Breaking Criminal Traditions at the Schoenherr Gallery of North Centeral College, Opens Friday

Charles Gniech, Bound, Acrylic on Canvas, 40x60"

This Friday, the latest incarnation of The Art of Influence: Breaking Criminal Traditions exhibition will open at the Schoenherr Gallery of North Central College in Naperville. The exhibition features artists from around the country, calling attention to ongoing ancient rituals that kill or maim millions each year. The exhibition utilizes the beauty of high-quality fine art to allude to human rights issues.

The exhibition is filled with symbolic imagery with multiple levels of meaning. Bound a 40 x 60 inch acrylic painting, can be seen as a tied figure but the ropes can be seen as metaphor for the psychological constants that are imposed on victims of violence and abuse. The heroic figure isn't restrained by the rope, yet he seems to grasp for the fibers that restrict him.

The exhibition includes work by: Corinna Button, James Deeb, Sheila Ganch, Charles Gniech, Sergio Gomez, Andrea Harris, Lelde Kalmite, Paula Kloczkowski Luberda, Richard Laurent, Kathy Liao, Chandrika Marla, Nancy Rosen, Lorraine Sack, Dominic Sansone, Valerie Schiff, Barbara Simcoe, and Anne Smith Stephan.

The Art of Influence: Breaking Criminal Traditions opens Friday, February 13th with an Opening Reception from 6:30-9pm. All works are available for purchase. The Schoenherr Gallery of North Central College is located at 171 E. Chicago Avenue, Naperville, IL 60540. The Breaking Criminal Traditions exhibition will continue through April 6, 2015.

The "Meditative Surfaces" Reception...

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

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

The Installation...

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

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