7OQ0lwFmcsuCbJxQtV5jjq-rj57GKPlwLrYLdDGn5CZTslfalsxmZ/s320/Stewart%20wear.jpg" width="114" /></a></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Award of Excellence</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Patricia Stewart, “Wear Pills Meet Fashion” mixed media assemblage: medicine bottles, wood hanger, IV hanger. </span></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div>Stewart’s “Wear Pills Meet Fashion” is a statement that highlights the need for some to medicate as a daily ritual—like getting dressed. But the piece also—perhaps unintentionally—comments on the marketing campaigns produced by the pharmaceutical industry, that encourage the masses to accessorize with pills. The number of empty prescription bottles seems to underscore the issue. This unique assemblage is a conceptual version of Munch’s “The Scream.”</div><div><span style="text-align: center;"><br /></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfrQv8gYNpMIbvK41dGyQ5CYqCgM1_i-LxSGXdVXLxsOz9mPyIqwCp8hlgrcw809SJncgQVz0vvp7K-U93IRhqlImAZg9GmbB8xco7trdXf-ptR9aTAxveWLIt8ZBVo-bjPC_htJkqNI1rY2gyx33GZDsIHQDjq3pjTqS-IZb8eLvLwyGuHhpXhChB/s377/Burd%20elgin.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="249" data-original-width="377" height="211" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfrQv8gYNpMIbvK41dGyQ5CYqCgM1_i-LxSGXdVXLxsOz9mPyIqwCp8hlgrcw809SJncgQVz0vvp7K-U93IRhqlImAZg9GmbB8xco7trdXf-ptR9aTAxveWLIt8ZBVo-bjPC_htJkqNI1rY2gyx33GZDsIHQDjq3pjTqS-IZb8eLvLwyGuHhpXhChB/s320/Burd%20elgin.jpg" width="320" /></a></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Third Place:</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Richard Burd, “Elgin Joliet and Eastern Railroad, Park Forest” black and white digital print.</span></div><div><br />Beautifully composed, this photograph offers a nostalgic moment with a twist of humor. The lavish abundance of textures found throughout the image offer a range of tactile secondary focal points to explore.</div><div> <br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyH7d4e7MMG5PBfvbl5zjKJompUyYI08LUHdEtypB1OtStK43wRUQveN0kduwgofFuqR0HTYqOjFxViXjDZNiF1pQY6S5qGV-LIXNJFFT0KvQ0H-cennUrz7DTZIk587v-9fN9r_-qkb0mfGm-d4yBtAbzXe5_J1yx4bkZQ-hrTjmTf9M5D182dqdc/s577/Buvala,%20rain%20detail.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="577" data-original-width="434" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyH7d4e7MMG5PBfvbl5zjKJompUyYI08LUHdEtypB1OtStK43wRUQveN0kduwgofFuqR0HTYqOjFxViXjDZNiF1pQY6S5qGV-LIXNJFFT0KvQ0H-cennUrz7DTZIk587v-9fN9r_-qkb0mfGm-d4yBtAbzXe5_J1yx4bkZQ-hrTjmTf9M5D182dqdc/s320/Buvala,%20rain%20detail.jpg" width="241" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Second Place:</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Randy Buvala, Detail, “Staying Home to Watch the Rain” charcoal on paper with found objects.</span></div><br />Drawn to the honesty of the materials, this culmination of elements results in a fascinating encounter. The rich application of charcoal creates a soft and enchanting experience, like that of a childhood fable. <br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhS7qQ6obp72MYIyma6CV23OdzpvkRIydnl45BZfKQikbdmod8Re05QwEH6gyNsugeDeZk_OS0XrdZIweuF7tLreO1Dj8AJ3GNp-stbnNJdAkhIWPdteiSV1CgVnNYv6wMhCY9SUkUAPI9YFCoETBHvxplhHrBj6_DVxxjq4E0-aWCkQU3HGkCbB8PE/s420/Purse.ebbing.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="420" data-original-width="417" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhS7qQ6obp72MYIyma6CV23OdzpvkRIydnl45BZfKQikbdmod8Re05QwEH6gyNsugeDeZk_OS0XrdZIweuF7tLreO1Dj8AJ3GNp-stbnNJdAkhIWPdteiSV1CgVnNYv6wMhCY9SUkUAPI9YFCoETBHvxplhHrBj6_DVxxjq4E0-aWCkQU3HGkCbB8PE/s320/Purse.ebbing.jpg" width="318" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">First Place:</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Bradford Purse, “Ebbing Tides of the Heart” oil on canvas.</span></div><br />Beginning a unique visual conversation dealing with universal subjects, Purse presents luxurious imagery to challenge the audience into considering the world in which we live. He dares the viewer to spend time within his compositions, offering up expertly executed details that invigorate the canvas and entice the viewer. I found it difficult to walk away, and when I did, I found myself being pulled back to explore further. Brad Purse is truly a master of both concept and technique. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div>The artists included in the WHAT THE HECK??!!! exhibition are, Jay Anderson, Marcia Babler, Judi Boehner, Richard Burd, Randy Buvala, Rita Dianni-Kaleel, Carol Estes, Mary Flynn, Jeanne Garrett, Janet Glazar, Nickie Gunning, Luis Gutierrez, Judith Hanacek, David Jagodzinski, Marie Karambis, Amanda Lorance, Lucy Mueller, Bob Nardi, Diane O’Connor, Bradford Purse, Tali Rachelle, Mary Schiller, Doug Stein, Patricia Stewart, Tanya Wingo-Brown, and Kelly Witte.</div><div><br /></div><div>WHAT THE HECK??!!! will continue through March 16, 2024, at the Tall Grass Art Gallery located at 367 Artists Walk in Park Forest, Gallery Hours are Tuesday through Saturday, 11am - 4pm. Learn more at <a href="http://www.tallgrassarts.org/">www.tallgrassarts.org</a></div><div><br /><br /> </div>Chuck Gniechhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09625536586669363996noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4520409606433511611.post-86387435176672502172024-01-05T10:30:00.004-06:002024-01-05T13:02:42.247-06:00MEMORY - Christopher Art Gallery of Prairie State College<div style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjk-QDl4wz7k2gu6yfwwc97j0apLz3bQ5_Xv4DG7NRvg6WFiYm8bVm1t_4eQ0zSYHMqyi3Q28-60DRJCM4qMlRuZWqg4rXbtLjE-Ni-M4oReyxfI9Jlhlc82rM7_UxkGHw1iGdCHWJvGof8DjDhE7H4XunP9GJJ5VDOthXpxzLTdoUdvVLhEsDhpJS/s795/cox.memory2023.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="795" data-original-width="793" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjk-QDl4wz7k2gu6yfwwc97j0apLz3bQ5_Xv4DG7NRvg6WFiYm8bVm1t_4eQ0zSYHMqyi3Q28-60DRJCM4qMlRuZWqg4rXbtLjE-Ni-M4oReyxfI9Jlhlc82rM7_UxkGHw1iGdCHWJvGof8DjDhE7H4XunP9GJJ5VDOthXpxzLTdoUdvVLhEsDhpJS/s320/cox.memory2023.jpg" width="319" /></a></div><div style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Frances Cox, <i>Memory of Watching Plants</i>, 32x32 in, oil on canvas</span></div><br />A juried exhibition titled <i>Memory</i>, opened this week at the Christopher Art Gallery of Prairie State College. The exhibition, curated by Gallery Director Beth Shadur, includes a variety of work addressing the ideas of past experience and nostalgia. <div><br /></div><div>The school’s gallery guide points out, “Our ability as humans to make and remember memories is what makes experiences rich and defining in our lives. Actually, all living beings have memory, and this is evident by the mysterious ways in which birds migrate successfully, our pets learn our requests for obedience, and how activities for living beings become habitual. But for artists, the ability to process and then elicit memory is particularly profound.”<br /><br />Frances Cox was raised in a Chicago neighborhood where her parents owned the local bakery. Some of her earliest memories were of drawings produced on an unlimited supply of brown wrapping paper acquired from the family business. She remembers family drives from the city, exploring the countryside and nature. As her work as an artist evolved, Cox redefined landscapes and nature-inspired still-lives. <br /><br />The work of Frances Cox defines beautiful abundance. Cox orchestrates the repetition of form, pattern, and texture creating lavish compositions with her unique visual vocabulary and a seductive use of jeweled color tones. Each canvas persuades the viewer to renounce reality and immerse themselves into a new organic world. The distinctive contrasting color patterns create a lavishly orchestrated composition suggestive of an abstract cornucopia. <br /><br />Other artist included in the exhibition include Joan Ackerman-Zimny, Marcia Babler, Wayne Bertola, Pate Conaway, Helen Dannelly, Jeanne Garrett, Leslie Hirshfield, Pauline Kochanski, Alejandro Lugo, Mary Lynn Maloney, Janice Meister, Betty Ann Mocek, Karen Musgrave, Carol Neiger, Julie Rivera, Jihye Shin, Aaron Sims, and Colette Wright Adams. <br /><br />The Memory exhibition continues through January 25 at the Christopher Art Gallery. A reception for the artists is scheduled for Wednesday, January 17, 11 am- 1:30 pm. The gallery is found on the main campus of Prairie State College, located at 202 South Halsted Street, Chicago Heights, Illinois 60411. Learn more at <a href="https://prairiestate.edu/christopher-art-gallery/">https://prairiestate.edu/christopher-art-gallery/</a></div><div><br /></div><div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjow-0byEOekYsshI76S2oCm8fNfZRKLDwR7KheH3QLXBQ-7ICIoaSaGnVOSTGAHcpoN8jKHdeaj3dDdXVJTzJ0SpWfxrtfRmY7YjD0hvh3zrfchCMdctQguKiZuUpzerRccRN7FYxP1ZV7SHklr9uZCXW90R1ENIRP74V0lzf9GuU4KPAtt9h_4wad/s2402/Memory_2023_postcardFRONT.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1498" data-original-width="2402" height="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjow-0byEOekYsshI76S2oCm8fNfZRKLDwR7KheH3QLXBQ-7ICIoaSaGnVOSTGAHcpoN8jKHdeaj3dDdXVJTzJ0SpWfxrtfRmY7YjD0hvh3zrfchCMdctQguKiZuUpzerRccRN7FYxP1ZV7SHklr9uZCXW90R1ENIRP74V0lzf9GuU4KPAtt9h_4wad/w400-h250/Memory_2023_postcardFRONT.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /></div>Chuck Gniechhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09625536586669363996noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4520409606433511611.post-2305731445194522042023-12-23T16:11:00.015-06:002023-12-23T21:30:09.745-06:0050 Paintings — Milwaukee Art Museum<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaZbug6Hu2-87maYaNCQORjAF8W0LUa-CJu0eHM21ONGRDnyHUgeaI5ZiDsBUDHktHndJtmQ_9Td2U_KFtpxBXwj4BdCGgbjGdLHSUg44n-a1UcIWIhevyRIh0MOnE1X6BHQ1TsYZ_yy91olwT2_TFWjc14di8qIwIYLLP6SFmN7foOw0lULEGHyzM/s911/martinez%20detail.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="911" data-original-width="910" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaZbug6Hu2-87maYaNCQORjAF8W0LUa-CJu0eHM21ONGRDnyHUgeaI5ZiDsBUDHktHndJtmQ_9Td2U_KFtpxBXwj4BdCGgbjGdLHSUg44n-a1UcIWIhevyRIh0MOnE1X6BHQ1TsYZ_yy91olwT2_TFWjc14di8qIwIYLLP6SFmN7foOw0lULEGHyzM/s320/martinez%20detail.jpg" width="320" /></a></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Eddie Martinez, <i>Untitled 2020 Detail</i>, acrylic and oil on panel</span></div><div><br />Last month, an exhibition titled <i>50 Paintings</i> opened at the Milwaukee Art Museum. Co-curators Margaret Andera and Michelle Grabner selected 50 paintings—each produced by one of 50 different international artists over the past five years. The objective was to compile a collection of work that would represent current trends in painting today. <br /><br />As I explored the exhibition, I found myself searching for a common idea—a visual or conceptual throughline that defined this specific snapshot-in-time. With the understanding that no idea is entirely unique, I thought about the global collective conscious. I scanned the gallery walls knowing that the creation of fine art is typically the artist’s reaction to the world and world events. Although the exhibition contained a variety of captivating and approachable imagery, it seemed obvious to consider the global events of our recent past. <br /><br />So, five years, 2018 to 2023... Humanitarian crises throughout the world, a global pandemic, an increase of authoritarian dictatorships, the Central American Migrant exodus, journalists silenced and murdered, climate science ignored, the murder of George Floyd, the rise of the MeToo Movement, Russa’s aggression toward Ukraine... Each of these events revealed an attempt to dominate, manipulate and control. The symbolism within this collection of paintings became more apparent—board games, and all things associated—strategy, determination, manipulation, and conquest at any cost. <br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixMZw1kuwW2ZGvtfFUOdXHR0WGZ7VL2JzbvCexrxvNo-irpYbok5H2KjtEGffG1VC6XCkD-5IHAxrnvUqHZfnjZA80nqmokSg49R9RGxPN9hrdbyJxzBid1pLwcc5xlMaby_zh6Hma42fqYJrDQKCTt5mBePeD6XMyPkuEks1UXSfvfm6Ed1i_7z-4/s1798/martinez.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1352" data-original-width="1798" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixMZw1kuwW2ZGvtfFUOdXHR0WGZ7VL2JzbvCexrxvNo-irpYbok5H2KjtEGffG1VC6XCkD-5IHAxrnvUqHZfnjZA80nqmokSg49R9RGxPN9hrdbyJxzBid1pLwcc5xlMaby_zh6Hma42fqYJrDQKCTt5mBePeD6XMyPkuEks1UXSfvfm6Ed1i_7z-4/w320-h241/martinez.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Eddie Martinez, <i>Untitled 2020</i>, 30 x 40in., acrylic and oil on panel</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">The untitled piece by Eddie Martinez began to unravel some of the mystery within the exhibition’s content. Martinez is recognized for creating mixed media imagery that utilizes abstract figurative elements created with gesturally drawn strokes of translucent pigment. The untitled canvas, included in the exhibition, presents a quickly drawn face painted on a nebulous shape with an underlying checkerboard pattern. It suggests the imprint created by daily media games—perhaps implying the long-lasting psychological effects of the 24/7 news cycle. </div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLGWqA25kBf5MPoIz6Ow7SlaZ-TboZ5kE8S9vlpkngQJT5t2YoCM6GON1KNqFPhyphenhyphenCwJtdmCkSjToqOw9IrRnSJiadL486PIwiVUYS172saSX15nKkPjaW-svO_20YGCckEm0DCN12qwEDoGtz_wSsMYnLeP9VP0n4BmUIkSIyTGrxDfM3O45K1TWhC/s1440/morris%20untitled%20%2304.22%202022.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1416" data-original-width="1440" height="315" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLGWqA25kBf5MPoIz6Ow7SlaZ-TboZ5kE8S9vlpkngQJT5t2YoCM6GON1KNqFPhyphenhyphenCwJtdmCkSjToqOw9IrRnSJiadL486PIwiVUYS172saSX15nKkPjaW-svO_20YGCckEm0DCN12qwEDoGtz_wSsMYnLeP9VP0n4BmUIkSIyTGrxDfM3O45K1TWhC/s320/morris%20untitled%20%2304.22%202022.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Rebecca Morris, <i>Untitled (#04-22)</i>, 2022, 66 x 67in., oil and spray paint on canvas</span></div><br />The checkerboard is referenced again in Untitled (#04-22), a substantial canvas by Rebecca Morris. This image is an exaggerated segment of the standard checkerboard produced with cloud-like washes of oil pigment and enhanced with spray paint. The canvas is edged with a bold metallic border—curtailing the expected geometric 64 square format. The image seems to imply hope or perhaps suggesting that the viewer attempt to focus on the more encouraging segments of the game.</div><div><span style="text-align: center;"><br /></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhd5E-y9Lum5W4EeatguILGpNoidVyHS4J547Urm4j1kbGGaiVbL0FIFNSFCehtvL6rqaMegSJZideNIz1WtdittE4KkFfQwN98l7ALssbT718TZ608z6EGR7lqF9WycnWZdxbXQupAHiPh5RZObPA77jX9kSwMpctnR2vKevpnclwESuNXqjkZN0gk/s1434/steir%20untitled%20xxii%202019.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1434" data-original-width="1432" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhd5E-y9Lum5W4EeatguILGpNoidVyHS4J547Urm4j1kbGGaiVbL0FIFNSFCehtvL6rqaMegSJZideNIz1WtdittE4KkFfQwN98l7ALssbT718TZ608z6EGR7lqF9WycnWZdxbXQupAHiPh5RZObPA77jX9kSwMpctnR2vKevpnclwESuNXqjkZN0gk/s320/steir%20untitled%20xxii%202019.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Pat Steir, <i>Untitled XXII</i>, 2019, 36 x 36in., oil on canvas</span></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="text-align: center;">An abstract work by Pat Steir is another notably thought-provoking image included in <i>50 Paintings</i>. Known for her Waterfall series of dripping pigment on canvas, Steir’s <i>Untitled XXII</i> of 2019, captivats the viewer to examine the details of gently trickling pigment frozen in time. The imagery invites the spectator to focus on a specific moment in time, perhaps referencing the intervals of the transition within society as a whole. </span></div><div><br />Well worth exploring,<i> </i>the <i>50 Paintings</i> exhibition continues at the Milwaukee Art Museum through June 23, 2024. The museum is located at 700 N. Art Museum Drive, Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53202. Learn more at: <a href="https://mam.org/exhibitions/50-paintings/">https://mam.org/exhibitions/50-paintings/</a><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi20vX1ottmu5wBf02UtUSRrjp74bjQ4LTiAKpo8Wx8DHp0U7f-tLajQ7rR8O7seqkYoRh5wm7w64nB3kmc2zx1qvEoP931knLOA7nH3AG3_G78gttiDpk-XQixNoEE1z8Ts0Wmw14d1Fl3PUDAvwJ03g57uPbZg9M684hO6ef9UdQu1IiFzUv20YCY/s576/steir%20detail.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="432" data-original-width="576" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi20vX1ottmu5wBf02UtUSRrjp74bjQ4LTiAKpo8Wx8DHp0U7f-tLajQ7rR8O7seqkYoRh5wm7w64nB3kmc2zx1qvEoP931knLOA7nH3AG3_G78gttiDpk-XQixNoEE1z8Ts0Wmw14d1Fl3PUDAvwJ03g57uPbZg9M684hO6ef9UdQu1IiFzUv20YCY/w400-h300/steir%20detail.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Pat Steir, <i>Untitled XXII </i><i>Detail</i>, 2019, 36 x 36in., oil on canvas</span></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div>---</div></div><span style="font-size: x-small;">ABOUT:<br /><br />EDDIE MARTINEZ was born in 1977 in Groton Naval Base, Groton, Connecticut and currently lives and works in Brooklyn, New York. Recent solo museum exhibitions include the Yuz Museum, Shanghai, (2019-2020); Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit, Michigan (2019); The Bronx Museum, New York (2018); The Drawing Center, New York (2017) and The Davis Museum at Wellesley College, MA (2017). He has also had solo exhibitions at Capitain Petzel, Berlin (2023); Blum & Poe, Los Angeles (2022); Loyal Gallery, Stockholm (2021); Perrotin, Hong Kong (2019); Sorry We’re Closed, Brussels (2016); Timothy Taylor Gallery, London (2014); Galerie Mikael Andersen, Copenhagen (2009); Galeria Commercial, San Juan (2007) and Bucket Rider, Chicago (2005). Additionally, Martinez’s work has been featured in Modern Painters, ARTINFO, The New York Times, ArtReview, The Brooklyn Rail, and Art in America.<br /><br />REBECCA MORRIS (b.1969, Honolulu, HI) lives and works in Los Angeles. Her recent survey exhibition at the Institute of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles (ICA LA) will travel to the Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago in September 2023. Other significant solo exhibitions have been held at the Blaffer Art Museum, Houston (2019) and Bonnefanten Museum, Maastricht, Holland (2014) as well as presentations at Made in L.A., Hammer Museum, Los Angeles (2016), the Whitney Biennial, Whitney Museum of American Art, New York (2014), The Wexner Center for the Arts (2018), and The Renaissance Society (2005). Other solo shows include those at 356 Mission Rd., Los Angeles, and LAXART, Los Angeles.<br /><br />PAT STEIR Born in Newark, NJ, Steir went on to study at the Pratt Institute and the Boston University Colle of Fine Arts, graduating with her BFA from Pratt in 1962. She has been the subject of solo exhibitions in many prestigious museums and galleries, from the Corcoran Gallery of Art in Washington DC, the Tate Gallery in London, to Cheim & Read in New York, among many others. She is the recipient of numerous honors and awards, such as the Guggenheim Fellowship in 1983, National Endowment for the Arts grants in 1973 and 1976, and the Alumni Acheivement Award from the Pratt Institute in 2008. Steir’s work can be found in the collections of the Museum of Modern Art in New York, the Kunstmuseum Bern in Switzerland, the Hirshhorn Museum in Washington DC, the Metropolitain Museum of Art in New York, the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York, and many other institutions. She lives and works in New York.<br /><br />MARGARET ANDERA, Senior Curator of Contemporary Art<br />Margaret Andera has a history of over twenty years with the Milwaukee Art Museum. She began her tenure in 1989 as a curatorial intern, assigned to work on the newly acquired Michael and Julie Hall Collection of American Folk Art. She joined the staff full-time in 1993 as a curatorial assistant and advanced her expertise in contemporary art and the art of untrained artists. • Andera since has facilitated several important acquisitions of contemporary and self-taught work for the Collection and has been instrumental in establishing the Milwaukee Art Museum as a leading American institution for modern self-taught material. • Among the exhibitions she has curated are On Site: Andrea Zittel and Uncommon Folk: Traditions in American Art, as well as Vito Acconci: Acts of Architecture, Magnetic North: The Landscapes of Tom Uttech, Accidental Genius: Art from the Anthony Petullo Collection, and Currents 36: Dirk Skreber, whose accompanying catalogues are but a few of Andera’s several publications.<br /><br />MICHELLE GRABNER, Co-Curator<br />Michelle Grabner is known for her broad perspective developed as teacher, writer and critic over the past 30 years. The site where it all comes together is the studio. Her artmaking is driven by a distinctive value in the productivity of work and takes place outside of dominant systems. • Central to the work is process. Grabner references Penelope’s clever ploy of weaving by day and unweaving at night, which kept the suitors at bay in Homer’s Ithaca. Like Penelope, Grabner finds a generative space for mending, healing, and woolgathering within her unique system of de-weaving and filling in. Like Penelope, who used the coded language of shroud-making to bring about change, Grabner uncovers new dynamic relationships through her visionary practice of repetition. With a deep attention to abstract patterns and all the metaphors they conjure, Grabner pushes the limits of compositional structures to discover the tipping point between stability and precariousness, between continuance and wondrous difference.<br /><br /></span>Chuck Gniechhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09625536586669363996noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4520409606433511611.post-10263802486618561052023-10-01T15:13:00.011-05:002023-10-01T15:56:06.481-05:00“The Journey is what makes it truly exciting” BRUNO SURDO <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg619DqNYgfD3Lqvk66oaWxerqWzHT7779ma-LQdWDmfKxbH80iLLYM83Jio0WmrNYtdyAe5r-hdcZPTYj_ughZzUirJf9N3BIdTAArm-riNGnEQEf_IswnGkTHLZTA2UHCFMeLbhNN_xjS5NocZqnvvBulDDOXUPrdIJ3A33UWnw3g7baai1gRDQut/s461/surdo2%20copy.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="461" data-original-width="391" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg619DqNYgfD3Lqvk66oaWxerqWzHT7779ma-LQdWDmfKxbH80iLLYM83Jio0WmrNYtdyAe5r-hdcZPTYj_ughZzUirJf9N3BIdTAArm-riNGnEQEf_IswnGkTHLZTA2UHCFMeLbhNN_xjS5NocZqnvvBulDDOXUPrdIJ3A33UWnw3g7baai1gRDQut/w339-h400/surdo2%20copy.jpg" width="339" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Bruno Surdo, "A Selfie, A Pink Unicorn, Paparazzi! What does it take to get noticed?" oil on canvas, detail</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div></div>When I first met Bruno Surdo, he was a professor of illustration and animation at The Illinois Institute of Art-Chicago. Back then, his reputation for flawlessly rendering the human form was common knowledge. Not until roughly 2014 did I have an opportunity to experience his massively complex figurative canvases which referenced his personal impressions of contemporary society. That exhibition was presented at the Ann Nathan gallery in Chicago. Since the closing of the iconic Ann Nathan Gallery in 2016, Bruno Surdo has been represented by Nathan’s colleague Victor Armendariz, owner of Gallery VICTOR.<div><br /></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdsF6Y4losr0uZa3LEEhpcK8MCDncpUR6uT9kVRVBL-Pw5xeeoja0WxzLQrYRKBmbzcS0bkERPHryNOIOg5yAikV5JbogjjUPyXtuHCE-iFZfzO96DY-hGUof-byXIPFUB8_lCp560XFyWmvvP6XyYBykQMnGHLo-9YXO3-MMYktOnwbfNMsPtWTEd/s576/surdo%20selfie.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="417" data-original-width="576" height="232" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdsF6Y4losr0uZa3LEEhpcK8MCDncpUR6uT9kVRVBL-Pw5xeeoja0WxzLQrYRKBmbzcS0bkERPHryNOIOg5yAikV5JbogjjUPyXtuHCE-iFZfzO96DY-hGUof-byXIPFUB8_lCp560XFyWmvvP6XyYBykQMnGHLo-9YXO3-MMYktOnwbfNMsPtWTEd/w320-h232/surdo%20selfie.png" width="320" /></a></div><div><span style="font-size: x-small;">Bruno Surdo, "A Selfie, A Pink Unicorn, Paparazzi! What does it take to get noticed?" oil on canvas 79 x 108"</span></div></div><br />This past Saturday afternoon, as part of the Chicago Exhibition Weekend 2023, Gallery VICTOR presented an artist talk with Bruno Surdo—highlighting the artist, his process, and marking the conclusion of Surdo’s current exhibition. The exhibition offered both the massive compositions of interacting figures—imagery that Surdo has become known for—as well as a few amazingly intimate portraits, seemingly sketches for inclusion into larger canvases. It’s these brilliant studies that I gravitate toward. <div><br /></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwfNMvVXoqiJun7Xi6upOH-YVZmFbK7ymAzo1MCGsaWiTfuDL8cV_TP_h6DvRKOCI1zyIDFdCYj6lzdkbzNhieL0B1pgpd_F9SoqO8Vpasdljgx2f-ojoKNp_RP9JLAgWcE-6ZDzkxeRlcG1UsLgwvsE1RyQFltbTddbryULOI3gz9YQJGU-1rl31R/s1441/surdo.reflection.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1441" data-original-width="1150" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwfNMvVXoqiJun7Xi6upOH-YVZmFbK7ymAzo1MCGsaWiTfuDL8cV_TP_h6DvRKOCI1zyIDFdCYj6lzdkbzNhieL0B1pgpd_F9SoqO8Vpasdljgx2f-ojoKNp_RP9JLAgWcE-6ZDzkxeRlcG1UsLgwvsE1RyQFltbTddbryULOI3gz9YQJGU-1rl31R/w319-h400/surdo.reflection.jpg" width="319" /></a></div><div><span style="font-size: x-small;">Bruno Surdo, "Reflection" oil on canvas 30 x 24"</span></div></div><br />“Reflection” offers the viewer a quiet moment to get lost in beautifully painted patterns of texture and surface. This single-figured portrait captures the interest of the observer by repeatedly offering new and exciting details to explore. With the subtle highlights falling upon the subject’s sensual lips and eyelashes, to the detailed complexity of her hair, “Reflection” ensnares the viewer into a corner of the mind where time becomes irrelevant. Even the background creates brilliant secondary interest with a uniquely random pattern, which Surdo explained, was inspired by the observation of aluminum foil. <br /><br />As Surdo discussed his inspirations and process, he shared that the preliminary drawings for each painting are key to the final work. He defined stacks of renderings for a single canvas—and that the drawings are resolved on the canvas before beginning to paint. He also pointed out that, if an area of a painting wasn’t working, he had no problem wiping it away and beginning again. As he put it... “The Journey is what makes it truly exciting.”<div><br />Although the exhibition has concluded, works by Bruno Surdo are still available through Gallery VICTOR located at 300 West Superior Street, Chicago IL 60654. Gallery VICTOR is open Tuesday through Saturday 11am to 5pm. Learn more at <a href="http://www.galleryvictor.com/">www.galleryvictor.com</a></div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidbrkkLQuQNrHZ8egRg5ykoHDkA4g0-AgRU6E7e5ocOY_UDnyyfsKn_yVtMHNmR5dBhxTA6knvzx4jaHrd227TAeZSyDVTz0mrxY9iQR5HmHFh8kyywERL2EFUkQu62vlmeiAfoCKRKQBw1Toq14R9RtqlQrCRpt0RrW7vh0xWC8PkgqwsN5jCOzpM/s648/surdo1.1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="376" data-original-width="648" height="186" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidbrkkLQuQNrHZ8egRg5ykoHDkA4g0-AgRU6E7e5ocOY_UDnyyfsKn_yVtMHNmR5dBhxTA6knvzx4jaHrd227TAeZSyDVTz0mrxY9iQR5HmHFh8kyywERL2EFUkQu62vlmeiAfoCKRKQBw1Toq14R9RtqlQrCRpt0RrW7vh0xWC8PkgqwsN5jCOzpM/w320-h186/surdo1.1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="font-size: x-small;">BRUNO SURDO (b. 1963, Chicago)<br />Bruno A. Surdo is a true native of Chicago. He studied drawing and art history and pursues the mastery of the human form with inspiration from the Renaissance masters. His provocative works center around the human condition and are known for their allegorical imagery. Bruno has had numerous shows and commissions, and his work is held in many prestigious art collections around the world. He lectures often and is a teacher who believes in nurturing others. The artistic forms he has created are images that communicate a personal commentary on the issue or question in mind. These shapes are then arranged in a pictorial space using the human form. Surdo strives to communicate a message to the viewer - to engage the person in a conversation between what he puts forth and what he or she can then interpret. The interchange of response and curiosity are goals the artist set when composing his ideas. Surdo believes art is a continual form of expression and he feels committed to search for a language that brings his thoughts and feelings to the surface.</span><br /><br /><br /></div></div></div>Chuck Gniechhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09625536586669363996noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4520409606433511611.post-40611133116441671702023-04-16T11:27:00.020-05:002023-04-16T21:44:03.815-05:00EXPO CHICAGO 2023 - Humanity<div class="separator" style="text-align: right;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6DSBIvZ7aDgzYx4I-RrC9utovuUJs_SWnRrBik2INeHhWTgApTEzG6OnxkPnboPSreGX1pVm0_X78As-KniFnnigkmBgOzJXe8ag4Qh7-PxZjbtsJtl0pcXHTD_ePD2YFF8Av3ounVgMpSXiQv4vQI3eAMMk72Tz6vqc6nPF39YJObA9i6qDD4w/s1280/Wilson%20Paper%20Wings%20Fearless.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="1280" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6DSBIvZ7aDgzYx4I-RrC9utovuUJs_SWnRrBik2INeHhWTgApTEzG6OnxkPnboPSreGX1pVm0_X78As-KniFnnigkmBgOzJXe8ag4Qh7-PxZjbtsJtl0pcXHTD_ePD2YFF8Av3ounVgMpSXiQv4vQI3eAMMk72Tz6vqc6nPF39YJObA9i6qDD4w/w320-h240/Wilson%20Paper%20Wings%20Fearless.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Holly Wilson, <i>Paper Wings: Fearless (detail)</i>, cast bronze with patina, 21 x 23 x 13” </span></div><div class="separator" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div><div>EXPO CHICAGO 2023—The tenth anniversary edition of the International Exhibition of Contemporary Art—opened this weekend at Navy Pier’s Festival Hall. The event includes artwork from more than 170 of the most prominent international galleries—featuring work produced by thousands of fine artists currently working throughout the world. Countries represented at the 2023 exposition include: Argentina, Bahamas, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, China, Colombia, France, Germany, Ghana, Greece, Iran, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Mexico, Nigeria, Norway, Portugal, Puerto Rico, Romania, Singapore, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Switzerland, The Netherlands, Uganda, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United States, and Zimbabwe.<br /><br />As I began to explore the exhibition, I found myself looking for common themes. Conceptual content was varied but the predominant subject was the human form. It seemed as though artists were tapping into our societal need to hold tightly to humanity. </div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPu_13TcrbtN9MwllLKTA01pA8DQd366SKyJF8ZPL67pP8_yFZshDx8B1eKwun4IRxzdWxe2E9T9wvC57m_gE-drZMrb3AmonddCwuCE17fQUjNQuwLUv1b4YvHY5s2LHOx9HdOdoANf12jw2mpWHqIL0e0qektj5vJbEHAhsbl3Bh7jaMfpvz4w/s1280/thumbnail_IMG_4190.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1280" data-original-width="960" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPu_13TcrbtN9MwllLKTA01pA8DQd366SKyJF8ZPL67pP8_yFZshDx8B1eKwun4IRxzdWxe2E9T9wvC57m_gE-drZMrb3AmonddCwuCE17fQUjNQuwLUv1b4YvHY5s2LHOx9HdOdoANf12jw2mpWHqIL0e0qektj5vJbEHAhsbl3Bh7jaMfpvz4w/w300-h400/thumbnail_IMG_4190.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Holly Wilson, <i>Paper Wings: Fearless</i>, cast bronze with patina, 21 x 23 x 13” </span></div><div><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span>Holly Wilson’s <i>Paper Wings: Fearless</i>, seemed to set the tone for the work I was about to experience. The cast bronze sculpture presents a masked figure with wings as arms. Massive feet stabilize the form as it steps onto a beam which protrudes out into the world. But Wilson’s intention is much more significant than the beauty of the detailed surface textures. She points out our collective fear... The fear of the unknown—both that of the outside world and the inner mind. The mask hides our identity, for we lack the courage to take a leap of faith. Wilson points out that... “In that moment, we must be fearless to take the leap.” </div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNRrnuxjPEWlVyuN95oMEui5IOaWwQVhB3aQ5fdLpqfELG4vSt7nHi1z52Nq70U3G83NIysjDha_KhtkPyrvFfZgrDEQaDwcvoe1KJDrmZjscPj-dqY41ded9iOzFHCKV2ra0NzzfZ00zi-rtS2h8NADm4OPVlKk-AXY54kheufDFb-n03yYdvNA/s504/cummings.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="504" data-original-width="377" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNRrnuxjPEWlVyuN95oMEui5IOaWwQVhB3aQ5fdLpqfELG4vSt7nHi1z52Nq70U3G83NIysjDha_KhtkPyrvFfZgrDEQaDwcvoe1KJDrmZjscPj-dqY41ded9iOzFHCKV2ra0NzzfZ00zi-rtS2h8NADm4OPVlKk-AXY54kheufDFb-n03yYdvNA/w300-h400/cummings.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; text-align: start;">Timothy Cummings, <i>Night Spirit of the Adriatic Sea</i>, 2022, acrylic on panel, 24 x 18" </span><span style="text-align: start;"></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 10pt; text-align: start;"><br /></span></div>As I continued through the show, I came across the work of Timothy Cummings, a self-taught artist represented by the <a href="https://www.nancyhoffmangallery.com" target="_blank">Nancy Hoffman Gallery</a> (New York). Cummings creates haunting surrealistic impressions that typically reference religious iconography, death, or martyrdom. The intimate and obsessively detailed images transport the viewer into a world where anything is possible. </div><div><br /></div><div>Cummings’ <i>Night Spirit of the Adriatic Sea</i> offers a single centralized figure bound in a foliage sarcophagus. An orb of warm light levitates above cupped hands and hovers in front of the heart. The figure is found at the waters edge as the sun is trapped behind repressive clouds directly overhead.</div><div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiu4MGVeSikblF_cfU6Vi34Hq2UaVnAn3wtH4Z3sVKOl-mJ_2jhW5Gdotunhl_YlYTmxSeZ1lFP_HUTw6K0UP3mKu9BlIc0JiIV4op114s5oCMcGFiWpZIc-PWk-dHbQODLO4UK6zZ5g84-G4Cxyj59N6BQbC276YxrBX9ue09hYPxEkr85Gw_g1A/s576/monks%20forum%20gallery.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="393" data-original-width="576" height="219" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiu4MGVeSikblF_cfU6Vi34Hq2UaVnAn3wtH4Z3sVKOl-mJ_2jhW5Gdotunhl_YlYTmxSeZ1lFP_HUTw6K0UP3mKu9BlIc0JiIV4op114s5oCMcGFiWpZIc-PWk-dHbQODLO4UK6zZ5g84-G4Cxyj59N6BQbC276YxrBX9ue09hYPxEkr85Gw_g1A/w320-h219/monks%20forum%20gallery.jpg" width="320" /></a></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Alyssa Monks, <i>Between Here and There</i>, 2022, oil on linen, 43 x 63"</span></div></div><div><br />Finally, I found myself mesmerized by the classic work of Alyssa Monks and the other exhibiting artist of <a href="https://www.forumgallery.com" target="_blank">Forum Gallery</a>. Monks’ painting, <i>Between Here and There</i>, presents the image of a woman in the protective posture of the fetal position. With her face expressing pure exhaustion and her body marred with plant life, she is presented as a manipulated object amongst a sterile background. Monks creates vulnerable intimacy through the powerful composition and classic rendering of the figurative form. <br /><br />EXPO CHICAGO has much to experience. The exhibition continues through Sunday April 16 at 6pm. Tickets are $35 [$50 with tour]. Parking is available on site. For additional information visit: <a href="http://expochicago.com/">expochicago.com</a></div><div><br /><br /><span style="font-size: x-small;">HOLLY WILSON of the Delaware Nation, Lenape and Cherokee Nation is now based in Mustang, Oklahoma. In 2001, she graduated with an MFA in sculpture; in 1994, she earned an MA in ceramics from Stephen F. Austin State University, Nacogdoches, Texas; she received a BFA in ceramics at the Kansas City Art Institute in 1992. Holly Wilson is exhibited with the Center for Native Futures, a non-profit Native and Indigenous gallery space in the city of Zhegagoynak (Chicago)<br /><br />TIMOTHY CUMMINGS was born in Albuquerque, New Mexico in 1968 where he grew up in the midst of Spanish Catholic and Native American culture, fertile with religious imagery and iconography in the churches. Murals and retablos he saw depicting death, martyrdom, and Day of the Dead imagery influenced him. Cummings is completely self-taught. Timothy Cummings is represented by the Nancy Hoffman Gallery in New York.<br /><br />ALYSSA MONKS was Born 1977 in New Jersey. Monks studied at The New School in New York and earned her B.A. from Boston College in 1999. During this time she studied painting at Lorenzo de’ Medici in Florence. She went on to earn her M.F.A. from the New York Academy of Art in 2001. Monks completed an artist in residency at Fullerton College in 2006 and has lectured and taught at universities and institutions worldwide. She continues to offer workshops and mentorships and lectures regularly. Alyssa Monks is represented by Forum Gallery, New York.</span></div><div><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">---</span></i></div>Chuck Gniechhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09625536586669363996noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4520409606433511611.post-14005493450719400222022-04-10T13:10:00.008-05:002022-04-11T09:50:03.612-05:00EXPO CHICAGO 2022 - Meditative Obsession<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLuD5CpHSNu66JPZ2AB8qnVFC8u3p8WO0UEB1QvRIpnn5TiBOpePMqo2r7aDjPg2ujBu0dOpEtlkJYAj-eGu4rOryRE8FsB6gI1NaWDHBpwgRrboND_dXX-GHxtDMWPI4oaG3XdPoXn2n7p7NYeMVo2WG4kYvUKriX9hCVIxoNKzb3U7HfTBe8Cw/s1280/LINDBERG.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="1280" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLuD5CpHSNu66JPZ2AB8qnVFC8u3p8WO0UEB1QvRIpnn5TiBOpePMqo2r7aDjPg2ujBu0dOpEtlkJYAj-eGu4rOryRE8FsB6gI1NaWDHBpwgRrboND_dXX-GHxtDMWPI4oaG3XdPoXn2n7p7NYeMVo2WG4kYvUKriX9hCVIxoNKzb3U7HfTBe8Cw/s320/LINDBERG.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><span face="Calibri, sans-serif"><p>EXPO CHICAGO—The International Exhibition of Contemporary Art—opened this weekend at Navy Pier’s Festival Hall. The show presents artwork from more than 140 of the most prominent international galleries—highlighting an array of fine art created by some three thousand artists. The event offers the opportunity to experience the fine art currently being produced around the globe, while revisiting some of the iconic artists from the past. </p></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">EXPO is substantial—seeming to fill every square foot of Festival Hall. I approached the exhibition in the same way I approach the first visit to a new art museum… Walk until something stops you. This has always been a successful technique when approaching an overwhelming quantity of work. As I wandered the corridors at a slow and scrutinizing pace, I found myself repeatedly standing in front of meditative works—fixed on the result of obsessive technique. </span><span face="Calibri, sans-serif"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8CQZbMddel1sDfIeOoqt-EKrZ765Ns0zIaKeAVRNJ4F_t-qm018int9CEfD6ttOegbIPM4B7DqBOIiSTQNMTdV462_vidUdJelwJrgaD-6RR1Y_Ox-OLkM3qQi937xbjdVx9bRB6UJnBhcIZ62je04USVVNUHJRbSFvZ96F7NjiPr0i0fD2YlSQ/s1238/LINDBERG2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="833" data-original-width="1238" height="215" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8CQZbMddel1sDfIeOoqt-EKrZ765Ns0zIaKeAVRNJ4F_t-qm018int9CEfD6ttOegbIPM4B7DqBOIiSTQNMTdV462_vidUdJelwJrgaD-6RR1Y_Ox-OLkM3qQi937xbjdVx9bRB6UJnBhcIZ62je04USVVNUHJRbSFvZ96F7NjiPr0i0fD2YlSQ/s320/LINDBERG2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">New to me, was the work of Anne Lindberg, represented by <a href="https://www.secristgallery.com" target="_blank">Carrie Secrist Gallery</a> in Chicago. Lindberg’s visually meditative work is composed of thousands of individually placed graphite and colored pencil lines. Beautiful from a distance and uniquely engaging when approached—Lindberg’s complex imagery, pulls the viewer into a seemingly fragile illusionary environment intended to reflect the human condition, yet Lindberg’s world is emotionally powerful. </span><span face="Calibri, sans-serif"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSgn747xuNw-anjPr0wBAeHbm7A3OWwkOVAyey_ISGcVKR2-FRisQ6i5ah_pqfxkWrpqrqY76jLC4HTA0l2lACO7WtwEdmtUWo42i8quKlBzA9EFDWlFqv1wVg-IXRUNCzFa9Vkb4RDscO5n-7pMkZxm5LRqsKjdergK5qbIhV4pWZNFvqyCOeww/s1280/Tjapaltjarri.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="1280" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSgn747xuNw-anjPr0wBAeHbm7A3OWwkOVAyey_ISGcVKR2-FRisQ6i5ah_pqfxkWrpqrqY76jLC4HTA0l2lACO7WtwEdmtUWo42i8quKlBzA9EFDWlFqv1wVg-IXRUNCzFa9Vkb4RDscO5n-7pMkZxm5LRqsKjdergK5qbIhV4pWZNFvqyCOeww/s320/Tjapaltjarri.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><o:p><br /></o:p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinJeR9iaDguTBoFE1SZAmiKXnNb4S2NpxBK0UX3VFUVzKbw-4lEiePohoICIAfjbiLD-4mxOAPGvSfVGWHYUEBQCqFK4QPPrDZ_tVQqFG_D_Ccau4qRKw4oyqczmfzPjo5OQxrWDG6e_uXG6wnIkeaTBE8QBr521MNJn0lIuHddvKo2kcdmzqGCw/s1280/Tjapaltjarri2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="1280" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinJeR9iaDguTBoFE1SZAmiKXnNb4S2NpxBK0UX3VFUVzKbw-4lEiePohoICIAfjbiLD-4mxOAPGvSfVGWHYUEBQCqFK4QPPrDZ_tVQqFG_D_Ccau4qRKw4oyqczmfzPjo5OQxrWDG6e_uXG6wnIkeaTBE8QBr521MNJn0lIuHddvKo2kcdmzqGCw/s320/Tjapaltjarri2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">As I continued through the show, I came across the Aboriginal paintings of Warlimpirrnga Tjapaltjarri, represented by the <a href="https://smith-davidson.com" target="_blank">Smith Davidson Gallery</a> in Miami and Amsterdam. The paintings are stunning. The scale forces engagement. The imagery submerges the viewer into a field of dotted line that occasionally shifts to generate unexpected—but comfortable—transitions. Each segment of the canvas is a meditative moment, but in its entirety, a reminder of the sacredness of nature and our world. </span><span face="Calibri, sans-serif"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoeOo_38WdRoUx_UBTmyqRPoPL9HiV7697HHsjv70pUu2Vo52pv5y6_Rwtw9DHjLCumTDtH5355SMCwt6KqeIGZ2V2lX7immTEoyltSjhKERKX-JFoBFBskB_je4eJWtm_md21_qwx9vSWRXfL3mTuIwAd4Nj4U19UrQnPp6cY45HZRskPGVCaEQ/s1221/KINDLE.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1221" data-original-width="679" height="574" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoeOo_38WdRoUx_UBTmyqRPoPL9HiV7697HHsjv70pUu2Vo52pv5y6_Rwtw9DHjLCumTDtH5355SMCwt6KqeIGZ2V2lX7immTEoyltSjhKERKX-JFoBFBskB_je4eJWtm_md21_qwx9vSWRXfL3mTuIwAd4Nj4U19UrQnPp6cY45HZRskPGVCaEQ/w319-h574/KINDLE.jpg" width="319" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Finally, I found myself enthralled with the paintings of Ashanté Kindle, represented by the <a href="https://www.latchkey-gallery.com" target="_blank">Latchkey Gallery</a> in New York. Kindle achieves sophisticated beauty through an intricate and thickly laid, fluid impasto. Her elaborate abstract color fields generate a level of meditative introspection—offering the opportunity to get lost in glistening movement. For Kindle, these paintings are personal. The created wavelike forms define the natural textures that occur in Black hair. Kindle’s Artist Statement defines the work as “…a form of personal healing… and the desire to celebrate the history and beauty of Blackness.” </span><span face="Calibri, sans-serif"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjSULiTZbwClZvCWDhRPs8x7yMe39rHbQ2Z8Z11kn1cyT3jkeQSX-i6QZQMwZ1WSOcKgj0m1ZLmy39c8h6ATGZK2OfgVsT-7KunYZQabz8Ib6a1YWMrxcuDrkG7FqolkPNEeN6w2p_w1ip-FNICohQPeTRiS7kco9mi7NWm8zRo10e6pBY95mz0A/s1280/KINDLE2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="1280" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjSULiTZbwClZvCWDhRPs8x7yMe39rHbQ2Z8Z11kn1cyT3jkeQSX-i6QZQMwZ1WSOcKgj0m1ZLmy39c8h6ATGZK2OfgVsT-7KunYZQabz8Ib6a1YWMrxcuDrkG7FqolkPNEeN6w2p_w1ip-FNICohQPeTRiS7kco9mi7NWm8zRo10e6pBY95mz0A/s320/KINDLE2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">EXPO CHICAGO has much to experience. The exhibition continues through Sunday at 6pm. Tickets are $30 [$50 with tour]. Parking is available on site. For additional information visit: <a href="http://expochicago.com">expochicago.com</a></span><span face="Calibri, sans-serif"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p><br /></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p><br /></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;">ANNE LINDBERG’s work has been included in numerous solo and group exhibitions. Venues include: The Drawing Center (NYC), Tegnerforbundet (Norway), SESC Bom Retiro (Sao Paulo), The Mattress Factory, Museum of Fine Arts Boston, Museum of Arts and Design NYC, Contemporary Art Museum Raleigh, US Embassy in Rangoon Burma, Atlanta Contemporary Art Center, Bemis Center for Contemporary Art, Akron Art Museum, Cranbrook Art Museum, Atlanta Contemporary Art Center, Contemporary Art Center Cincinnati, and the Omi International Art Center, among others. My work is in collections of the Nevada Museum of Art, Detroit Institute of Art, Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art, Nerman Museum of Contemporary Art, Daum Museum of Contemporary Art, Howard and Cindy Rachofsky Collection, Collection of Kristy and Bill Gautreaux, Federal Reserve Bank Kansas City, Niwako Kimono Company, University of Iowa Hospitals & Clinics among many others. Lindberg is the recipient of the 2011 Painters & Sculptors Joan Mitchell Foundation Grant, a Charlotte Street Foundation Fellowship, two ArtsKC Fund Inspiration Grants, a Lighton International Artists Exchange grant, the Art Omi International Artists Residency, an American Institute of Architects Allied Arts and Crafts award, and a Mid-America National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship. I hold a BFA from Miami University (1985), and an MFA from Cranbrook Academy of Art (1988). Lindberg works out of her studio in Ancramdale, New York.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><o:p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;"> </span></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><o:p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;"> </span></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;">ASHANTÉ KINDLE characterizes her practice as a form of personal healing: creation driven by a desire to celebrate the history and beauty of Blackness. As a multi-disciplinary artist working in abstraction, she creates abstracted wave forms that resemble the natural textures that occur in Black hair through a range of styling techniques. Kindle currently resides in Mansfield, CT as an MFA candidate at The University of Connecticut. She received her BFA from Austin Peay State University in Clarksville, TN. She has exhibited at FALSE FLAG (New York), Red Arrow Gallery (Tennessee), and Center on Contemporary Art (Washington) among others. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><o:p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;"> </span></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><o:p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;"> </span></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">WARLIMPIRRNGA TJAPALTJARRI was born around 1958 east of Kiwirkurra in Western Australia. In 1984 the international headlines were filled with the ’discovery’ of the last group of Australian Aborigines who until the late 20th century had managed to retain their traditional lifestyle in complete isolation. These so-called ’last of the nomads’ or ‘lost tribe’ of nine Pintupi walked in from the bush west of Lake Owen that year and for the first time came into contact with western civilization. Six of these nine Aborigines became artists. From these six, Warlimpirrnga was the first who started painting after carefully observing other artists from the community at Kiwirkurra. Within three years, Warlimpirrnga transformed from a nomad with a traditional lifestyle into one of the leading artists from the Papunya Tula Artists corporation. In 1988, he held his first exhibition in Melbourne. Warlimpirrnga paints primarily in two styles, he makes extensive use of geometric shapes to depict the stories of the Tingari (ancestors), or he uses lines made up of carefully placed dots in his dreamings that depict holy Lake Mackay, a site of which he is one of the custodians. Warlimpirrnga uses the same dot technique as other Pintupi artists like his brothers, Walala and Thomas, but also George Tjungurrayi.</span><i style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i> </i></span></o:p></p>Chuck Gniechhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09625536586669363996noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4520409606433511611.post-25137862281543099972022-02-01T18:23:00.007-06:002022-02-01T18:49:30.184-06:00Joyce Polance - Landscapes <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiKcEPWJY9IA7t--Un_Tyv44ClCNHOZlIXk_fXdRjKdYpr01L3spKC9JHSTUnLT7k9oHHUygGNkp_Rp2iQ1LbtNELCSt8HFA-U4pPyPKtUqpSoLEvQwQwjlyhVOJL3RXKUjQSETadjwCnod23_4NEZhRuPTViWeY7OHDdysclfKWeTE4JG3W5gJ2Q=s576" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="576" height="264" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiKcEPWJY9IA7t--Un_Tyv44ClCNHOZlIXk_fXdRjKdYpr01L3spKC9JHSTUnLT7k9oHHUygGNkp_Rp2iQ1LbtNELCSt8HFA-U4pPyPKtUqpSoLEvQwQwjlyhVOJL3RXKUjQSETadjwCnod23_4NEZhRuPTViWeY7OHDdysclfKWeTE4JG3W5gJ2Q=s320" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span>Joyce Polance, </span><i><span>Uprising</span>,</i><span> 2021, 30x36"</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I’ve been curating fine art exhibitions for roughly twenty-five years. During that period, I’ve worked with literally hundreds of artists. One of the most prolific and inspiring has been painter, Joyce Polance. I was thrilled to see that Polance's work was selected for exhibition by curator, Suzanne Gorgas of the Laura A. Sprague Art Gallery.</div><p>Currently on (virtual) exhibition at the Laura A. Sprague Art Gallery of Joliet Junior College, is "Landscapes," a vehemently powerful exhibition of paintings by fine artist, Joyce Polance. The exhibition features twenty-one bending, twisting, and flowing compositions that blur the definition of landscape. Each canvas forces the viewer into a chaotic yet texturally-beautiful reality, weaving a visual story of emotional turbulence.<br /><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhcdhppu0qtZRgdcT-s1Nn2o-3IVbMymXjplQ5KjjlW4u3u1Lch8X5ZbaDwRjgDfdgmQFSBga5RY1hstfE1YUDxBpFoELVHpQZwQOiaw9e7NijC6NpNDMI9XCVj9DTiDsJ-nSnGHfqoQpf1VSy9AT8tkWU-B0sGwDsJoMh2HtCSuHdbPpcyQ2RRCQ=s576" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="574" data-original-width="576" height="319" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhcdhppu0qtZRgdcT-s1Nn2o-3IVbMymXjplQ5KjjlW4u3u1Lch8X5ZbaDwRjgDfdgmQFSBga5RY1hstfE1YUDxBpFoELVHpQZwQOiaw9e7NijC6NpNDMI9XCVj9DTiDsJ-nSnGHfqoQpf1VSy9AT8tkWU-B0sGwDsJoMh2HtCSuHdbPpcyQ2RRCQ=s320" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span>Joyce Polance, </span><i><span>Tumbles</span></i><span>, 2020, 36x36"</span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div>Polance’s abstractions begin with a specific reference. She explains, “once the image is initially laid in, I cease looking at it. Instead, I engage in dialogue with the painting, letting it lead me to unknown places. Objects begin to change shape; planes become distorted, crashing into one another, melting. I often paint upside down in order to view the subject as an abstract composition, enabling me to focus on color and movement rather than on representation." <br /><br />And Polance isn’t afraid to destroy imagery that she has created. She explains, “In becoming willing to destroy my work, I allow for something entirely new to emerge. These processes occur multiple times during the creation of a piece, removing the image even further from reality.”<br /><br />Joyce Polance “Landscapes” continues through February 25—with a virtual artist talk scheduled for Wednesday, February 16th at 1pm via Zoom Media. Additional information may be found on the home page of the Joliet Junior College <a href="https://www.jjc.edu/about-jjc/places-interest/laura-sprague-art-gallery" target="_blank">Laura A. Sprague Art Gallery</a><div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj3RY10j1eElYNP7SMPv2s789yCVqsBhEa4s12RFcsqGjqowirmfl1d2CRj8aTluGa2uiNuhTLoDDLn0bm39n4fALFTNcfHajIsGdroPLKUnzCPPfSX5suXUYn2RH3M7rYZSu0N5znyRuuCVRa89hYBdxbpXBcQquxpaYkrkIQhd04sgnfzCsSDVA=s576" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="455" data-original-width="576" height="253" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj3RY10j1eElYNP7SMPv2s789yCVqsBhEa4s12RFcsqGjqowirmfl1d2CRj8aTluGa2uiNuhTLoDDLn0bm39n4fALFTNcfHajIsGdroPLKUnzCPPfSX5suXUYn2RH3M7rYZSu0N5znyRuuCVRa89hYBdxbpXBcQquxpaYkrkIQhd04sgnfzCsSDVA=s320" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span>Joyce Polance, </span><i><span>Ticket</span></i><span>, 2019, 20x28"</span></span></div><div><br /></div></div><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i><div><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i><br /></i></span></div></i></span><div><span style="font-size: x-small;">About Joyce Polance: <br /><i>Joyce Polance is a New York-based painter working in oils. Her work consists of expressionist portraits and landscapes which explore the chaotic inner worlds of their subjects—both as depiction of the subjects' own vulnerabilities and of their connections to the tumultuous political atmosphere we are currently living in. </i><br /><br /><i>Polance has exhibited internationally and is the recipient of multiple grants and awards including six Chicago CAAP grants, a George Sugarman Foundation grant, two Judith Dawn Memorial grants, and a fellowship at Spertus Institute in Chicago. Her paintings are held internationally in private and corporate collections. </i><br /><br /><i>Polance was born in New York City in 1965. She attended Wesleyan University and received a BFA from the Fashion Institute of Technology. She is represented by Judy Ferrara Gallery in Three Oaks, MI, Elephant Room in Chicago, IL, Gallery 13 in Minneapolis, MN, and Hemley Gallery online. Her paintings may be viewed on her website, </i><a href="http://www.joycepolance.com" style="font-style: italic;">www.joycepolance.com</a><i>. Follow her on Instagram: @JoycePolance. </i></span><p><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p></div></div>Chuck Gniechhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09625536586669363996noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4520409606433511611.post-62202143490733181002022-01-06T11:33:00.005-06:002022-01-06T18:01:37.044-06:00DAVID CARSON - MAD Arts Dania Beach<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhp2NZnyANJt9liyUr9XaQUM9_n9oKuVGd7jEdAoeWEQVfmVq-q8E5gqZgmqb6p-jvXfI9mUtKvOhAJZbQOovxD6ljE667wg78u79lxxRMi4ff0eoiiyJo3qQKiRSk5gMd35kK1h5OnwnnGOaLTR_q2nYdqE2tn6T-AH61C9HXDFiN1bGP6bxarpg=s1280" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1280" data-original-width="881" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhp2NZnyANJt9liyUr9XaQUM9_n9oKuVGd7jEdAoeWEQVfmVq-q8E5gqZgmqb6p-jvXfI9mUtKvOhAJZbQOovxD6ljE667wg78u79lxxRMi4ff0eoiiyJo3qQKiRSk5gMd35kK1h5OnwnnGOaLTR_q2nYdqE2tn6T-AH61C9HXDFiN1bGP6bxarpg=w275-h400" width="275" /></a></div><p></p>I spent a couple of hours yesterday morning, exploring the David Carson exhibition currently on display at MAD Arts Dania Beach. The collection chronicles Carson’s extensive body of playfully organic compositions, which—at the beginning of his career—challenged the grid-focused status quo of layout, and now has become a standard in expressive type & image design. <div><br /></div><div>The exhibition is presented in a series of adjoining rooms, beginning in a formal gallery setting showcasing a series of framed fine art collages—recently featured in projects for Macallan Whisky and Porsche. Produced in 2021, the collages are some of the latest works. These organic pieces call attention to the exploration of basic design—line, color, form, proximity, pattern, texture… and are the result of manipulating actual physical elements to produce cohesive compositions. </div><div><br /></div><div>As you move through the exhibit, one of the adjoining rooms features a large glass case displaying numerous books and periodicals. The surrounding walls are adorned with Carson’s iconic magazine covers for Ray Gun, Transworld Skateboarding, and Surfer Magazine. A few steps away—the room opens to a massive “mural” presentation, highlighting various poster and print samples for David Carson’s career.</div><div><br /></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgcKy0-_nkcb_sAVznHEsn3Tb4n1PvCWWp_JiRpl3q2acreloJgsjjhIUsBfIDa4aSEr4MmMtxK7fEOaqfuT0USdp9IDEVsLxnVc3H5FO0WwVO2NhIcjbtaCpI3KiFdnXs0nM7eU_1hCejC7BzlXXUxE2112nOH8GFagpr_QKWqUgZ0AASAzUg1xQ=s1280" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1280" data-original-width="960" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgcKy0-_nkcb_sAVznHEsn3Tb4n1PvCWWp_JiRpl3q2acreloJgsjjhIUsBfIDa4aSEr4MmMtxK7fEOaqfuT0USdp9IDEVsLxnVc3H5FO0WwVO2NhIcjbtaCpI3KiFdnXs0nM7eU_1hCejC7BzlXXUxE2112nOH8GFagpr_QKWqUgZ0AASAzUg1xQ=w300-h400" width="300" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Other rooms within the exhibit include graphically embellished surfboards, a beautiful series of pieces created from the single phrase “Your Wave is Coming,” a video interview with the artist, and a room of screens displaying a variety of mesmerizing NFT’s of Carson’s work. The work is beautifully presented and the exhibition is a "must see" for both artists and designers. </div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhQLELrj6JAd0dvsiEOuZQuxZxz9TfqyDAdkFZmd-AvxvO6dJr_21S4GuvP3KBuDF6QrMTh9rC-urfdFyEm2KqaDirgbCylaPE0iBmT-hOUTSpERg9Jk3h2MHiETQfG4swJr06t17tlnumG1jfLKeeQZRwcnR1acGyTA5y_8gAZ2LooZRhOIOXxYQ=s1280" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="1280" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhQLELrj6JAd0dvsiEOuZQuxZxz9TfqyDAdkFZmd-AvxvO6dJr_21S4GuvP3KBuDF6QrMTh9rC-urfdFyEm2KqaDirgbCylaPE0iBmT-hOUTSpERg9Jk3h2MHiETQfG4swJr06t17tlnumG1jfLKeeQZRwcnR1acGyTA5y_8gAZ2LooZRhOIOXxYQ=s320" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhR60U58EUizoQNudGul3FDteBFOW7budGnvFF1hfnuIKOCkuDw514tvu93puKCJF7ck3ZlBQYidhvcJ1OdCzozv1cN5uTabb-sd1sa2sEH9t-lTFfbYv5DJXrAxCCOenX-b3-gmo3XF0TjmmvV7dAwUzsiF_tpoUgdCSiwt5Qg-PT072uxU1GVPA=s1280" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="1280" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhR60U58EUizoQNudGul3FDteBFOW7budGnvFF1hfnuIKOCkuDw514tvu93puKCJF7ck3ZlBQYidhvcJ1OdCzozv1cN5uTabb-sd1sa2sEH9t-lTFfbYv5DJXrAxCCOenX-b3-gmo3XF0TjmmvV7dAwUzsiF_tpoUgdCSiwt5Qg-PT072uxU1GVPA=s320" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>XHBTN: THE ART + GRAFIK DESIGN OF DAVID CARSON is free and open to the public and will run at MAD Arts through February 19, 2022. MAD Arts is located at 481 S. Federal Highway in Dania Beach, FL. </div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiDAigIbmDvCGG-czy1rFfk0Dt4pAgsjWvWbaenfDAYE1nRsC7UvaRDfstEj6KOyH-g6W_E4H7b4_RJ3huFXRzcCrqeXRON00f5iGAzL3Fc49_HAvKaVylzXtwRghdv5gaTzCosqSAJFlRB9fp-213Z9Ix94oxV6RE6S_KyXrEApVIdFl_FmcMkow=s1280" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1280" data-original-width="960" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiDAigIbmDvCGG-czy1rFfk0Dt4pAgsjWvWbaenfDAYE1nRsC7UvaRDfstEj6KOyH-g6W_E4H7b4_RJ3huFXRzcCrqeXRON00f5iGAzL3Fc49_HAvKaVylzXtwRghdv5gaTzCosqSAJFlRB9fp-213Z9Ix94oxV6RE6S_KyXrEApVIdFl_FmcMkow=w300-h400" width="300" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /></div><div><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">On September 8, 1954, Carson was born in Corpus Christi, Texas. He went on to study Sociology from San Diego State University and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree. He touched upon graphic designing briefly while attending a two-week commercial designing class at the University of Arizona, in 1980. Subsequently, he attended the Oregon College of Commercial Art to study graphic designing and a three-week workshop in Switzerland as a part of his degree. He also took up a teaching job at a Californian high-school where he taught for several years. Besides, his many talents include professional surfing and he was ranked 9th best surfer in the world, in 1989.</span></i></div><div><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i><br />David Carson is a prominent contemporary graphic designer and art director. His unconventional and experimental graphic style revolutionized the graphic designing scene in America during 1990s. He was the art director of the magazine Ray Gun, in which he introduced the innovative typographies and distinct layouts. He is claimed to be the godfather of ‘grunge typography’ which he employed perpetually in his magazine issues.</i></span></div><div><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i><br /></i></span></div><div><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>https://www.famousgraphicdesigners.org/david-carson</i></span></div><div><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i><br /></i></span></div><div><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>David Carson's past client list includes Microsoft, Macallan, Armani, Porsche, Nine Inch Nails, Nike, Adidas, Bose, Budweiser, Carver Skateboards, Album surfboards, John Coltrane, David Byrne, Armani, Prince, American Airlines, Apple, Samsung, and many others.</i></span></div><div><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i><br /><br /></i></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /></div></div>Chuck Gniechhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09625536586669363996noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4520409606433511611.post-91452982751442942402021-09-14T09:48:00.008-05:002021-09-15T12:08:49.774-05:00Yasemin Kackar-Demirel - A Virtual Artist Talk - 09.15.21 @12 noon<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaHkMKcXDDBW0eYvbAr9UB14nxANP9wSwha3PGtqezpZBRbhask7AB7PdbYIoOl3s34pLI2Vh7HlnMoBvs9Q-GCtWEik10_qSp9FalDnqLvbLbBRp16CxK0AQwlbOFmPt2wIprRzqlug/s1536/Windmills+of+your+mind+2020+19.25+x+19.25.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1512" data-original-width="1536" height="315" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaHkMKcXDDBW0eYvbAr9UB14nxANP9wSwha3PGtqezpZBRbhask7AB7PdbYIoOl3s34pLI2Vh7HlnMoBvs9Q-GCtWEik10_qSp9FalDnqLvbLbBRp16CxK0AQwlbOFmPt2wIprRzqlug/s320/Windmills+of+your+mind+2020+19.25+x+19.25.png" width="320" /></a></div><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Yasemin Kackar-Demirel, <i>Windmills yin your mind,</i> 2020, 19.25 x 19.25</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">Please join Suzanne Gorgas, Gallery Director of the Laura A. Sprague Art Gallery of Joliet Junior College, on Wednesday, September 15, at 12pm (CST) for an Artist Talk with Yasemin Kackar-Demirel. Kackar-Demirel will be speaking about her Virtual Exhibition, titled <i>Windmills of Your Mind</i>, currently presented, virtually, at Joliet Junior College. The discussion will be presented via Zoom (Meeting ID 884 9298 6505</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">Passcode 476729). This is a free event sponsored by the Fine Arts Department of Joliet Junior College. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;">A multi-talented artist, this exhibition focuses on the Kackar-Demirel's ongoing series of thread paintings. In describing this mixed-media, textile work, artist Yasemin Kackar-Demirel's explains that this show includes a selection of thread paintings composed on upcycle fabrics. The embroidery is overlaid with image tracings, chosen from personal architectural photographs. With an obvious interest in abstraction, the artist seems drawn to unique and shifting perspectives. The imagery incorporates seemingly random stains of paint to reinforce architectural structure and guide new patterns and forms. <o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;">Yasemin Kackar-Demirel's exhibition, “Windmills of Your Mind,” will continue through September 17 at the <a href="https://www.jjc.edu/about-jjc/places-interest/laura-sprague-art-gallery" target="_blank">Laura A. Sprague Art Gallery</a> of Joliet Junior College. You can also view additional imagery—in various media—on Kackar-Demirel's website... <a href="http://yaseminkackar.com">yaseminkackar.com</a></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWsXyTTGw0sZrv-84jot4ioU_JsTJY3M3dHq6-enYTB5mTImWn0QIhGYtWdE3BrEyIxridGZwMTRrH7I5P0QG23LLxMT2x4aBBRJBJWnuDL47FRPupBPEzRX7sKg06dmSnWMl3-wJIdw/s1716/You+will+find+your+way+2018+16.5+x+18.5.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="1716" height="280" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWsXyTTGw0sZrv-84jot4ioU_JsTJY3M3dHq6-enYTB5mTImWn0QIhGYtWdE3BrEyIxridGZwMTRrH7I5P0QG23LLxMT2x4aBBRJBJWnuDL47FRPupBPEzRX7sKg06dmSnWMl3-wJIdw/s320/You+will+find+your+way+2018+16.5+x+18.5.png" width="320" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Yasemin Kackar-Demirel, <i>You will find your way,</i> 2018, 16.5 x 18.5</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><b><i><span style="font-size: 10pt;">Yasemin Kackar-Demirel</span></i></b><i><span style="font-size: 10pt;"> was born in 1978, in Istanbul, Turkey. She works in a range of mediums from paintings to mixed media drawings and works on textiles. Her work is a manifestation of her lived experiences in urban and natural environments; remnants of her mental and physical presence in the various places she visits. Through abstraction, she explores an array of concepts including freedom, boundaries, belonging, adaptability, residuals, and memory. Kackar-Demirel has received her MFA and a Museum Studies Certificate from Northern Illinois University (2004), and her BFA from Mimar Sinan University, Istanbul, Turkey (2001). She has had solo exhibitions at The Yard: City Hall Park, New York, Mooney Center Gallery, The College of New Rochelle, New Rochelle, NY, C.A.M. Gallery, Istanbul, Turkey, Courthouse Gallery, Lake George Arts Project, Lake George, NY, and McLean County Arts Center, Bloomington, IL, among other venues. Her works have been exhibited in group shows across the United States as well as internationally in Israel, Italy, and Turkey. She has attended the residency programs at the SVA in New York and AreaOdeon in Monza, Italy. In 2006, she was the recipient of Moon and Stars Project’s exhibition award. Her works have been featured in various catalogs and periodicals including Dovetail, Pikchur, New American Paintings, The Woven Tale Press (Digital), Fresh Paint, INPA 2 by Manifest Gallery. She lives with her son and husband and works in Cortlandt Manor, New York.<o:p></o:p></span></i></p>Chuck Gniechhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09625536586669363996noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4520409606433511611.post-84057211673316615192021-07-17T11:13:00.009-05:002021-07-17T13:40:39.129-05:00Sarah Krepp in "Relentless" at Hofheimer Gallery<div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4afEWen1pOuJ2f1yMHWDdvNH1J4I4v-f2NdhDGbp9gBhr4MDMucgaBV3LzegCPjE9Iwx5mBkaVlJbjF8Z7_Uq2hHNiKluUlSMRZzXt7N6v-2usHRpi91ekWPQlDVVvxboEDWRKSVmiA/s576/KREPP1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="432" data-original-width="576" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4afEWen1pOuJ2f1yMHWDdvNH1J4I4v-f2NdhDGbp9gBhr4MDMucgaBV3LzegCPjE9Iwx5mBkaVlJbjF8Z7_Uq2hHNiKluUlSMRZzXt7N6v-2usHRpi91ekWPQlDVVvxboEDWRKSVmiA/w400-h300/KREPP1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Sarah Krepp, Detail - White Noise: Interference (614)</i></span></span></div><br />The group exhibition—RELENTLESS—opened at the Hofheimer Gallery last Friday evening. This uncompromising collection showcases the work of artists, Ann E. Coulter, Colleen Cox, Frances Cox, Nova Czarnecki, Sarah Krepp, Karen Perl, Joyce Marcus, Emily Rapport, Jeanine Coupe Ryding, and Eleanor Spiess-Ferris. With each artist presenting a sampling of their current work, the show offers a variety of powerful imagery connected with a subtle thread of darkness. In most cases, the artist’s personal truth is offered through symbol or metaphor. <br /><br /><div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #0000ee;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 238);"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ4MKLeymgnIyIrTAN0Zc349DeaylrZVxx02_JCjiEmtW5z7Utzki1KJIrvyhr07iQqwKbQRV_txPNc63JoUo7fwC3Of5MN8mn_56Xq_U7YJDjTZ7p3rj2aUjQYsb09xICbbgNrzVVjA/s1111/KREPP01.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="931" data-original-width="1111" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ4MKLeymgnIyIrTAN0Zc349DeaylrZVxx02_JCjiEmtW5z7Utzki1KJIrvyhr07iQqwKbQRV_txPNc63JoUo7fwC3Of5MN8mn_56Xq_U7YJDjTZ7p3rj2aUjQYsb09xICbbgNrzVVjA/s320/KREPP01.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div></span></span></div>As I drifted through the space, I was continuously pulled to an abstract mixed media work by Sarah Krepp. Titled “White Noise: Interference (614),” the painting is a culmination of found objects inferring the misfortune of a highway accident. Predominantly white with minute elements of black, red, and caution-tape yellow, the image includes wire, frayed tire treads, and recovered objects stitched or adhered to the surface. Glistening globs of silvery-white paint conceal areas of a background, composed of meticulously hand-written notes. Upon closer inspection, the words become random… symbolic of a message lost in translation. </div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZryZAD0gU189elmUwDZfd4xwfYjzRYAMgx8_JoRW66nhEXh5ChgSXQNxYX23z3NmU9gcGezlvERVqysmFLsSofOwK84bsXBxJ0I9pryPb7_ubviUOSDMfw3Jg5RbhBdEf1_3Lm3hllA/s576/KREPP2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="432" data-original-width="576" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZryZAD0gU189elmUwDZfd4xwfYjzRYAMgx8_JoRW66nhEXh5ChgSXQNxYX23z3NmU9gcGezlvERVqysmFLsSofOwK84bsXBxJ0I9pryPb7_ubviUOSDMfw3Jg5RbhBdEf1_3Lm3hllA/s320/KREPP2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>Lisa Wainwright of The School of the Art Institute of Chicago wrote an essay about Krepp’s work for a solo exhibition at the Rockford Art Museum in 2016. In the essay, Wainwright offers a bit more personal insight into Krepp’s work. After referencing similarities to the bold marks of the Abstract Expressionist painters of the 1960’s, she explains that instead of paint, Krepp creates her marks “…from the scraps of found materials holding personal meaning for the artist.” She goes on to explain that several years ago, Krepp witnessed a highway accident involving her son. “…and while the highway material has served as a kind of fetishistic tokenism ever since, the back story quickly gave way to a much larger viewpoint (Wainwright). <br /><br /></div><div>That viewpoint touches on an array of current social issues. The imagery highlights the sins of our society—missing the mark and drifting off course like a driver falling asleep behind the wheel. As a society, we’re closing our eyes to actual science and putting our faith in magical thinking, turning our backs on people who seem to be different, and ignoring uncomfortable topics. From the artist statement… “I seek to question our indulgent contemporary society, as well as present an aesthetically dynamic experience. And she succeeds. <br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4F-lUAqqzEVYF5nU9bE-5V-k7X8Yx4njXH2g7J7es2u7TULfz5J3pw8YjYCq3XKiXcyGD7AYyEAjtPuIppI8Znx3iZdGIPruuTpTKDDaE7cqYg2Eypba6xhh0oufHONr_35KLIvOEoA/s576/KREPP4.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="432" data-original-width="576" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4F-lUAqqzEVYF5nU9bE-5V-k7X8Yx4njXH2g7J7es2u7TULfz5J3pw8YjYCq3XKiXcyGD7AYyEAjtPuIppI8Znx3iZdGIPruuTpTKDDaE7cqYg2Eypba6xhh0oufHONr_35KLIvOEoA/s320/KREPP4.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div><br /></div>Hofheimer Gallery is located at 4823 N. Damen Avenue, Chicago, Illinois 60625. For additional information, contact the gallery at 847.274.7550 | <a href="mailto:info@hofheimergallery.com">info@hofheimergallery.com</a> The exhibition continues through July 30. <div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixiRfijrh1QecVEUYZ-zUjw8lnIn6flw7Yw7alxqJy0DOYiGOjT66BWRk4w8D0Fcyhs4su62ec6btryv0e0biss70btg2ddBPaUmVfiYsVlFF1y0iBds5DY9BIuu2PXYvAM7zRN0JyOg/s800/WhiteNoiseInterference-web.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="636" data-original-width="800" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixiRfijrh1QecVEUYZ-zUjw8lnIn6flw7Yw7alxqJy0DOYiGOjT66BWRk4w8D0Fcyhs4su62ec6btryv0e0biss70btg2ddBPaUmVfiYsVlFF1y0iBds5DY9BIuu2PXYvAM7zRN0JyOg/s320/WhiteNoiseInterference-web.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><i><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Sarah Krepp, White Noise: Interference (614), text, oil, mixed media on linen, 48″x60″</span></i></div></i></div><div><br /></div><div><br /><span style="font-size: x-small; font-style: italic;">With an MFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, Sarah Krepp has been a noted Chicago artist for more than 25 years. She has shown nationally and internationally, and her work is included in many corporate and private collections. She is a Professor Emeritus of Art and former Chair of the Painting Program in the School of the Art and Design at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. She has over 20 years of teaching experience at The School of the Art Institute of Chicago, Southern Illinois University, the Burren College of Art (Ballyvaughn, Ireland), as well as the University of Illinois. She has taught freshman through graduate level courses in drawing, painting, sculpture, interdisciplinary and site-specific practice, and interdisciplinary critique. Many of her students have gone on to achieve significant success as practicing artists, art educators, and curators.</span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">...</div></div></div>Chuck Gniechhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09625536586669363996noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4520409606433511611.post-38199678133716558702021-06-07T17:16:00.003-05:002021-06-08T13:35:20.926-05:00Richard Laurent - "Social Justice" at the Georgetown Art Center<div class="separator"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRi71cLwOe3HVC4XTV03es7jI6MjXh0L24OpPR0t_J7Lktif5nwGSTDpkzPqWgbCoMrdn-nSuU6KIRC72D85hRyO1by_G70HfqtHgqgrx9y3ofKxAiRfwiFk6AVagiqpjRt6PAKP6sIQ/s576/LAURENT+tower+of+babel+36x36.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="576" data-original-width="567" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRi71cLwOe3HVC4XTV03es7jI6MjXh0L24OpPR0t_J7Lktif5nwGSTDpkzPqWgbCoMrdn-nSuU6KIRC72D85hRyO1by_G70HfqtHgqgrx9y3ofKxAiRfwiFk6AVagiqpjRt6PAKP6sIQ/w394-h400/LAURENT+tower+of+babel+36x36.png" width="394" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Richard Laurent, Tower of Babel, oil on canvas, 36 x 36"</i></span></div><div class="separator"><br /></div><div class="separator">An Exhibition of paintings titled “Social Justice” by Chicago Artist, Richard Laurent, will open at the Georgetown Art Center on June 18, 2021. This exhibition of conceptual paintings references today’s social challenges. Laurent masterfully uses symbol to offer an approachable, yet thought-provoking, perspective. </div><div><br /></div><div>Having worked with Laurent on The Art of Influence: Breaking Criminal Traditions initiative for more than a decade, I’ve gained some insight into the work of this creative genius. His brilliance is not limited to his ability to perfectly render a form with a swipe of his brush. His brilliance stems from the complexity of his message. Each of Laurent’s canvases offers a puzzle for the viewer to solve. But, as always, the viewer will see what they want to see. </div><div><br /></div><div>There are still places in the world where women are expected to fill their mouths with stones prior to leaving the home. This practice is intended to hinder the ability to speak. In some cases, the stones are inserted for her. It is believed that the tone of a woman’s voice will seduce men. The stones will quiet women from having a voice—an opinion. In these cultures—women are held responsible for the cruel and brutal actions of the male population. And if a woman reports crimes against her, she may be stoned alive. </div><div><br /></div><div>Gender inequality is but one of the human rights issues addressed in Laurent’s “Social Justice” exhibition. “Tower of Babel” references the repression of women. The painting offers the viewer many clues to his message of inequality—the most obvious is the title. Laurent begins by using a symbol that defines a hinderance of communication. The Tower of Babel is a biblical story which defines a time when there was a unified human race—all speaking the same language. They decided to build a city—in Southern Mesopotamia—and a tower to reach heaven. God wasn’t thrilled with this idea, so God muddled their speech to hinder communication and scattered humanity throughout the world. </div><div><br /></div><div>Laurent’s image presents us with his version of the legendary tower. The centralized twisting tower seems to act as a straitjacket for the unempowered—almost lifeless—head that crowns the structure. A cold and expressionless stare highlights the hollowness of degradation. Stones pave the way for the Assyrian winged bull which seems to guard the figure. Legend has it that the intimidating winged bull, guarded a city gate. It represented the power of the Assyrian King. A second masklike face flanks the central figure—it’s eyes a painful red. Then, floating to the right, is a box that contains a reaching hand, confined within a sphere. Additional stones seem to act as clouds in the upper portion of the composition. </div><div><br /></div><div>This series of paintings created by Richard Laurent, are meant to raise awareness of global human rights atrocities. By using the beauty of art to raise awareness of these difficult topics, we can begin dialogue and support those affected by encouraging change—change that can only come from within each culture, change that will be successful when supported by the world. </div><div><br /></div><div>The paintings of Richard Laurent will be on exhibition through July 19, 2021. The Artist's Reception is scheduled for Saturday, June 19 from 4-6pm. Georgetown Art Center will also be hosting an Artist Talk event on June 20th at 2pm. The Georgetown Art Center is located at 816 S Main Street in Georgetown, Texas 78626. Entry is free. </div><div><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgY5NKb7ruX08PoGfxGTUUXuBM2rQDI2Aoms_qNtkqUWj7YhZ31G98uLW53Y7sDtpLjA7Ua-FnOjhutMM2s5yuvH1XQvWrfPrZjS-ikAuYG2A4U5dthQVKZ8QfWQ2NRnoDZwFgNN9IClA/s288/LaurentArcadia36x36.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="288" data-original-width="288" height="315" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgY5NKb7ruX08PoGfxGTUUXuBM2rQDI2Aoms_qNtkqUWj7YhZ31G98uLW53Y7sDtpLjA7Ua-FnOjhutMM2s5yuvH1XQvWrfPrZjS-ikAuYG2A4U5dthQVKZ8QfWQ2NRnoDZwFgNN9IClA/w315-h315/LaurentArcadia36x36.png" width="315" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small; font-style: italic;">Richard Laurent, Arcidia, oil on canvas, 36 x 36"</span></div> <br /><br /><i>Oil painter, <b>Richard Laurent</b>, works out of his studio in the historic Fine Arts Building, Chicago. Originally from Colorado, Richard received his formal visual training at Chicago’s Institute of Design-the Neu Bauhaus School. He has continued his professional studies worldwide. His paintings have been featured in numerous national exhibitions including Oil Painters of America, Salon International Museum of Contemporary Masters, and Chicago Artists Interpret Shakespeare. He has also shown in gallery settings including George Billis, New York; Gallery H, Three Oaks, Michigan; Zia Gallery, Winnetka, Illinois; and Gallery Laluz, Chicago. Laurent’s paintings are included in the permanent collections of the City of Denver, City of Schaumburg, Deloitte Consulting, Encyclopaedia Britannica, The Illinois Institute of Art, Wells Fargo, Bodine Electric, and private collections. His paintings and drawings are included in two monographs: Contemporary American Painting and Contemporary American Drawing, published by Jilin Fine Arts. <br /><br /><b>The Georgetown Art Center</b> is located at 816 South Main Street on Georgetown’s historic square. The facility opened in October of 2013. Georgetown Art Works is the 501(c)(3) Texas nonprofit organization selected by the City of Georgetown to manage the Art Center and provides innovative, intelligent exhibits and programs that promote visual literacy in the greater community. Our vision is to be nationally recognized as an arts and culture center of excellence.<br /><br /><b>The Art of Influence: Breaking Criminal Traditions:</b><br />Art can go where the law has not. It can lead public policy through the hearts and minds of artists and their audiences. The Art of Influence: Breaking Criminal Traditions is a fine art initiative that calls attention to human rights issues, which kill or maim millions of people each year yet—in some countries—aren't considered crimes. By using the beauty of art to raise awareness of these difficult topics, we can begin dialogue and support those affected by encouraging change — change that can only come from within each culture, change that will be successful when supported by the world. Learn more at: <a href="http://BreakingCriminalTraditions.com">BreakingCriminalTraditions.com</a></i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjL12zREVm9k6zUO8pfvIW4C1JRvKotRKowYlefVQg3Ow9a08WVMWs5tuwPleFg10gAu85AL6yV7i-0uwzBtQ-LKBPylxtyBsjUeizPQQyXKpG8XND4QXAKpLQCBZ8JGrbm2dWLvDk8KQ/s586/LAURENT+BOOK+OF+KNOWLEDGE.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="586" data-original-width="576" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjL12zREVm9k6zUO8pfvIW4C1JRvKotRKowYlefVQg3Ow9a08WVMWs5tuwPleFg10gAu85AL6yV7i-0uwzBtQ-LKBPylxtyBsjUeizPQQyXKpG8XND4QXAKpLQCBZ8JGrbm2dWLvDk8KQ/s320/LAURENT+BOOK+OF+KNOWLEDGE.png" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Richard Laurent, Book of Knowledge, oil on canvas, 36 x 36"</i></span></div><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br />Chuck Gniechhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09625536586669363996noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4520409606433511611.post-25333241797746283102021-06-06T16:26:00.014-05:002021-06-06T18:10:24.730-05:00"Field Studies" Adam Fung and Steve Carrelli – Hofheimer Gallery<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5aCkULnR9hjM5YRfPaj3HuXz9VFsbaAyBn4qGI3XoHRr4PMqk2gh9khu4NVSMvjV354_zIGyIQ81078MX4gIYhFNRAd_JtFEZMcePxaYxPqLPGj24TbywTwP3KP47wyfwgtQdDNooyQ/s576/fieldstudies8.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="420" data-original-width="576" height="293" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5aCkULnR9hjM5YRfPaj3HuXz9VFsbaAyBn4qGI3XoHRr4PMqk2gh9khu4NVSMvjV354_zIGyIQ81078MX4gIYhFNRAd_JtFEZMcePxaYxPqLPGj24TbywTwP3KP47wyfwgtQdDNooyQ/w400-h293/fieldstudies8.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><span face=""Calibri Light", sans-serif"><div><span face=""Calibri Light", sans-serif"><br /></span></div>An exhibition of paintings and collaborative drawings created by</span><span face=""Calibri Light", sans-serif"> </span><span face=""Calibri Light", sans-serif" style="background-color: white;">Adam Fung and Steve Carrelli, opened yesterday at Hofheimer Gallery. The unique quality of this exhibition is that the viewer will first gain insight into each individual artist and then have an opportunity to explore a ten-year long-distance collaboration of nearly sixty 5”x7” graphite drawings on paper.</span><p></p><p><span face=""Calibri Light", sans-serif" style="background-color: white;">Each collaborative drawing began with one of the artists drawing a few lines—or a small segment of the composition. The partially completed drawings would be sent between Chicago and Fort Worth, Texas—a few at a time—back-and-forth until each drawing was complete. Each compositional fragment would be reviewed, assessed and contemplated—sometimes sitting for days before the opposing artist arrived at a relevant response to the challenge. Once addressed, the new version of the drawing would be sent back for yet another response. The result of this unique process ranges from humor to destruction.</span></p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6pdQ41XRU-CeKvoTr3DIuyDsJzrASGg5t7-Ik7SlL92eiTIWR2i8JclbZxAEpgUFbRhLJnjqwpsWCoSMYRbSdhL1KcylDKAr_5xUFkf19fisUb6CPOyoNbWIov-82E27oZdYkmb0YAQ/s576/fieldstudies17.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="411" data-original-width="576" height="286" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6pdQ41XRU-CeKvoTr3DIuyDsJzrASGg5t7-Ik7SlL92eiTIWR2i8JclbZxAEpgUFbRhLJnjqwpsWCoSMYRbSdhL1KcylDKAr_5xUFkf19fisUb6CPOyoNbWIov-82E27oZdYkmb0YAQ/w400-h286/fieldstudies17.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p><span face=""Calibri Light", sans-serif" style="background-color: white;">Analyzing the result of this visual conversation, the viewer begins to notice elements of each artist’s personal work… Plumes of smoke from a rocket launch become smoke pouring into an empty room (Fung), The shadow cast by the open flap of an envelope (Carrelli), or the reoccurring image of a plumb bob (Carrelli). But when these personal elements are incorporated with that of the other, a surreal story begins to be told. That story only seems to exist in the viewer’s mind because this body of work is but a personal conversation… a unique chess match where both players win. And we—as viewers—get to interpret the game as we choose.</span><span face=""Calibri Light", sans-serif" style="background-color: white;"> </span></p><p><span face=""Calibri Light", sans-serif" style="background-color: white;">The exhibition continues through June 26. </span><span face=""Calibri Light", sans-serif">Hofheimer Gallery is located at 4823 N. Damen, Chicago, Illinois 60625. </span>Learn more at: <a href="https://www.blogger.com/" style="color: #954f72;">hofheimergallery.com</a></p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbbApX0QEnoAoSfRDuHYKiarISEY9yXEEAt4ES88L1G6MCyIdXjs0vXindD8Jp_ZnVXP6J9kK2ENDp8dXoDb1kasHjrrLdqRuOTwv2a1z_8f46GI4ArpRua7JSI2w8jTOoSWWoCGbruA/s576/fieldstudies50.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="576" data-original-width="430" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbbApX0QEnoAoSfRDuHYKiarISEY9yXEEAt4ES88L1G6MCyIdXjs0vXindD8Jp_ZnVXP6J9kK2ENDp8dXoDb1kasHjrrLdqRuOTwv2a1z_8f46GI4ArpRua7JSI2w8jTOoSWWoCGbruA/w300-h400/fieldstudies50.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><i><span style="background-color: white;"><span face="Calibri Light, sans-serif"><br /></span></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><i><span style="background-color: white;"><span face="Calibri Light, sans-serif">Adam Fung is an Associate Professor in the School of Art at Texas Christian University. Working primarily as a painter, his nationally exhibited work brings attention to </span></span><span face=""Calibri Light", sans-serif">climate change, landscape patterns, and the components of the universe.<span style="background-color: white;"> Exhibited at the national level, </span><span style="background-color: #fcfcfc;">His paintings can be found in public art collections at Microsoft, South Bend Museum of Art, and the US Department of Energy’s Fermilab, as well as numerous private collections</span>.</span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Calibri Light", sans-serif" style="background-color: white;"><i><br /></i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><i><span face=""Calibri Light", sans-serif" style="background-color: white;">Steve Carrelli is a Lecturer in the Department of Art, Media and Design at DePaul University, Chicago, as well as a Visiting Scholar at the School of Art, Texas Christian University in Fort Worth, Texas. </span><span face=""Calibri Light", sans-serif">His works utilize representational techniques to manipulate the viewer’s perception. His paintings and drawings are included in the collections of the City of Chicago Public Art Program, the Illinois State Museum, the DePaul Art Museum, Northwestern University and Elmhurst College, as well as in numerous other public and private collections</span>.</i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Calibri Light", sans-serif" style="background-color: white;"><i><br /></i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><i><span face=""Calibri Light", sans-serif" style="background-color: white;">Hofheimer Gallery is located at </span><span face=""Calibri Light", sans-serif">4823 N. Damen, Chicago, Illinois 60625, </span><span face=""Calibri Light", sans-serif" style="background-color: white;">on the north side of Chicago in the Ravenswood area at Damen and Lawrence. The gallery is dedicated to introducing contemporary fine art in painting, drawing and sculpture from established and emerging artists. The gallery features provocative, engaging, solo and group exhibitions.</span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><i><span face=""Calibri Light", sans-serif" style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><i><span face=""Calibri Light", sans-serif" style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><i></i></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdpmalIar18Sv3NFnHrUzoMW2t2GggeEg0jtAPLwohqx2ygz6a4hdjglgxM0nQdcMcXKkhSlv6uHyJlMnr7NpG6vrPaiymI85bLlzI7lhtuJaGPDJKKNwRhE-sOryPgJIiznYFs4MpYQ/s576/fieldstudies13.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="427" data-original-width="576" height="299" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdpmalIar18Sv3NFnHrUzoMW2t2GggeEg0jtAPLwohqx2ygz6a4hdjglgxM0nQdcMcXKkhSlv6uHyJlMnr7NpG6vrPaiymI85bLlzI7lhtuJaGPDJKKNwRhE-sOryPgJIiznYFs4MpYQ/w400-h299/fieldstudies13.jpg" width="400" /></a></i></div><i><br /><span face=""Calibri Light", sans-serif" style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></i><p></p><p></p>Chuck Gniechhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09625536586669363996noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4520409606433511611.post-51416400751340932082021-04-24T15:03:00.005-05:002021-04-24T15:08:41.222-05:00Nova Czarnecki - Bloom at Hofheimer Gallery <p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyh5bMsgrBdpgCobg1gEsEBCuqp2wroo7XrRK22_eyWGb6ZGhihwpEDZBpRyZjmQvCuXf59U7H0weVMVaC3SRJJFocawCR8xOQJ3Wxj3lOf3DNfb5smqua-YxJIFbWMzTx4UzD55WVkQ/s1280/thumbnail_IMG_1373.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="1280" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyh5bMsgrBdpgCobg1gEsEBCuqp2wroo7XrRK22_eyWGb6ZGhihwpEDZBpRyZjmQvCuXf59U7H0weVMVaC3SRJJFocawCR8xOQJ3Wxj3lOf3DNfb5smqua-YxJIFbWMzTx4UzD55WVkQ/s320/thumbnail_IMG_1373.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>It’s the details that make life interesting.<div><br /></div><div>I teach my students, that what they see in art, is based on their life experience. Their reality is grounded solely on their personal experience of the world. In beginning drawing, the student is taught to see… literally. Nothing is taken for granted. Every detail is a new discovery. The student is trained to see how light moves across a surface, exposing the nuance of every object, surface, or subject, within their view. <div><div><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzAg47-NDTtqPQ8St1-8LyTdciRYMsjqzl4OCPZN0-XSq3QzgMHGInaFMnVV9-zTzLtcHwYvaPsSX5ZVeeNKi2Rjt5NgjSCGnuXjweuLv2vtWEoMW9ZLj104s6L-FbEwbFiRY4US5nhg/s1280/thumbnail_IMG_1380.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="1280" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzAg47-NDTtqPQ8St1-8LyTdciRYMsjqzl4OCPZN0-XSq3QzgMHGInaFMnVV9-zTzLtcHwYvaPsSX5ZVeeNKi2Rjt5NgjSCGnuXjweuLv2vtWEoMW9ZLj104s6L-FbEwbFiRY4US5nhg/s320/thumbnail_IMG_1380.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><br /></p>As I walked into the Hofheimer Gallery for the opening reception of Bloom, I was instantly drawn to the beautiful complexity of Nova Czarnecki’s paintings. The subject of each canvas is a gorgeously rendered female figure, entangled in foliage and flanked by an array of regal birds and animals. The beautiful dabs of pigment are transformed into an emotional expression of unique storytelling—a subtle message in each detail. The viewer can spend hours exploring the subtle nuance of each bit of the canvas. The symbolism found, is unique for each encounter… again, based on the viewer’s personal history. Quiet moments for observation are required for a poignant journey. <br /><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7YV9Son4TEVy6N313I-hiTbwhDsBhCLx0sVUPTGIBFQX2pSa22GD-N65UDQvf1fdiUpBaZ9_31_3ATT2syokKBspmuqq6rgWq-hMmm4BLE4rZwTwrCJXUFU1p9BJ0wlgQFK1z-chzqw/s1280/thumbnail_IMG_1374.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="1280" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7YV9Son4TEVy6N313I-hiTbwhDsBhCLx0sVUPTGIBFQX2pSa22GD-N65UDQvf1fdiUpBaZ9_31_3ATT2syokKBspmuqq6rgWq-hMmm4BLE4rZwTwrCJXUFU1p9BJ0wlgQFK1z-chzqw/s320/thumbnail_IMG_1374.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>Bloom closes this afternoon at Hofheimer Gallery. The collection hosts a number of beautiful images relevant to the title. Take some time to experience this beautiful exhibition and explore the work of Nova Czarnecki—the newest addition to this amazing stable of Hofheimer gallery artists.</div><div><br />Hofheimer Gallery is located at 4823 N. Damen, Chicago, Illinois 60625 847.274.7550 <br />Learn more at: <a href="https://www.blogger.com/">hofheimergallery.com</a> </div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHoXmycYXzxoFBlcEcdVt8gF-iNQwqNKQ8J56cb6sePC60zBZOXv7LGQkoGFp1KHXKNhXUcn_ReB0qQTd45vBr9JL1V4gfaAae01RZ68ZYp22z36pq729LhPk1As8hcwt2D5wEJi_oCw/s1280/thumbnail_IMG_1379.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1280" data-original-width="960" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHoXmycYXzxoFBlcEcdVt8gF-iNQwqNKQ8J56cb6sePC60zBZOXv7LGQkoGFp1KHXKNhXUcn_ReB0qQTd45vBr9JL1V4gfaAae01RZ68ZYp22z36pq729LhPk1As8hcwt2D5wEJi_oCw/s320/thumbnail_IMG_1379.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div></div></div>Chuck Gniechhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09625536586669363996noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4520409606433511611.post-69088416410623103092021-03-12T20:15:00.003-06:002021-03-12T21:06:51.060-06:00There’s always a story… "Tattoo Tattoo" at Hofheimer Gallery<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9rATHbl3w160JkGV1vQZc2cjMsUCor3l4p5OsXA-s9eDf07YuPZ_kcLpxpLO_ZsNyIuiobrRHuBaN0HOBylyLy61aSBQSRmjdyTRgaYquYjPCVWkCJP8Ot-oXyVD0OZ_BOuiIm_TmTQ/s1202/Screen+Shot+2021-03-06+at+5.37.00+PM.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1198" data-original-width="1202" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9rATHbl3w160JkGV1vQZc2cjMsUCor3l4p5OsXA-s9eDf07YuPZ_kcLpxpLO_ZsNyIuiobrRHuBaN0HOBylyLy61aSBQSRmjdyTRgaYquYjPCVWkCJP8Ot-oXyVD0OZ_BOuiIm_TmTQ/s320/Screen+Shot+2021-03-06+at+5.37.00+PM.png" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: xx-small;">Dianne Mansfield, SuzAnne</span></i></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><i style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: xx-small;"><br /></span></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in; text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The weather in Chicago has finally become comfortable—perfect for getting outside and seeing actual people. With a sunny sky and high temperatures in the 60’s, I couldn’t wait to venture out. And that’s just what I did—this past Saturday—when I visited the exhibition titled “Tattoo Tattoo” at the Hofheimer Gallery. “Tattoo Tattoo” is a group show anchored by the work of George Klauba and Eleanor Spiess-Ferris—two of my many favorites at Hofheimer. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in; text-align: start;"><o:p><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in; text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">As I explored the space, I came upon a group of black and white photographs documenting full body tattoos. And they seemed to be just that—straight forward documentations. As I continued through the space, I found a second series of photographs, set aside in the back of the gallery. These seemed to be done by the same artist, but they were different. They radiated emotion. The images captured an unabashed reality—a personal moment of self-empowerment. The images are the work of Dianne Mansfield. I asked if Dianne was attending the reception and she was pointed out. Within a minute, we were involved in conversation. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in; text-align: start;"><o:p><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in; text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">After a brief introduction, we stepped away from a small group, to have a more private exchange. Discussion of the exhibition quickly transitioned into stories about the people represented in her imagery. With sparkling eyes and some colorful language, Dianne revealed another gift—her amazing ability to tell a good story. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in; text-align: start;"><o:p><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in; text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">A photographer and educator, Mansfield has spent a good portion of her life photographing the world in which she lives. The tattoo culture is an important segment of her world and she has documented the unique personalities within that sector. </span><span face="Calibri, sans-serif"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in; text-align: start;"><br /></p></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPtcs1z6_Cb-WVWNDqpME2_G7kdYDiDZ6GcsgM5uVNDB6Z7Hl7gOY2Rit_SwnLwSJHHHNtuYx7fr6TsmbkZxHchNLA5koGS-cz07VQlG3KxqaGYyf9ikSrk96nO4ZjPpicFbh5k4MFlA/s834/MANSFIELD+1982+QM+KTK+083.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="834" data-original-width="832" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPtcs1z6_Cb-WVWNDqpME2_G7kdYDiDZ6GcsgM5uVNDB6Z7Hl7gOY2Rit_SwnLwSJHHHNtuYx7fr6TsmbkZxHchNLA5koGS-cz07VQlG3KxqaGYyf9ikSrk96nO4ZjPpicFbh5k4MFlA/s320/MANSFIELD+1982+QM+KTK+083.png" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: xx-small;">Dianne Mansfield, QM KTK 083, 1982</span></i></div><p><span style="font-family: inherit;">Referencing one of the images from the show, Mansfield told me of a friend who supported herself as a fully-inked stripper. In the image, a gorgeous woman is presented wearing a sweeping silk robe—exposing her everlasting markings like a hand-painted bodysuit. Incredibly comfortable in her embellished skin—she is dignified, daring judgement from anyone.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;">Mansfield told many stories that afternoon. In fact—at one point—we stepped outside so that we could continue our conversation without masks. A colorful character with an amazing history, I look forward to our next meeting.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;">“Tattoo Tattoo” will continue at Hofheimer Gallery through March 27. The group exhibition includes work by George Klauba, J. Adams, Ivan Soyars, Leo Zulueta, Mario Desa, Chad Koeplinger, Danny Reed, Eleanor Spiess-Ferris, and—of course—photographer, Dianne Mansfield. </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">Hofheimer Gallery is located at 4823 N. Damen, Chicago, Illinois 60625 847.274.7550 </span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;">Learn more at: </span><a href="https://www.blogger.com/" style="color: #954f72; font-family: inherit;">hofheimergallery.com</a></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><o:p><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></o:p></p></div>Chuck Gniechhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09625536586669363996noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4520409606433511611.post-86564903614176172002020-06-14T14:02:00.005-05:002020-06-14T14:44:38.160-05:00Hofheimer Gallery - The Salon Show<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.blogger.com/#"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOvSmoG8jsNO353ZKQcjh9t34W5RPB1mmcxKiKggGGaNvBgMyxTHt5jQUuXNicamTTYmwfoqVdf37MLL98_h0Xd-PXoKJ8ec0GFyMdvHHsqo2nwjIjx6ylCkUcNAnf-Rg_f2Tq8tZk1w/s320/COX+Brown-tree.jpg" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><font size="1">Frances Cox, <i>Brown Tree</i>, oil on canvas, 48″x30″</font></div><br /><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><font face="inherit">On Friday, June 12, Hofheimer Gallery opened an exhibition titled, “The Salon Show” featuring a collection of work by gallery artists. Playful, obsessive, and thought provoking, the work included in this exhibition presents an array of elegance with a bit of quirky—highlighting each artist’s unique voice.<o:p></o:p></font></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><font face="inherit"> </font></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><font face="inherit">“Brown Tree” by Frances Cox is composed of painterly strokes of pigment that convey the fluttering of reverberating motion. This fluid abstraction of muted tones manipulates the space in the manner of the Cubists. The use of Implied shadow alludes to the third dimension while the translucent application of paint, infers the sound of rustling sun-soaked leaves. This technique exposes the artist’s journey—revealing areas of underpainting that chronicle the form’s evolution. </font><font face="Calibri Light, sans-serif"><o:p></o:p></font></p><div><font face="inherit"><br /></font></div><div><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><font face="inherit">Teresa James offers a new spin on the concept of the glass ceiling, with “My Spirit and I Are One”. James creates the surrealistic image on the inside of a book cover, using mixed media; drawing, watercolor, and collage. The image presents a number of winged hands—a reoccurring symbol in James work—in battle with a pair angry birds, blocked from their given right to soar above the clouds. The unresolved conflict results in the loss of feathers, yet the determination of the birds seems unending. </font><font face="Calibri Light, sans-serif"><o:p></o:p></font></p><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.blogger.com/#"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjz6focjAl-BEiiU3K9CX4Km7wqV7Vp0ABAg4PouvuGU1pjrTq-oBil6XQq1BdEmUIlrREus2mbpJe1b8HEXNsskyLdCJYn41IsV_7eb3jldH3RFBcC2CBDHQjNcNplPvCqma6abXgQCA/s320/JAMES+My-Spirit-and-I-Are-One.jpg" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Teresa James, </span><i><font size="1">My Spirit and I Are One</font></i><span style="font-size: x-small;">, drawing collage with watercolor on inside book cover, 7 3/4” x 10”</span></div><div><br /><div><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span style="background-color: white;"><font face="inherit">George Klauba uses the style of tattoo art to create intimate canvases that address curious topics. His obsessively painted “They Shall Take Up Serpents” references Mark 16:17-18 and comments on that gospel’s misinterpretation for use as spectacle in religious theatre. As the story goes, in 1910—after preaching this gospel—an illiterate Tennessee preacher pulled a large rattlesnake out of a box with his bare hands. He handled it for a few minutes and then demanded members of the congregation do the same—or burn in Hell. This snake-handling practice became commonplace in the Church of God throughout Appalachia. </font></span></p></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.blogger.com/#"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhW1_6q4ieT_DRCU1J_QdrWX3jESQEplokjoQQiinuKgMkFLZ3Lrl0KPrVYP1Bqp1-SUKa_51_bU5i5bRNPP8DGv9JrGq1nf1eKd-gMH_DGFzXZxSF2WG07i5li2ddLqW9ADipTZT82g/s320/Klauba+They-Shall-Take-Up-Serpents-1.jpg" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><font size="1">George Klauba, <i>They Shall Take Up Serpents</i>, acrylic on panel, 18″x14″</font></div></div><div><br /></div><div><span style="background-color: white;">Referencing this unusual life-threatening custom of the Pentecostals, Klauba defines the narrative through the symbols of tattoo culture. Along with the serpent—representing wisdom, rebirth, and temptation, we find the tortured Christ figure, a dagger—symbolic of betrayal or sacrifice, and a skull—referencing death or mortality. Beautifully painted, Klauba uses a variety of flat color areas, patterns and implied textures, which entice the viewer to continue exploring the charmingly quirky content of his compositions… each one with a unique theme.</span></div><div><br /></div><div>All of the work in The Salon Show exhibition can be reviewed online and on site, by appointment. Hofheimer Gallery is planning to reopen to the general public after the Fourth-of-July holiday. Face masks will be required, and social distancing will be practiced.<br /><br />Hofheimer Gallery is located at 4823 N. Damen, Chicago, IL 60625 | 847.274.7550 <br />View the exhibition at: <a href="https://www.blogger.com/#">hofheimergallery.com</a>. <br /><br /><i>The Salon Show</i> includes work by: Betty Cleeland, Colleen Cox, Frances Cox, Charles Gniech, Teresa James, Mary Jones, George Klauba, Catherine Maize, Michael Noland, Karen Perl, Mary Porterfield, Jeanine Coupe Ryding, Eleanor Spiess-Ferris, Fred Stonehouse, and Chuck Walker. The exhibition continues through July 31st.<br /><br /></div></div>Chuck Gniechhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09625536586669363996noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4520409606433511611.post-28648370663200922282019-09-21T12:30:00.000-05:002019-09-21T12:33:40.603-05:00Zaria Forman at EXPO CHICAGO<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Zaria Forman, <i>Wilhemina Bay, November 23rd, 2018</i>, 2019, soft pastel on paper, 40 x 64"</span></div>
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EXPO CHICAGO—The International Exhibition of Contemporary Art—opened this past Thursday evening at Navy Pier. The show presents artwork from 135 galleries—from 24 countries—highlighting the creations of some three thousand artists. It’s an opportunity to see a cross section of the art being produced around the world—and in some cases—revisit amazing works from the past.<br />
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The show was substantial. As I wandered through the corridors, I saw a splattering of contemporary art from the past 70 years although most of the work was fairly current. Represented were familiar favorites; Philip Pearlstein, Robert Lostutter and Clair Zeisler. But there was beautiful new work that was unfamiliar to me. </div>
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The work of <a href="https://newyork.winstonwachter.com/exhibitions/zaria-forman-overview/">Zaria Forman</a>, represented by Winston Wächter Fine Art, New York and Seattle, was a clear standout. Her large-scale pastel drawings are globally relevant and powerfully beautiful. Signage appears with each of the gorgeously executed compositions, defining the project… </div>
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Forman’s latest work is an aerial exploration of some of the most rapidly changing places on our planet. Over the past two years Zaria has travelled with NASA’s science missions to track shifting ice, producing a collection that faithfully captures the range of ephemeral landscapes she observed while flying just hundreds of feet over Antarctica and the Arctic.</blockquote>
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While her previous drawings are often recognizable as icebergs and glaciers, Zaria’s proximity to NASA scientists inspired work that is highly precise in its technical execution and yet visually more abstract. With an eye toward communicating the alarming rate that our polar regions are melting, Zaria portrays the vulnerability of thinning ice and heat-absorbing inkiness of the seas with profound detail and inherent drama. Each piece is rich in nuance, imbuing this series with great variation and thematic cohesion. In the sharpness of these birds-eye views drawn in her characteristic large-scale format, Zaria has created deeply intimate portraits of the environments we stand to lose.</blockquote>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVW5iZtkBLJDq-L35Nc46zyPi2VB6EFbUOWi-kuPqNoANHm-l5r9YhE3Gb2bZt7qkfCrO9sUkOqziYaegrMaJAvJzE1At5IIWPFxWU7JR9clHQuoYf3WGzDeZVopmwBHNgVhtpNbeETg/s1600/booth+414.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="521" data-original-width="720" height="232" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVW5iZtkBLJDq-L35Nc46zyPi2VB6EFbUOWi-kuPqNoANHm-l5r9YhE3Gb2bZt7qkfCrO9sUkOqziYaegrMaJAvJzE1At5IIWPFxWU7JR9clHQuoYf3WGzDeZVopmwBHNgVhtpNbeETg/s320/booth+414.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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I was captivated by the exhibit. Forman’s imagery was stunningly beautiful yet sadly horrifying. And I wasn’t alone. I found myself interacting with other observers having a similar emotional reaction. If the intent was to begin a dialogue, it worked. Winston Wächter Fine Art can be found in booth 414.<br />
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EXPO CHICAGO continues through Sunday at 6pm. Tickets are $30 [$50 with tour]. Parking is available on site. For additional information visit: <a href="https://www.expochicago.com/">expochicago.com</a></div>
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Chuck Gniechhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09625536586669363996noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4520409606433511611.post-31486441133693305442019-09-20T09:17:00.000-05:002019-09-21T12:33:02.379-05:00Mary Porterfield - Hofheimer Gallery<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Mary Porterfield, </span><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Alice Begins,</span></i><span style="font-size: x-small;"> oil on layered glassine, 36 x 36"</span></div>
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It’s not a secret that Americans have an issue with growing old. Botox, Restylane, Kybella, Chemical Peels… we’re a youth-obsessed society fearing the natural deterioration of the body. In other cultures, elders are honored. Wrinkles are a sign of a life well lived. They signify knowledge and wisdom. When we embrace our elders, we find ourselves honored with the gift of wisdom.<br />
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I visit my ninety-two-year-old aunt on a regular basis. When I was a child, she lived in the house next door. A kind and sweet woman, I see her as a second mother. When we talk, the details of her life unfold into a vaguely familiar history with moments of insight—moments that might have been lost forever. </div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Mary Porterfield, <i>Waiting</i></span><span style="font-size: x-small;">, oil on layered glassine, 24 x 60"</span></div>
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This brings me to a wonderful solo exhibition by Mary Porterfield, currently on display at the Hofheimer Gallery in Chicago. The show titled “in:dependence,” fearlessly examines the later stages of life, Inspired by Porterfield’s experiences as a caretaker. Her kind and gentle demeanor is authentic—And that sensitivity is reflected in her imagery.</div>
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Porterfield paints her subjects in oil on layered glassine, layered on top of Yupo [Synthetic Paper] and Vellum. This process produces a hazy dreamlike effect which seems to reference fleeting thoughts or foggy memories. Porterfield’s ghostly figures emerge in and out of sterile environments, questioning perception and reality. Is assistance needed? What if it’s not wanted? </div>
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The Hofheimer Gallery will be hosting an artist talk tomorrow, Saturday, September 21 from 2-3pm. Porterfield’s exhibition continues through September 28. Hofheimer Gallery is located at 4823 N. Damen Avenue, in Chicago 60625. Learn more at <a href="http://hofheimergallery.com/">hofheimergallery.com</a>. </div>
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Chuck Gniechhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09625536586669363996noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4520409606433511611.post-39875822028938797582019-07-17T18:29:00.003-05:002019-07-17T20:12:16.653-05:00The Saint Kate Hotel: For the Arts Enthusiast<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Deborah Butterfield, <i>Big Piney</i>, 2016, Cast bronze with patina 93 x 112 x 50"</span></div>
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If you’re in Chicago and looking for an easy weekend getaway, this is it!<br />
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A couple of weeks ago, I received an invitation to attend the Grand Opening of the Saint Kate Hotel in Milwaukee. After a bit of research, I found that the Saint Kate—named for Catherine, the patron saint of artists—is being touted as the nation’s newest and most immersive arts hotel, showcasing both fine and performing arts. I was intrigued. Unlike most of the country’s art hotels, the Saint Kate’s mission is to—not only—highlight two-and-three-dimensional visual art, but also dance, poetry, and theater. I eagerly accepted the invitation.<br />
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The drive from Chicago to Milwaukee was quick and painless—a little more than an hour. Making my way from the intestate to the hotel, I noted the absence of heavy traffic and the beauty of the city’s architecture.</div>
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The afternoon began with a preview tour of the hotel’s unique facilities. Curator, Maureen Ragalie, brought attention to some of the work found in the Saint Kate’s permanent fine art collection. The collection is comprised of works by numerous internationally known artists including, Damien Hirst, Alex Katz, and Deborah Butterfield (above). But the splendor of the Saint Kate is the opportunity to experience fine art created by renowned artists in proximity to amazing regional works—all of superior quality, demanding equal attention.<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Brema Brema, photographic </span><span style="font-size: x-small;">drown </span><span style="font-size: x-small;">image</span></div>
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The Museum of Wisconsin Art (MOWA) is collaborating with the Saint Kate hotel, as such, creating MOWA | DTN (downtown). The inaugural exhibition—titled <i>Downtown</i>—features work by ten artists who live and/or work in Milwaukee. The collection attempts to produce a visual conversation about Milwaukee as a city in the twenty-first century—offering diverse perceptions, highlighting tradition and bringing attention to current social challenges. The included artists are: Mark Brautigam, Brema Brema, Adam Carr, Portia Cobb, Mark Klassen, David Lenz, Jessica Meuninck-Ganger, Lon Michels, Keith Nelson, and Nathaniel Stern.<br />
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MOWA’s Executive Director, Laurie Winters, was the point person for the <i>Downtown</i> exhibition. With her curatorial history at the Milwaukee Art Museum and her leadership at MOWA—Winters became the ideal consultant for the Saint Kate project. In conversation, Winters pointed out that Greg and Linda Marcus are the driving force promoting the arts in Milwaukee—and that she was thrilled to have an opportunity to work with them.<br />
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Exhibiting artist, Lon Michels also spoke highly of working with the Marcus’ and the Marcus Corporation. Michels pointed out that “…the bar has been raised by the Marcus Family in all of their endeavors—their love of the arts, passion and integrity.” </div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Lon Michels, <i>Canvas Room</i>, Saint Kate Hotel</span></div>
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I spent some time talking with Lon Michels about his installation as well as the leopard-print room that he produced for the Saint Kate. Michels’ work induces a “wow” factor through repetitive patterns of intense color. The two installations created for the Saint Kate are overwhelming based on scale alone. Each experience offers a sense of mania, enticing viewers to loose themselves in the experience.</div>
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There is a similar outcome created when exploring the installation by Lisa Beck. Found in an intimate gallery adjacent to the <i>Downtown</i> exhibit, Beck creates a powerful experience for her audience. Curated by Maureen Ragalie, Beck’s inaugural contribution—titled <i>Send and Receive</i>—is both colorfully brilliant yet quietly introspective. The gallery incorporates two large meditative colorfield paintings—subtlety reminiscent of Mark Rothko—with a series of grouped transparent spheres “dripping” from the ceiling. The spheres distort the surroundings while reflecting the canvases and the other spheres. </div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Lisa Beck, <i>Send and Receive</i>, installation view</span></div>
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I strongly suggest that you book a weekend at the Saint Kate. This hotel is perfect for anyone interested in the arts. The experience will be complete with theatre, dance and poetry performances, amazing fine art, wonderful restaurants, and a variety of drinking establishments. Saint Kate—The Arts Hotel is located at 139 East Kilbourn in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Rooms start at $216 per night. Book at: <a href="http://saintkatearts.com/">saintkatearts.com</a><br />
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And make sure that you check out the <a href="https://historicthirdward.org/" target="_blank">Historic Third Ward</a> (about a 15 minute walk). There's a wonderful Public Market, more great restaurants and wonderful galleries. I'm looking forward to my next trip to Milwaukee!<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Deborah Butterfield’s horse sculptures are self-portraits in which she uses the horse as a metaphor for self. Each sculpture is cast from carefully selected branches, sticks, driftwood, and other found objects. She uses these materials to “draw” the horse -not just the outline, but the energy and gestures of the horse. She then casts these so called “ghosts” in bronze, burning away her initial creation. </i></span><br />
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Lon Michels: Additional works by Lon Michels can be experienced in a group exhibition titled Nature Morte at the nearby Tory Folliard Gallery through September 7th. The <a href="https://toryfolliard.com/" target="_blank">Tory Folliard Gallery</a> is located at 2330 Milwaukee Street, in Milwaukee. </span></i><br />
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Chuck Gniechhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09625536586669363996noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4520409606433511611.post-24136468072196289922019-07-02T19:16:00.003-05:002019-07-02T22:10:54.936-05:00Ann E. Coulter in "Homage to Nature" at Hofheimer Gallery<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Anne E. Coulter, <i>Deeper in the Woods</i>, oil on canvas, 20"x20" </span></div>
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Tangled layers of twisted branches create a labyrinth separating the viewer from paradise in a short series of beautifully panted canvases by Ann E. Coulter. These mesmerizing images are just a segment of the works being presented in a group exhibition, titled "Homage to Nature,” opening this Friday at the Hofheimer gallery.<br />
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In her artist statement, Coulter expresses that she is inspired and overwhelmed by the vast panoramic views surrounding her home. She explains… <br />
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This particular place is an undeniable and intentional part of my life and my art. There is no ignoring it, I am completely immersed. It leads me to consider big issues like nature and time, landscape and history, and the part we play in it all…</blockquote>
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I look at these exquisite canvases and see the challenges of life… conflict and struggle presented as the sharp underbrush deterring us from movement. The viewer is challenged to scour the landscape to find a suitable pathway through the darkness to the ultimate goal… light. The adventure is challenging but results in numerous moments of quiet introspection as our eyes continuously pause to explore another unique fragment of the complex composition.<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Anne E. Coulter, <i>Ridge Run #4</i>, oil on canvas, 40"x40" </span></div>
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The opening reception of “Homage to Nature” with work by Anne E. Coulter, Jennifer Presant, and Joel Sheesley, is Friday, July 5th from 5-8<span style="font-size: x-small;">PM</span>. The exhibition continues through July 27th.<br />
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Hofheimer Gallery is located at 4823 N. Damen, Chicago, IL 60625 …on the north side of Chicago in the Ravenswood area at Damen and Lawrence. The gallery is dedicated to introducing contemporary fine art in painting, drawing and sculpture from established and emerging artists. Through the year the gallery will feature provocative, engaging, solo and group exhibitions. Learn more at: <a href="http://hofheimergallery.com/">hofheimergallery.com</a></div>
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Chuck Gniechhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09625536586669363996noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4520409606433511611.post-74499554467382329922019-04-29T16:24:00.003-05:002019-04-29T16:50:40.891-05:00Susan Aurinko - Hofheimer Gallery<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfdLLMst_f_SmQGoQt48pj3obreODMChVuw5ggrYGC6CCFjj9vrkMO4u3mcB1WJ3_IfkpbWtHsrEpwPmwuUMrYx14A6OA53xY9G_6EMsAwb4M0VNJJrAYA_D0I1pRR3E0a1pdEDueJpA/s1600/aurinko+Two+and+One%252C+Paris.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1512" data-original-width="1488" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfdLLMst_f_SmQGoQt48pj3obreODMChVuw5ggrYGC6CCFjj9vrkMO4u3mcB1WJ3_IfkpbWtHsrEpwPmwuUMrYx14A6OA53xY9G_6EMsAwb4M0VNJJrAYA_D0I1pRR3E0a1pdEDueJpA/s320/aurinko+Two+and+One%252C+Paris.jpg" width="316" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Susan Aurinko, <i>Two and One, Paris, </i></span><span style="font-size: x-small;">digital photography</span></div>
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<span style="text-align: center;">A few months ago, I was asked to curate an exhibition of recent photographs produced by Susan Aurinko. Aurinko is known for her photographic self-portraits—the hazy reflection of self, amidst artifacts found in storefront windows throughout the world. The reflections—at times—quietly allude to an unknowing passerby, while other images only explore the abstract reflections glistening in the glass. </span><br />
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In preparation for the exhibition, I reviewed more than three-hundred of Aurinko’s never-been-seen before images. The process was an ideal opportunity to delve into the artist’s evolving creative vision. What I found was an expanded concept of “reflection” referencing private moments of contemplation, introspection and meditation. But there was more.<br />
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Many of these images explore the geometry of life as visual vocabulary for these serene moments. Aurinko embraces line, shape, pattern and texture—the repetitive texture of foliage, the sparkling spray of water droplets, the unique patterns of dappled sunlight… all brilliantly presented in what becomes a significant flash in time. </div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Susan Aurinko, </span><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Idyllique, Paris, </span></i><span style="font-size: x-small;">digital </span><span style="font-size: x-small;">photography</span></div>
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Aurinko captures these moments, causing us to stop and take notice—a reflecting pond distorting the ornate formality of a park setting; a sea of decorative statues randomly huddled together in a flea market; an aerial perspective of a sun-filled atrium producing shadows of unique shapes and patterns. These compositions force a glimpse into an actual reality which is typically missed. They remind us of the surrounding beauty—often neglected—in a hectic world.</div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Susan Aurinko, </span><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Café Society, Berlin, </span></i><span style="font-size: x-small;">digital </span><span style="font-size: x-small;">photography</span></div>
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The title of Susan Aurinko’s upcoming Hofheimer Gallery exhibition is e<i>uropa europa</i>—referencing the continent on which the work was created. The show will open this Friday, May 3—with a reception for the artist—and continue through May 30, 2019. The reception runs from 5 to 8pm. </div>
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The Hofheimer Gallery is located at 4823 North Damen—on the north side of Chicago in the Ravenswood area. The gallery is dedicated to introducing contemporary fine art in painting, drawing and sculpture from established and emerging artists. Through the year, the Hofheimer Gallery will feature provocative, engaging, solo and group exhibitions.</div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Susan Aurinko, <i>Selbst, Vienna, </i>digital </span><span style="font-size: x-small;">photography</span></div>
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I will be joining Susan Aurinko at Hofheimer Gallery for an artist talk on Saturday, May 18 from 2-4pm. Please join us for a relaxed discussion about the artist and this wonderful collection of imagery. <br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><br />SUSAN AURINKO, a photographer and curator, has shown her work in solo exhibitions in France, Italy, and India, as well as in the US. Her exhibition about India, entitled STILL POINT INDIA, opened at Kriti Gallery in Varanasi, India in February 2013, is touring India’s largest cities, and is now available as a book, STILL POINT INDIA, the cover image for which won both a Jury Award and a Public Choice award from Px3 in Paris. Aurinko’s work appears on several book covers, including The Stranger Among Us, Ariel, Scar Tissue, and Slut Lullabies, in the US and UK, and four of her photographs are included in the Museum of Contemporary Photography’s permanent collection. Her photographs hang in private collections in France, Italy, India, Monaco, the UK, and the US. Aurinko is on the Advisory Committees of the International Photography Awards (Lucie Awards) and has been an IPA and Px3 Juror for several years and is on the Advisory Board for Filter Photo Festival.<br /><br />Aurinko’s preview exhibition for her series SEARCHING FOR JEHANNE –The Joan of Arc Project, at Takohl Gallery in Chicago, was named among THE FIVE BEST PHOTOGRAPHY SHOWS OF 2014, by New City Magazine.<br /><br />As a curator, Aurinko has created over 250 exhibitions, both at FLATFILEgalleries, the gallery she founded and directed for 9 years, and in a variety of other gallery and museum venues, including IIT and CAC, and exhibitions for both the Japanese and Danish governments. She has led workshops for photographers and artists in the US, Canada, and India. Aurinko is on the Boards of Directors of Universe of Poetry, Chicago Artists Coalition, Apprentice Lab, and the Advisory Board for Chicago Photography Center, for whom she also curated the gallery’s 11 annual exhibitions from 2010 until 2013. Aurinko is also the founder of the f8collective. Aurinko is represented by HILTON/ASMUS FOTO in Chicago and Kriti Gallery in Varanasi, India.</span></div>
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Chuck Gniechhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09625536586669363996noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4520409606433511611.post-46756206926443602502019-04-04T14:59:00.002-05:002019-04-05T09:21:39.886-05:00Frances Cox – Hofheimer Gallery<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Frances Cox, Summer, oil on canvas, 36 x 38"</span></div>
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<i>A World Apart</i>—the exhibition of vibrantly colorful oil paintings by Frances Cox and Michael Noland—will open with a reception at the Hofheimer Gallery on Friday, April 5th from 5-8 pm. </div>
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I’ve followed the career of Frances Cox for the past decade. I was first introduced to her beautifully-organic imagery, while curating exhibitions for a small upscale gallery in Three Oaks, Michigan. At that time, she was working on a series of paintings related to a recent tsunami disaster. The imagery was powerfully haunting yet beautiful—composed of teal, blue and green organic shapes adorned with elaborate patterns. These luminous elements alluded to the tragedy that occurred in a paradisiacal environment normally bursting with an abundance of brilliant color. <br />
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Over the years, I’ve work with Cox on a variety of exhibitions. Generally, her work is botanically-inspired figurative still life, with clear references to Art Nouveau—highlighting organic design motifs including vine tendrils, flowers, and the human form. Cox’s canvases are gracefully composed, offering the viewer layer-upon-layer of detailed nuance. But the beautiful forms that emerge from the complexity are never subtle. They are bold, direct, and demanding of the viewer’s attention.<br />
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<span style="text-align: center;">Cox explains, “When I look at plant forms, I view them as botanical singularities having the characteristics of other living things. I transfer to plants, metaphors for human feelings and appearances.”</span><br />
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As I previewed the exhibition, I found myself drawn to the beautiful complexity of the canvas titled <i>Summer</i>. This 36 x 38-inch composition plays with a variety of contrasts; the use of a complementary color pallette, large open areas juxtaposed with highly detailed modeled patterns, and a popping of light and dark.<br />
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In much of her work, Cox utilizes dark outlines to build form and distinguish shape. This technique presents a visual trail leading the captivated viewer through the composition, introducing quiet details. From a distance, yet another surprise emerges. Each canvas melds into the sum of its parts, becoming a completely new and unique abstraction. <br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Frances Cox, <i>Dancing Tree</i>, oil on canvas, 40"x40"</span></div>
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Dancing Tree is another gem in this collection. The 40-inch square canvas seems to be channeling the essence of <i>Winged Victory</i> with its flowing Grecian gown and wings raised in triumph. But the fluidity isn’t lost on me. References to Art Nouveau and the work of Will Bradley come to mind. Bradley’s poster for <i>The Chap Book</i>, 1895 offers similar forms. In both samples, billowing shapes seamlessly flow into one another—defining edges where none exist, repeating shape for complexity, and challenging the viewer’s perception.<br />
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<span style="text-align: center;">A World Apart, featuring the work by Frances Cox and Michael Noland, opens Friday, April 5, with a reception from 5-8pm. The artists will be in attendance. The Hofheimer Gallery is located at 4823 N. Damen in Chicago [60625]. Gallery Hours are Wednesday through Saturday from 11-5 and by appointment. For additional information contact the gallery at 847.274.7550 or visit hofheimergallery.com …A World Apart continues through April 25, 2019.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Frances A. Cox was raised in Chicago, Illinois, graduated from Marquette University and attended the Art Institute of Chicago. Her work has been exhibited nationally, earning Cox well-deserved recognition and numerous awards. </i></span><br />
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Chuck Gniechhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09625536586669363996noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4520409606433511611.post-76553279440828458562019-02-22T15:18:00.001-06:002019-02-23T10:54:43.525-06:00Flashes of Brilliance: Illinois High School Art Exhibition at the Zhou B Art Center in Bridgeport<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Hazel Mcclinton, Rockford Jefferson High School</span></div>
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Life seemed relatively easy when I was seventeen. It was a time before cellphones, social media and the 24/7 news cycle. People interacted differently. Relationships were built on gradual discovery and respect was learned through an attempt at understanding differences through experience… There was no hiding behind a text or a tweet.<br />
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Well, last Friday I found myself exploring what it’s like to be seventeen in 2019. I spent much of the afternoon previewing the Illinois High School Art Exhibition currently on display in the second-floor gallery of the Zhou B Art Center in Bridgeport [Chicago]. The exhibition includes more than 600 works of art created by high school artists from around the state. The collection offers a snapshot of the seventeen-year-old’s reality. The associated angst is apparent in many of the works, but the show presents a new perspective from the next generation’s worldview.<br />
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I found myself wondering slowly through the show. The work—hung salon style—is a curatorial choice that offers something new to explore with a slight turn of the head. </div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Natalie Wess, Adlai E. Stevenson High School</span></div>
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The show includes imagery that is “safe” and typical of the age—showing the skills of a future illustrator or designer—but there are also new and unexpected expressions. I found pieces which seemed to be created specifically for shock value. But then I questioned… Was the image solely meant to be shocking or was the content the new normal in our quickly changing society?</div>
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Throughout the show, there are special flashes of unique beauty and thoughtful brilliance. The exhibition includes a number of courageous young artists who are not afraid to speak their truth—sometimes with startling effect and sometimes through skillful symbolism. The visual vocabulary found throughout the gallery even offers a learning opportunity for those of us who have been around for a while longer.</div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Brianna Bischoff, St. Charles North High School</span></div>
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At the conclusion of several walks through the exhibition, I began assessing the mission for which I was attending. I reconvened with Cheryl Jefferson and Richard Laurent, colleagues of the Breaking Criminal Traditions initiative who were also exploring the show. We were looking for artwork that spoke to various human rights issues. You see, the BCT initiative will be presenting an award for relevant work [intentional or not] at a ceremony this Sunday afternoon [2:30pm] at the Bridgeport Art Center—a couple of blocks west of the Zhou B Art Center IHSAE exhibition.<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Jennifer Branch, Downers Grove South High School</span></div>
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Please join us this Sunday for the IHSAE at the Zhou B Art Center , Sunday, February 24th from 10-4pm. The event will also include a College Recruitment Fair from 10-2 [BAC], Vendor & Career Expo 10-4 [ZBAC] and an opportunity to visit artist studios at both locations. This is a free event and open to the public. Please remember to come by the IHSAE awards ceremony which will be held at the Bridgeport Art Center from 2:30-3:30pm. The Illinois High School Art Exhibition runs through March 9th. </div>
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Special thanks to Assistant Director, Chris Sykora [Deerfield High School] and Executive Director, John Zilewicz [Niles West High School], for producing this enriching event!<br />
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<a href="https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5934558c893fc022940a8cfe/t/5c5efdc2ee6eb02f533cea15/1549729219843/IHSAE+SCHEDULE+OF+EVENTS+2019+v2-1.png">Download the schedule of events</a><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">ABOUT: The Illinois High School Art Exhibition:</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">The General Exhibition is one of Illinois’ premier high school art exhibitions featuring student visual artworks from some of the top city, suburban, public and private high schools. The General Exhibition is a “Best of the Best” competition, developed by teachers, to recognize high school students’ artistic excellence.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Each year, over 100 high schools register to participate in the General Exhibition in Chicago. High schools digitally submit up to 25 artworks into 8 categories: Drawing, Painting, Mixed Media, Design, Photography, Pottery, Sculpture, and Time Arts. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">The IHSAE receives well over 2500 submissions for consideration for the General Exhibition. All entries are curated by the IHSAE Board of Directors and guest jurors, who select works by over 500 student artists for exhibition. Students have an opportunity to compete against their peers for over $15,000 in IHSAE awards and scholarships, including the IHSAE Visionary Award. Students also have an opportunity to receive Early College/Summer Intensive scholarships offered by representatives from select art schools, colleges and universities across the country.</span><br />
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Learn more about The Illinois High School Art Exhibition at <a href="http://ihsae.org/">ihsae.org</a><br />
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Chuck Gniechhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09625536586669363996noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4520409606433511611.post-78732602096713310522019-01-12T18:40:00.001-06:002019-01-12T18:40:05.984-06:00The exhibition catalog... The Art of Influence: Breaking Criminal Traditions at The Gallery at Penn College<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Opening January 15th, at The Gallery at Penn College in Williamsport, Pennsylvania, is an elaborate new version of The Art of Influence: Breaking Criminal Traditions. This unique exhibition boasts a beautiful thirty-six-page color exhibition catalog highlighting each of the exhibiting artists, a beautifully-written introduction by executive producer, Cheryl Jefferson, and my curator notes. These notes simply offer insight into the exhibition with a brief overview of some of the included works of art. I have chosen to share those note here. <div>
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The Art of Influence: Breaking Criminal Traditions is an exhibition addressing a variety of human rights issues. These atrocities include acid violence, stoning and honor killing as well as the more common tragedies that we see on the evening news... human trafficking, child marriage, and the rise of Fascism. This collection of work has been brought together with the intent of beginning a dialogue about these hard-to-discuss topics. </div>
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Each object in this collection offers multiple levels of interpretation. Most of the pieces were not created specifically to represent the criminal traditions, yet they were chosen because the content alludes to the issues at hand—offering an opportunity to begin a non-threatening dialogue, create understanding and seek resolution.</div>
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As the exhibition’s curator, I interpret the criminal traditions based on works of art that offer conceptual, symbolic, and metaphorical content. For example, the typical viewer might see <i>In the Middle</i> by Teresa Hofheimer, as a painterly study of a crouching male in a minimal, high-key setting. The freely painted nude is placed in the upper portion of the composition with the illusion of space only implied through subtle tonal changes of an almost white background. <div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Teresa Hofheimer, <i>In the Middle</i>, oil on canvas, 60 x 48"</span></div>
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But Hofheimer’s image is more than just a passionate representation depicting a love for the male form. The image speaks to the psychological pain inflicted on the perpetrator of an honor killing. Honor killing is the murder of a family member by relatives who believe that the victim has shamed or violated the family’s honor. The murderer is typically a young man who is expected to defend the family’s pride.<i> In the Middle</i> is symbolic of the psychological torture imposed on the executioner. The figure’s pose amplifies the impossible choice—torn and confused by the horrifying request of his family. </div>
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Honor killing may be the result of common behaviors. Outside of Western cultures, women and girls have been honor killed for wearing makeup, using technology, reading, or any reason the men of the family may choose. Gay men have been victims as well. In some Middle Eastern countries, men are thrown to their deaths from rooftops based on the presumption of being homosexual. The stark background of Hofheimer’s painting may be interpreted as the intended cleansing—or at the very least—symbolic of the attempt at reestablishing purity. </div>
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By taking the legal stand of “defending the family’s honor,” killers typically go free. Those imprisoned are treated as heroes. The psychological effects on all involved result in a society immersed in shame and fear. But in the 21st century, can murder truly be justified by beliefs passed down from a repressive male-dominated society? <div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Joyce Polance, <i>Fault</i>, oil on canvas 30" x 24"</span></div>
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Joyce Polance addresses personal authenticity in her work. She defines it as a willingness to be vulnerable and exposed, revealing the experience of inner chaos. Her paintings express pain and suffering on a visceral level. Although not addressing a specific criminal tradition, Polance’s imagery conveys the agony of repression. Her painting, titled <i>Fault</i>, is an image of pure emotion and inner rage. The intimate canvas presents a distraught female nude emerging from darkness. Perhaps in shock, the figure is almost lacking facial expression. Her vacant eyes suggest that she is numb to her surroundings. She embraces her legs—tightly holding them to her chest—seeming to be contemplating her predicament. She mutely stares back at the viewer, silently screaming to exist. Desperate slashes violate the image, ripping at the pigment’s surface. This imagery seems to address the debilitating fear, imposed anguish, and brutal repression of people—of women—throughout the world.<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Anne Smith Stephan, <i>Cold Ice</i>, oil on canvas, 30" x 48" </span></div>
<br />Interpretation is somewhat expected when approaching abstract art. Both splendor and agony are found in the abstract paintings of Anne Smith Stephan. With thinly dripping paint that sometimes builds to heavy impasto, these beautiful canvases offer unique environments to explore. A calming ethereal atmosphere is created with numerous layers of pigment that conceal a deeper message. Like an archaeologist, digging and scraping, the artist seems to be excavating—uncovering elements of a not-so-distant history. The rich and compelling multi-layered surfaces can be interpreted as exposing the physical and psychological wounds of life.</div>
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The works included in this exhibition may be interpreted on many levels. Although all are beautiful at face value, this collection is intended to touch the viewer’s mind and soul by highlighting the challenges faced by our global community. The hope is that these paintings, drawings, and sculptures will inspire discussion that supports positive social change.</div>
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A reception for The Art of Influence: Breaking Criminal Traditions will be held at The Gallery at Penn College on Thursday, February 7 from 4:30-6:30pm. I will be presenting some additional insights in a gallery talk which is scheduled for 5:30pm. The gallery at Penn College of Pennsylvania College of Technology is located at one College Avenue in Williamsport, Pennsylvania 17701.</div>
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Special thanks to Penny Griffin Lutz, Galley Director of The Gallery at Penn College and Emily Kahler for The Art of Influence: Breaking Criminal Traditions logo design. Cover image by Joyce Polance, <i>Pull</i>, oil on canvas, 24" x 24"</div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">The Penn College version of The Art of Influence: Breaking Criminal Traditions, includes work by: Carol Brookes, Corinna Button, James Deeb, Sheila Ganch, Clare Girodie, Charles Gniech, Sergio Gomez, Suzanne Gorgas, Teresa Hofheimer, Lelde Kalmite, Pauls Kloczkowski Luberda, Richard Laurent, Kathy Liao, Zurich Miller, Joyce Polance, Nancy Rosen, Lorraine Sack, Dominic Sansone, Barbara Simcoe, Anne Smith Stephan, and Neil Tetkowski.</span><br />.</div>
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Chuck Gniechhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09625536586669363996noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4520409606433511611.post-33975691692557905532019-01-06T13:52:00.001-06:002019-01-09T11:13:23.173-06:00Nancy Rosen - Frankly Mine at Studio Oh!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Nancy Rosen, m</i>ixed media on paper, 50x50"</span><br />
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This past Friday evening—fighting the remnants of a holiday cold—I was excited to attend the opening reception of Nancy Rosen’s latest solo exhibition titled, “Frankly Mine” at Studio Oh! When I arrived, I was inundated by the crowd of Rosen’s passionate collectors—many who have been made aware of Rosen’s work due to the Netflix show “Grace and Frankie.” The show's producers found Rosen’s work and continue to utilize it as that of Frankie’s—the character played by the iconic Lily Tomlin.<br />
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Rosen—a highly prolific artist—has been working in her current style for more than a decade. I believe that I first became aware of Rosen’s work in 2009 when I juried one of her large works on paper into an exhibition titled “Red” at Gallery 180 of The Illinois Institute of Art-Chicago. A solo exhibition followed shortly thereafter. Since then, I’ve been honored to curate many of her pieces into the ever-evolving human rights exhibition, “The Art of Influence: Breaking Criminal Traditions.” The show offers unique presentations for each new venue. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0FTgvtdJ0j4_keM_3-2jUwZ9eWhBbf__bMmQtJQH42RdYKcG5Q7wibiqPzsKoknIZEtegsqkw8AOx4miKOUyIVd17MSxpki4aUZy1BNlNF3YyNCfV8-h7OYV5UbS_jX4TDUPsXavngQ/s1600/audience+rosen.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="576" data-original-width="402" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0FTgvtdJ0j4_keM_3-2jUwZ9eWhBbf__bMmQtJQH42RdYKcG5Q7wibiqPzsKoknIZEtegsqkw8AOx4miKOUyIVd17MSxpki4aUZy1BNlNF3YyNCfV8-h7OYV5UbS_jX4TDUPsXavngQ/s400/audience+rosen.png" width="278" /></a></div>
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Rosen will tell you that painting—for her—is like breathing… it’s just what she does. She will also tell you that, what you see in her paintings is your own reflection. I agree with her. When you look at any piece of art, you bring your history to that moment. Your personal reality—created by your past—is what you experience. <br />
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As a curator, I’ve spent a great deal of time exploring Rosen’s imagery. Seemingly influenced by the organically-abstract style of Egon Schiele—the early 20th century Austrian painter—Rosen creates her figures with irregular lines, generally understated color and beautifully-obsessive background patterns, which result in highly emotional compositions. Mostly the void of men, in my mind, her work is about women and their supportive relationships with other women. Rosen’s imagery defines the beauty and the pressures of the female experience. The beautiful background patterns seem to be symbolic of humanity disappearing into visual chaos. <br />
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If you have not had the opportunity to experience the work of Nancy Rosen, make the time to visit Studio Oh! Located at 4839 N. Damen Avenue in Chicago. Gallery hours are Thursday, Friday and Saturday from 1-6 pm and by appointment. The exhibition continues through February 15th.<br />
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Chuck Gniechhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09625536586669363996noreply@blogger.com0