Ted Preuss at ZIA Gallery

Ted Preuss, Otter Cove, 36" x 30"

Opening Reception: Saturday, January 24, 5–7pm.

This Saturday, ZIA Gallery in Winnetka will be debuting selected large format photographs from Ted Preuss' latest body of work titled "The Sea". These beautifully defined seascapes utilize extended exposure to capture the movement of the water—creating a vague and peaceful fog to contrast the sharpness of the shoreline rocks.

The exhibition also includes select pieces from Preuss' past works, including still-life tintypes and his exploration of the female form in the "Simple Beauty" series... Truly something for every black and white photography enthusiast. Preuss uses traditional techniques, including a large format view camera with century old lenses.

The Photography of Ted Preuss can be seen at ZIA Gallery through February 28. ZIA Gallery is located at 548 Chestnut in Winnetka, IL 6009. The gallery is open Tuesday through Saturday from 10am–5pm, Thursday 10am–7pm and closed Sunday and Monday. Free street parking is always available.

Ted Preuss, a self-taught photographer, was born 1962 in Colorado. He picked up his first camera at the age of seven and instantly became obsessed with the nature of the medium. His passion for photography led to a career as a freelance architectural photographer for a decade in Boston and San Francisco. Today his work is primarily fine art B&W photography using a vintage view camera with century old lenses. The process of making prints is as important to him as the practice of creating photographs. Preuss chose hand coated platinum-palladium as a medium for its distinct vintage quality and archival properties. His work has been featured in Zoom Magazine, Focus Magazine, and Large Format Magazine.

To Summon Spring @ ZIA Gallery

Had enough of Chicago's winter weather? 

Opening this Saturday, at ZIA Gallery in Winnetka, is an exhibition of color-saturated, vibrant works of art, by eleven of the gallery artists. The exhibition includes painting, photography, mixed media and sculptural works. The show titled "To Summon Spring" was conceived by Anne Hughes and includes work by: Ted Preuss, Mary Burk, Melissa Jay Craig, Michael Cutlip, Kathy Weaver, Karina Hean, Fumiko Toda, Jonathan Ricca, John Vlahakis, Anne Hughes and myself. If your life is lacking a bit of color, this is the perfect solution.

The Opening Reception of "To Summon Spring" is Saturday, February 22 from 5-7pm.  ZIA Gallery is located at 548 Chestnut in Winnetka, Illinois... 17 miles north of Chicago. The gallery is open Monday through Saturday from 10:00am–5:00pm. Stop by and check it out.

Above Image:
Top Row: Ted Preuss, Mary Burke, Melissa Jay Craig and Michael Cutlip
Middle Row: Kathy Weaver, Karina Hean, Charles Gniech, and Fumiko Toda
Bottom Row: Jonathan Ricci, John Vlahakis, and Anne Hughes
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Ted Preuss ~ human

Image: Ted Preuss, "Recline", Silver Gelatin Print, 17" x 22", edition of 10

One of the amazing artists, selected to exhibit at the upcoming "human" exhibition, soon to be presented at Gallery 180 of The Illinois Institute of Art-Chicago is photographer, Ted Preuss. Preuss, a Colorado native, is currently living and working in Chicago. His work is not new to me. I've followed his career for the past six or eight years. His imagery has always been tasteful and exquisitely elegant. Three pieces will be included in the exhibition. Preuss defines his work:

The subject matter in which I photograph is not unique. It is what captures my mind’s eye and imagination. As an artist, I have always been interested in the human form and its many interpretations. I believe there is something inherently beautiful about the human body.

Through my lens I seek to capture the elegance and natural beauty of the female form, yet secretly wishing to leave traces of their identity forever. My images are studies in light and form, which blend formal and sensual qualities, radiating the individuality of my subjects through their emotion-laced gestures. Consequently the images I have captured have a warmth inner beauty with a poetic and distinct elegance.

Join us for "human", which opens to previews on January 16th. An opening reception is scheduled for Friday, January 20th from 5:30-7:30. The "human" exhibition is a national juried exhibition benefiting Heartland Alliance. Commissions from the sale of work, will be donated directly to Heartland Alliance for Human Needs and Human Rights, which provides life changing opportunities to people who are homeless, seeking safety or living in poverty.

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. Other work by Ted Preuss can be found at: preussphotography.com

Ted Preuss, a self-taught photographer, was born in Colorado in 1962. He picked up his first camera at the age of seven and instantly became obsessed with the nature of the medium. His passion for photography led to a career as a freelance architectural photographer for a decade in Boston and San Francisco. Today his work is primarily fine art B&W photography using vintage view camera with century old lenses. The process of making prints is as important to him as the practice of creating photographs. Preuss chose hand coated platinum-palladium as a medium for its distinct vintage quality and archival properties. His work been featured in Zoom Magazine, Focus Magazine, and Large Format Magazine.
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The Art of Human Rights: Friday, February 25th

Join me on Friday, February 25th for "The Art of Human Rights" [formerly Art Against AIDS], hosted by the Junior Board of Heartland Alliance. This charitable event features live and silent fine art auctions with a variety of work created by local and national artists. Donating artists include: Frances Cox, Ted Preuss, Maggie Meiners, Audry Cramblit, Paula Kloczkowshi Luberda, Sheila Ganch, and Carol Luc. This is just a partial list of the generous and wonderfully talented participating artists. Follow this link to review the available work.

This after-work cocktail party and fine art auction will benefit Heartland Alliance in providing housing, healthcare, economic security, and legal protections services to more than 200,000 people whose lives are threatened by poverty and danger, including those living with HIV/AIDS.

This year's event will take place at Gruen Galleries located at 226 West Superior Street in Chicago. The festivities begin at 6:30pm. Tickets can be purchased online at www.artofhumanrights.com starting at $125.
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photo'11: A Photography Exhibition to Benefit Human Rights

Image: Jeff Phillips

"Tourist Crowd Encounters Storm", Inkjet / Pigment Print, open edition, 24” x 65”, 2008

January 17 – March 3
Opening Reception: Friday, January 21, 5:30-7:30 pm
Gallery Hours: Monday-Thursday 8am-8pm; Friday, 8am-5:30pm; Saturday, 9am-5pm

Gallery 180 of The Illinois Institute of Art-Chicago presents “photo ’11”. This exhibition is the result of a national call for artists and presents a snapshot of the imagery currently being produced with—or through—the photographic process. The show is produced in conjunction with the annual Art of Human Rights® event to benefit Heartland Alliance. Commissions from the sale of work included in this exhibition, will be donated directly to Heartland Alliance to help their work in supporting human rights. Proceeds will help Heartland Alliance provide housing, healthcare, economic security, and legal protection services to more than 200,000 people whose lives are threatened by poverty and danger, including those living with HIV/AIDS.

Exhibiting Artists that are local to Chicago include: Jennifer Jackson [Chicago], Maggie Meiners [Winnetka], Jeff Phillips [Chicago], Ted Preuss [Chicago], Christopher Shoup [Bradley], and Debbie Yost [Park Ridge]. Additional Artists include: Ginny Mangrum [Walnut Creek, CA], James Mullen [Brunswick, ME], Gina Randazzo [Hastings-on-Hudson, NY], and Barbara Simcoe [Omaha, NE].

When the show selections were finalized, each accepted artist was asked to submit a statement defining their work. A catalog composed of the various Artist’s statements—as well as images of the included work—is available at the exhibition.

Image: Ted Preuss

"Virtue", Silver Gelatin Print, edition of 10, 14 x 20”, framed size 22” x 28”, 2006

With work featured in Zoom Magazine, Focus Magazine, and Large Format Magazine, Chicago Photographer, Ted Preuss defines his depictions of the human body as being inspired by the figurative work found in Ancient Greece as well as Renaissance, Italy. Pruess explains:

I believe there is something inherently beautiful about the human body. Using traditional techniques and a large format view camera with century old lenses, I seek to capture the elegance and natural beauty of the female spirit. My images are studies in light and form, radiating the individuality of my subjects through their emotion-laced gestures. Consequently, the images capture the subject’s warm inner beauty with a poetic and distinct vintage feel.

Jeff Phillips is fascinated by the random arrangements of public gatherings. Phillips explains:

As my crowd-spotting series evolves [image at top of post], I become better at identifying opportunities: a crowded tourist attraction, a busy intersection, and a packed subway car are all opportunity-rich environments. I look for animated characters within separate groups of people who—absorbed in their own moments—are often completely unaware of the contribution they are making to the larger scene.

Image: Jennifer Jackson

"Fuller Lane", Archival Print from Film, edition of 125, 16” x 20”, 2010

Jennifer Jackson reveals inhabitable spaces from her past. Her words and her work—poetically—tells the story:

My household turned from five to four when I was still new to this world. The home on Washington Street that makes up my first moments of life, and the only memories of my father living with us, is where my obsession with architecture began. The next three residences we inhabited; Reading Court, Fuller Lane, and Route 59, marked significant turning points in our lives.

Knowing that we would never occupy a particular space for long I grew increasingly obsessed in how one occupies a space, where they place their belongings, and how they design their environment and create a home. For me, this act of nesting mimics the manner in which one archives moments from their past. In most cases, one chooses how to store their memories as a method of coping or remembrance; we bury them to protect ourselves from pain, or they remain as fresh as the day they were created, or time picks away at the once richly layered imagery, until it fades. When one may least expect it, a memory resurfaces when confronted with a familiar smell, color, or sound. These elements trigger the memory deep within our mind until it is brought back to our consciousness.

I hope that you will have the opportunity to view this incredible collection of work—and perhaps purchase a piece to support Human Rights as well as one of these amazingly talented artists.

Photo ‘11 will be presented at Gallery 180 of The Illinois Institute of Art-Chicago through March 3. An Opening Reception will take place on Friday, January 21, 5:30-7:30 pm. This exhibition is free and open to the public. 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.

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The Preview Exhibition continues...

The Preview Exhibition for “The Art of Human Rights” at Gallery 180 of The Illinois Institute of Art will be closing on February 11th. There are still a variety of wonderful pieces available for purchase with all proceeds benefiting Heartland Alliance.

Shown above [foreground] is a twelve-inch square, mixed media piece titled “They are Burning” by Caroline Anderson. Anderson’s painting is available for $650.

In the background—left to right—


Ted Preuss
“Forget-Me-Not #1”, 16 x 20” silver gelatin print, $650


Nancy Rosen
“No Thanks”, 22 x 30” mixed media, $2,400

Susan Berg
“Westward Bound” 11 x 20" black and white photograph, $250. - No detail available.

Works included in this exhibition range in price from $200-$3,200. Gallery 180 of The Illinois Institute of Art-Chicago is located at 180 N. Wabash—at the corner of Lake and Wabash—in Chicago’s Loop.

The Reception...

I drove downtown—yesterday afternoon—to attend the closing reception of "Serene la Femme" at Palette & Chisel. The exhibition presented the figurative work of Photographer; Ted Preuss, Sculptors; Nancy Pirri & Audry Cramblit, and Painter; Mary Qain. I have worked with Preuss and Pirri, on a number of occasions, and recently became aware of Cramblit when she entered—and was juried into—the "From Nature” exhibition at Gallery 180 of The Illinois Institute of Art-Chicago.

The Palette & Chisel exhibition space is housed in one of Chicago's old mansions, located in the heart of the Gold Coast. The building—and its quant but lush garden-covered entry—remains beautiful and inviting.

As I entered the exhibition space, I found myself focused on the works of Audry Cramblit and Nancy Pirri. I was intrigued with Cramblit's attention to detail. In the piece shown above, Cramblit seems to define the character and attitude of a beauty queen who's performance has concluded. Tipped crown and cigarette in hand, she finds that there is no longer a need to present herself as a "lady". Cramblit’s illustrative pieces are charming but my preference was for her abstract torso studies. The pattern-covered forms attract the viewer by recognition, and hold their attention with the use of complex and intriguing patterns.

Both Cramblit and Preuss are currently included in Gallery 180’s “From Nature” exhibition, which continues through July 24.



Torsos by Audry Cramblit

Serene la Femme

If you are in the Chicago area and looking for a cultural experience this Sunday afternoon, you may want to consider attending the closing reception for the group exhibition, "Serene la Femme", at Palette & Chisel. The four exhibiting artists— Audry Cramblit, Ted Preuss, Nancy Pirri, and Mary Qian—are a highly talented and diverse group, focused on the female form. The exhibition includes sculpture, photography, and painting. The image above is a sculpture by Audry Crambilt.

Palette and Chisel is a wonderful exhibition space—not far from Oak street—at 1012 N. Dearborn. The closing reception is this Sunday, June 7th, from 2-6pm. I hope to see you there.

Ted Preuss... From Nature

This Ted Pruess image, "Desert Oasis #9", is one of the amazing pieces selected for the "From Nature" Exhibition opening at Gallery 180 on April 20th with the Opening Reception on Friday, April 24th.

Preuss—creating beautiful photographs of women as subject as well as art form—produces these pieces using a Platinum Palladium process. I found a wonderful section on his web site were he explains a bit more about this process then I've discussed in previous posts. The process is intriguing but I believe the most interesting aspect of Preuss' work is the passion for formal elements from which the images seem to be created. In defining his work, Preuss reveals his love for the human form and admits that his images are simply "...studies in light and form which blend formal and sensual qualities...". Take a few minutes to review his "Oasis of Mara" series. I love the image titled "Home". It's clearly about the contrasts of line, shape, texture and color.

Art Against AIDS... Ted Preuss

I was first introduced to the work of Ted Preuss when I juried an exhibition titled "Human" for The Illinois Institute of Art-Chicago. The group exhibition was presented in Gallery 350 during 2005. Preuss presented an image of a beautiful woman running her fingers through her long blond hair. The figure was photographed as a sculptural still life—nude—placed on a fabric-covered table—relaxed—in a moment seemingly meant for herself. The photograph, titled "Refine", defined a sense of peace while clearly being an exploration the way in which light falls of the human form. The work sold at the opening reception. Preuss was awarded a solo show, which was be presented in November of 2007.

Ted Preuss has generously donated a piece of his work to the Art Against AIDS benefit event. The piece titled "Desert Oasis I" [shown above], will be available at the main event on Thursday, February 26th at The River East Art Center. Additional work by Preuss can be seen at preussphotography.com