Schiff and Tansley at Gallery 180

Foreground: Valerie Schiff, "Between a Rock and a Hard Place", stoneware, 20" x 11" x 11", $2,800

This past weekend, I installed the Valerie Schiff and Jim Tansley exhibition at Gallery 180 of The Illinois Institute of Art-Chicago. Being the fishbowl that it is—with great exposure to both Lake Street and Wabash—the installation was repeatedly interrupted by interested passersby. Inquisitive patrons would wonder into the gallery to get that “first look” at the work… even though it was still resting on the floor—awaiting final placement. The numerous conversations resulted in a commission for Schiff and a probable sale for Tansley.

But then again, it’s expected… the show is amazing. The included work is a mixture of Schiff’s passionate figure studies in stoneware, and abstract figures in bronze, combined with Tansley’s boldly painted colorful abstractions and elegant charcoal drawings… all inspired by nature. It’s a peaceful exhibition… and one that shouldn’t be missed.

The paintings of Jim Tansley and the sculpture of Valerie Schiff will be presented at Gallery 180 of The Illinois Institute of Art-Chicago through August 30. A public reception will take place on Friday, August 3 from 5:30-7:30 pm.  All works are available for purchase. Gallery 180 is located at 180 N. Wabash—at the corner of Lake and Wabash—in Chicago’s Loop. The gallery is open Monday through Thursday from 8am-8pm, Friday 8am-5:30pm and Saturday 9am-5pm. Additional information can be found at gallery180.com.

Foreground: Jim Tansley, "Dialog of Hemispheres", acrylic on canvas, 48" x 72", $6,500

Tansley and Schiff at Gallery 180

Jim Tansley, “Dialog of Hemispheres”, acrylic on canvas, 48” x 72”

Save the date: Friday, August 3rd... 

Gallery 180 of The Illinois Institute of Art-Chicago will present the colorful abstract paintings of artist, Jim Tansley, along side of the figurative forms of sculptor, Valerie Schiff.  Both Chicago area artists came to fine art later in life… and both explore their media from an instinctual perspective.

Jim Tansley began painting in 2000, after a forty-year career as a graphic designer. His “order from chaos” approach to painting results in the creation of unique abstract imagery that hints at nature and the human form. Tansley explains…

“The paintings have their origins in my fascination with the abstract qualities and rhythms of natural forms. I view the elements of nature (animal, vegetable, mineral) in terms of their relational aspects. There are obvious visual similarities throughout nature. For example, our blood stream and tree sap. Branches and rocks suggest muscles and bones. Tree trunks are reminiscent of the human torso. This interconnectedness of natural form suggests an evolving process of universal development: molecules assembling, vapor forming, new forms arising, life beginning and mutating. These ideas of similar rhythmic and structural forms existing across disparate natural elements, inform my paintings.”

Valerie Schiff, “Venus”, bronze, 27” x 6.5” x 9”

Valerie Schiff also came to fine art later in life. With accolades including numerous awards and multiple “Best in Show” prizes, Schiff’s powerfully emotional figurative forms emerge from an internal and deeply intuitive place. Her materials, bronze or terracotta, are used simply as a vehicle to express an emotional—very human—experience. After carful examination, the soul of the sculpture begins to reveal itself. Schiff explains, “A piece is successful if it has an inner life… It’s thrilling to me if I can capture, in clay, a gesture or a moment in time.”

Schiff defines her process:

“When I begin a new sculpture, I build the forms quickly, my knife slashing through the clay. I leave my surfaces raw, rough, and exposed, so the clay takes on the imperfections of real life. Making art is an internal journey of choices and solutions. I find myself open to how each piece evolves. Art is truly a journey that the artist travels, allowing this mysterious process to occur. Having come to sculpture later in life, my process is still revealing it self to me. It’s internal and deeply intuitive.”

The paintings of Jim Tansley and the sculpture of Valerie Schiff will be presented at Gallery 180 of The Illinois Institute of Art-Chicago through August 30. Previews begin on July 23rd. A public reception will take place on Friday, August 3 from 5:30-7:30 pm.  All works are available for purchase. Gallery 180 is located at 180 N. Wabash—at the corner of Lake and Wabash—in Chicago’s Loop. The gallery is open Monday through Thursday from 8am-8pm, Friday 8am-5:30pm and Saturday 9am-5pm. Additional information can be found at gallery180.com.

Combining Work ~ Tansley and Jovanovic?

I’ve spent the past few weeks scheduling studio visits with a variety of artists… attempting to compile the exhibition schedule for Gallery 180 through 2012. My intention for future presentations, is to combine the work of a two and a three-dimensional artist for each exhibition… finding a common thread within the work.

Early last week, I had the opportunity to visit Jim Tasley in his studio at the Fine Arts Building on Michigan Avenue. I’ve worked with Tansley in the past—exhibiting pieces included into group exhibitions. I was excited by the new paintings posted on his web site so I wanted to experience the work in person.

When I arrived at Tansley’s studio, I found the walls covered with work, hung salon style. The fourteen-foot ceilings allowed placement for numerous images from his current body of work as well as some smaller framed pencil drawings exploring the creation of his visual language. Moving on to the rich colorful canvases, I was intrigued by the layers of chaos becoming organized into beautiful flowing organic forms. It seemed that the composition created obvious contrasts of tensions with areas of rest, symbolic of the cycles of daily life. There was something pulling me into each canvas… urging me to further explore the complex patterns of shape, texture and color. I found these images intriguing and plan to include Tansley's work in a future exhibition at Gallery 180. You can view some of Tansley’s work at: jimtansley.com


Interestingly enough—yesterday afternoon, I met with another artist whose work seems to merge seamlessly with Tansley’s imagery. Vesna Jovanovic has a studio in Lincoln Square where she begins her drawings by dripping ink onto paper, hanging them on the wall and exploring the random forms until she sees the beginning of an image. The process continues… She draws into the random drips, creating an organized—and sometimes subtly political—composition through the buildup of beautifully executed organic line. The funny thing is that I was actually there to see Jovanovic’s sculptural work.


The vessels—most standing three to four feet tall—are again, based on somewhat random exploration. The pieces are begun with a process of coiling clay on a potter’s wheel and—prior to being fired—the walls of the vessels are cut to expose a variety of interior surfaces... exposing beautiful hidden forms beneath the—once solid—exterior shell. The forms shift as they are fired, offering an element of chance to the final presentation. Perfect in their imperfection, the vessels are fired at extreme heat [cone 6], and the final surfaces are often an unexpected surprise. Additional work by Vesna Jovanovic can be found on her web site: vesnaonline.com

It seems obvious that the work of these two artists should be seen together. Watch for the future exhibition at Gallery 180 of The Illinois Institute of Art-Chicago.
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Jim Tansley... "Cherished Scheme"

Three summers ago, I was called out of a class for an “urgent” meeting. I was told that there were some people in Gallery 180 who needed to speak to me. When I arrived in the gallery, I met a charming older French couple, on holiday from Paris. They had been walking down the street—in front of the gallery—and spotted a painting that intrigued them. They found their way inside and fell in love with a work by Jim Tansley. The couple told me that, often when they traveled, they would purchase art as a memento of the trip. When they saw the Tansley painting, they knew that they wanted to return to Paris with it in hand. The couple made the purchase and asked if they could take the painting to avoid shipping the work. After a quick telephone call to the artist, to ask if a replacement piece was available, the transaction was complete and the couple left with their newly acquired treasure.

Another of Tansley’s paintings will adorn the walls of Gallery 180 of The Illinois Institute of Art-Chicago. “Cherished Scheme”—one of Tansley’s most recent pieces—will be included in the upcoming national juried exhibition titled, “red”. After spending more then forty years of his life as a graphic designer and painting for almost a decade, Tansley has created a number of wonderfully flowing images within this latest body of work. Created from random marks, Tansley make no intentional reference to reality. In fact, his intention is to “…attempt to produce unique environments, which rely on traditional painting and drawing techniques for their formal structure and composition.”

The piece shown above—selected for the “red” exhibition—is titled "Cherished Scheme". It is a 20 x 24 inch acrylic work on canvas, with a price tag of $2,000. Take a moment to review the some of Tansley’s other work at: jimtansley.com. You won’t be disappointed.