Matthew Runfola ~ Worldview at Gallery 180

i.12 [self absorption]  • formed/fabricated steel • 16.5” x 4.25” x 9.5”

The sculptural work of Matthew Runfola is currently on view in the Worldview Exhibition at Gallery 180 of The Illinois Institute of Art-Chicago. One of nine artists included in the exhibition, Runfola's metal semi-abstract narratives offer commentary on current social challenges.

As a society, we are struggling with the basic social skills to engage in face-to-face conversation or non-digital interactive communication. Let's face it, it's easier to write a blog, text, and instant message, then it is to stand up in a room filled with people, and lecture... or even to participate in a small group conversation. Has the computer age actually stunted our social skills and forever altered physical human interaction?  Runfola shares the concept behind of his work:

My work focuses on social commentary that explores the symbiosis between humans and our world, and attempts to visualize the cause-and-effect relationship with the two. In my i-Series body of work, I speak to the growing rate of self-absorption in our society, and the effect this has on community. The word community is derived from Latin cum (together) and munus (gift). Modern conveniences are allowing for better efficiencies, more access, and more universal independence. However, our use of these conveniences and lifestyle choices often blinds us to our surroundings; we are not present. At what point is efficiency a detriment?

The Worldview exhibition will be presented at Gallery 180 of The Illinois Institute of Art-Chicago through January 10, 2013. All works are available for purchase with a portion of the proceeds donated to Worldview Education and Care. Gallery 180 is located at the corner of Lake and Wabash in Chicago's Loop.

i.3 [self absorption] • formed/fabricated steel • 12” x 13.5” x 7.25” 

Raised in upstate New York farm country, Matthew Runfola was surrounded by humans interacting with the earth. As Matthew’s love for both mechanical objects and nature grew, his sense of the symbiotic association between humans and the world we live in began. Matthew graduated from Rochester Institute of Technology with a Mechanical Engineering degree. Searching for added creative freedom, Matthew established Runfola Studios with the intent of creating works that explore the relationship between humans and our physical and social world. Runfola teaches at the Evanston Art Center, located in Evanston, IL, where he also heads the Metal Sculpture department.
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Mary Porterfield ~ Nuances of Landscape

Mary Porterfield, Rise and Fall, 2011, Oil on Panel, 48"x 41"

Last night—after work—I took a short ride out to the Koehnline Museum of Art, at Oakton Community College located Des Plaines, Illinois. It’s just a 30-minute ride from downtown Chicago and I knew it would be worth the trip. Mary Porterfield was opening a two-person exhibition titled “Nuances of Landscape”. I’ve worked with Mary in the past and I’ve always been intrigued with the work that she produces. Her imagery possesses a mysterious quality… with dreamlike figures emerging from atmospheric anomalies. Porterfield’s exhibition statement—paraphrased here—reads in-part, as follows:

“My work asks what makes an act “heroic” in the midst of overpowering circumstance—symbolized by natural phenomena such as geysers, storm clouds, and volcanoes… In my paintings, landscapes represent situations beyond my control—literally and figuratively. A closer look reveals that these scenes are actually composed of hundreds of multi-figured narratives. Some depict religious paradigms and saints, whose heroic acts involved giving unconditionally. Other forms represent animals, which symbolize the courage needed to perform a selfless act—and the harm that can result, especially in the midst of futile situations.”

Porterfield’s paintings are presented at the Koehnline Museum with the work of Nina Weiss. It's a beautiful exhibition and well worth the short dive to the suburbs. “Nuances of Landscape” continues through January 25. Oakton Community College is located at 1600 East Golf Road in Des Plaines, Illinois. The Museum hours are Monday-Friday 10-6 and Saturday 11-4. Additional information can be found at oakton.edu. You can also view additional work by Mary Porterfield at: maryporterfield.com.
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Joann Rea ~ Worldview

Tapestry, oil on masonite, 48" x 36"

Joann Rea is one of nine artists currently exhibiting at Gallery 180 of The Illinois Institute of Art-Chicago's "Worldview" exhibition. The work included in the exhibition is diverse—presenting a variety of perceptions and interpretations of the subject, Worldview. The two paintings shown by Joann Rea represent the density of lush forestry in early fall. The images are created with a an obsessively  complex buildup of patterns created with tinny brushstrokes. The brushstrokes emerge into a composition of movement reflecting the transitions of life. Rea explains...

Although both “Tapestry” and “Spirals” are luxuriant paintings of leaves and branches, they are also woven patterns of colors and brushstrokes that lead the eye from one curve to another in the painting. In “Tapestry,” especially, the composition winds its way up the middle of the image, with the leafy brushstrokes following the movement. Straight lines of purple tree trunks both create a stark color contrast and prevent the woven patterns from dominating the composition. “Spirals” is not so much the painting of a tree but more the painting of a tree’s vivid gold and red colors swirling through a maze of green leaves, while the branches hold everything together. 

The Worldview exhibition will be presented at Gallery 180 of The Illinois Institute of Art-Chicago through January 10, 2013. All works are available for purchase with a portion of the proceeds donated to Worldview Education and Care. Gallery 180 is located at the corner of Lake and Wabash in Chicago's Loop.

Spirals, oil on masonite, 30" x 24"

Joann Rea has been capturing the nuances of nature and the environment for over 35 years, successfully showing and selling her original oil paintings through a number of galleries across the country. Her work was handled by the Dyansen Galleries of New York throughout the late 1980s and 1990s and was shown in Dyansen galleries in Boston, MA; Soho, NY; Arlington, VA; Waikoloa, HI; Tokyo, Japan; and San Francisco, CA. Independent galleries that have shown her paintings include Marin-Price Galleries, Chevy Chase, MD; Southwest Gallery, Dallas, TX; Park West Gallery, Southfield, MI; Kruckmeyer and Cohn Gallery, Evansville, IN; Fisher Gallery, Washington, DC; Main Street Gallery, Annapolis, MD; and the Prince Royal Gallery, Alexandria, VA. Joann currently maintains a studio at the Noyes Cultural Arts Center in Evanston, IL.

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Murray Hidary ~ The Repercussions of Sandy

Abstract Color Series, Series 17#1 • digital photograph • 40” x 30” 

Producing a national juried exhibition is always a challenge but the stress increases as the work from around the country begins to arrive... or doesn't. Last Saturday morning, as I began hanging the Worldview exhibition in Gallery 180 of The Illinois Institute of Art-Chicago, It was obvious that a create was missing. After a sweep of various storage areas, I contacted the artist's representative. She tracked the create to find that it was in New York... detained and possibly destroyed by super storm Sandy.

I hung the exhibition without the two Murray Hidary photographs... But the story does have a happy ending. As I was standing in the gallery—an hour before the private preview reception was to begin—FedEx delivered the crate containing Hidary's work. With a few minutes before the guests were to arrive, I uncreated the work and placed the images on easels. The following morning, the pieces were  appropriately installed—included into the exhibition before the reception and available for purchase.

The Hidary images are amazing colorfield pieces mounted behind glass and floating just in front of the wall. An explanation of these rich and thought-provoking photographs, was offered by his gallery...

The dilemma between what remains objective in photography and what is transformed by one’s own perceptions is met head on by Murray Hidary’s work. The blurred color fields in his Abstract Color Series as well as his progressively blurred objects series’ challenge how we visually organize the world. By defamiliarizing commonly encountered objects, he creates new realms within his photographs that inspire to transcend our grounded notions of perception and reality.

Hidary chooses to bring attention to that which goes largely unnoticed by us through his bare lens. His work is shot in 35mm using primarily Kodak and Fuji films and printed on a variety of surfaces including photographic and watercolor paper. Filters were not used to achieve any of the colors or effects in the work, and the images have not been digitally enhanced or physically manipulated during the developing or printing processes. Hidary’s work frames an alternative view of the world that remains true to its’ original composition from the point a photograph is snapped to the final print.

The Worldview exhibition will be presented at Gallery 180 of The Illinois Institute of Art-Chicago through January 10, 2013. All works are available for purchase with a portion of the proceeds donated to Worldview Education and Care. Gallery 180 is located at the corner of Lake and Wabash in Chicago's Loop. 

 

Abstract Color Series, Series 17#2 • digital photograph • 40” x 30” 

Hidary’s work has garnered wide praise and regularly appears in gallery and museum exhibitions. His work is also held in many private collections. His photography has appeared in myriad group shows including the San Francisco MoMA’s 15th Biennial Auction, at the Guggenheim Museum, and the San Diego Art Institute. Solo exhibitions of Hidary’s work have been featured at Karpeles Museum (Santa Barbara, CA), East Link Gallery (Shanghai, China), and the Nabokov Museum (St. Petersburg, Russia).

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Richard Laurent ~ Worldview

Richard Laurent, Veil of Tears, oil on canvas, 24"x48" 

Friday's reception for the Worldview exhibition at Gallery 180 of The Illinois Institute of Art-Chicago was well attended. Richard Laurent is just one of the nine artists exhibited in the show. His work "Veil of Tears" is from a series of paintings that address Criminal Traditions from a visually symbolic point of view. Laurent's statement reads...

"Around the world, millions of females live too close to their bones and too far from their dreams. They are at risk for honor killing, forced childhood marriage, acid violence, female circumcision, and more. These practices go back thousands of years and still continue today even though they result in the maiming and death of thousands of women each year. This happens worldwide, including in the United States. My work is intended to raise consciousness around these issues because consciousness is the first step toward global change."

Pieces from Laurent's series will be included in a upcoming group exhibition that is planned to travel the country with the intention of raising awareness of this multilayered issue and perhaps leading to social change. Additional information about the Criminal Traditions exhibition can be found on the CAA Exhibition Opportunities board.

The Worldview exhibition will be presented at Gallery 180 of The Illinois Institute of Art-Chicago through January 10, 2013. All works are available for purchase with a portion of the proceeds donated to Worldview Education and Care. Please join me this friday for the reception, from 5:30-7:30pm. Gallery 180 is located at the corner of Lake and Wabash in Chicago's Loop.

Richard Laurent is widely exhibited, with numerous awards and recognitions. Recent solo venues include the Atrium Gallery, Fine Arts Building Chicago, Gallery H, Three Oaks, Michigan, and the University Club of Chicago. Laurent has also been included in the Oil Painters of America Eastern Regional Exhibition for the past six consecutive years. Richard Laurent is represented by Gallery H, Three Oaks, Michigan.

Opening Friday at Gallery 180 of The Illinois Institute of Art-Chicago

Glory Days  • oil on canvas • 36” x 48” 

This Friday, I will be hosting a reception for the Worldview National Juried Exhibition at Gallery 180 of The Illinois Institute of Art-Chicago. The exhibition is a benefit for Worldview Education and Care... a 501(c)(3) charity that supports education and health care services in the Arumeru District of northern Tanzania.

One of the nine exhibiting artists is Chicago area painter, Anne Smith Stephan. Her beautiful subtle abstract colorfield paintings are calming in presenting their emotionally-driven content. The artist explains...

My work explores the wounds of life. Memories of these moments float in the recesses of one’s mind and then­—suddenly—jarring recollections appear out of nowhere, startling in their depth. Many moments in life are tranquil and beautiful, others are unsettling and horrific. My work approaches the range of memories that make up a life.

The Worldview exhibition will be presented at Gallery 180 of The Illinois Institute of Art-Chicago through January 10, 2013. All works are available for purchase with a portion of the proceeds donated to Worldview Education and Care. Please join me this friday for the reception, from 5:30-7:30pm. Gallery 180 is located at the corner of Lake and Wabash in Chicago's Loop.

Bloodlines [top] • oil on canvas • 30” x 40” 

Gone [bottom] • oil on canvas • 30” x 40”

Anne Smith Stephan received her BA in Fine Arts and Philosophy at Barat College in Lake Forest, IL. She has studied at the Contemporary Art Workshop, the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, Northwestern University, and the Evanston Art Center.

Her work has been exhibited at Woman Made Gallery, Chicago; the James R. Thompson Center, Chicago; Noyes Street Cafe, Evanston; Gallery Mornea, Evanston; and the Evanston Art Center. For several years she was represented by AnamArt Gallery in Naperville. She recently had a solo exhibition at the Chicago Cultural Center and is currently in a group show at the Oak Park Art Center.
She was formerly on the faculty of the Evanston Art Center teaching oil painting and is a founding member of the Wilmette Arts Guild. Her work is in many private collections around the country.
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Charles Gniech at ZIA Gallery

Gniech Exhibition installation image provided by Anne Hughes of ZIA Gallery

An exhibition of my latest paintings, opened at ZIA Gallery last weekend. The work is based on the meditative qualities of the stone circles of Great Britain.   

I’ve spent roughly two decades researching and exploring the stone circles of Great Britain. Britain is littered with more than four hundred and thirty of these prehistoric sites. Each site seems to be placed in a strange segment of paradise… whether on the plateau of a mountain in the Lake District or in the back yard of an old farmhouse somewhere in the middle of the countryside. Each site has it’s own charm and personality. Each site is an experience.

This latest body of work is influenced by the meditative qualities of the fluid surface-patterns found on some of these monuments. I have taken artistic liberties in the replication, manipulation and abstraction of the surface patterns, yet the work continues to convey the serene qualities regularly associated with nature, harmony and inner peace.

The exhibition continues through November 24th. ZIA Gallery is located at 548 Chestnut in Winnetka, Illinois. The gallery is open Monday through Saturday from 10-5. Street parking is readily available.
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