Wednesday, December 29, 2010

WSG artists on billboards

Adams Outdoor Advertising Donates Advertising Space
To Local Area Artists In New “Art In The Sky” Program
Ann Arbor, Michigan – Driving down US-23 or I-94 in the Ann Arbor-area, commuters may be surprised to see a work of art on a billboard which normally carries advertising. A local Ann Arbor company, Adams Outdoor Advertising (AOA), has launched an “Art In The Sky” program that transforms traditional public service space into a public art gallery (photos attached). AOA has a long-standing initiative to invest back into the local community by providing public service advertisements to non-profit organizations. The “Art In The Sky” program is an extension of this service.
AOA Real Estate Manager Shannon Bellers, in partnership with artist Elizabeth Schwartz, launched the initiative to bring art to the masses via the medium of outdoor advertising. The project, called “Art In The Sky,” debuted December 20, 2010 in multiple locations around Washtenaw County including Chelsea, Milan and Belleville. To date, AOA has provided donated space to three local artists: Elizabeth Schwartz, Connie Cronenwett and Lynda Cole. All three artists are affiliated with the WSG Gallery located in Ann Arbor, which can be visited on-line at www.wsg-art.com.
“We would like to potentially expand the program throughout our Ann Arbor market counties and even further into our otherMichigan markets,” said Bellers. “The feedback we have received from artists and the Ann Arbor community at large has beenoverwhelmingly positive.”
Robert M. Beckley, Professor and Dean Emeritus Taubman College of Architecture and Urban Planning at the University ofMichigan, commented on the project through an unsolicited email, “I was both surprised and delighted…This effort by your company has made me see the potential for combining public art and commerce in a new way. I hope this initiative will carry on.”
The project’s goals are two-fold. First, project coordinators seek to bring art to those who may not have the opportunity to visit a traditional art gallery, in a new and unexpected way. Second, the project provides a showcase for Ann Arbor’s artists and thriving cultural community. Should the project expand as desired, AOA hopes to host a juried “mobile art show” later in 2011.
“Seeing my work on such a large scale, and knowing that others will see it as well, is quite a thrill,” said artist Elizabeth Schwartz. “I'm thankful to Adams for this exciting public art project, and look forward to seeing more ‘Art in the Sky.’"
“We're looking to see billboard art by local artists wherever we drive in Michigan,” added artist Connie Cronenwett. “We hope it catches on all over the state."
Artists in the Washtenaw County-area interested in being considered for this program are invited to send an e-mail to Shannon Bellers at sbellers@adamsoutdoor.com. Please be sure to include full contact information along with a website photo of your original art.
Headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, Adams Outdoor Advertising is committed to providing a return on investment (ROI) for every dollar spent on out-of-home advertising in our markets. Adams Outdoor Advertising operates in 17 markets with more than 12,000 billboard, poster and digital displays in eight states. To learn more about outdoor advertising solutions, visitwww.adamsoutdoor.com or call Shannon Bellers, Real Estate Manager, at
(734) 327-8999.

Saturday, December 18, 2010

Art in the Sky


Several WSG artists are participating in an outdoor billboard campaign conceived o by Adams Outdoors, a billboard advertising company. If you're traveling I-94 anytime soon, check out Lynda Cole's at Belleville Rd. and Elizabeth Schwartz' westbound on I-94, just before the Chelsea Exit. Connie Cronenwett's is out there somewhere, too!
Visit Lynda's at her web address: http://www.lcole.com/lcole/stories/Pages/Egg_on_a_Billboard.html
and Betty's at Elizabeth Schwartz.com

Thursday, December 16, 2010

Michelle Hegyi at A2 Women's City Club



Gallery artist Michelle A. Hegyi has a solo exhibit Artwork by Michelle A. Hegyi at the Ann Arbor Women's City Club, running from mid October through mid December 2010. The Ann Arbor Women's City Club is located at 1830 Washtenaw Avenue, Ann Arbor, MI. For more info, call 734.662.3279.

Selected image from A2 Women's City Club Exhibit, Artwork by Michelle A. Hegyi

The Space Between, No. 7
1/10
pigment ink on rag paper
edition of 10
image size 26.25"h x 37"w, framed 31.25"h x 39"w
©2009 by Michelle A. Hegyi

Monday, December 13, 2010

WSG's Holiday show continues

There's nothing like an Adrienne Kaplan painting to heat up a cold day outside! Her colors are spectacular! When you're driving down a Michigan road in winter, assuming you CAN drive down that road in winter, it seems like, sometimes, you're driving through a black and white photograph. Imagine arriving at your house, walking in the door and an Adrienne Kaplan painting greeting you inside, reminding you that you are, indeed, NOT living in a B&W photo - makes you catch your breath!

Well, the holiday show at WSG continues through January 2, 2011, and you can be the proud owner of an Adrienne Kaplan piece, or a Norma Penchansky piece, or a Nora Venturelli piece....or a Martha Keller piece......

You get the idea!

Thursday, December 9, 2010

Nina Hauser photo


Nina Hauser is our photographer at the gallery. Not only does she exhibit and sell gorgeous photos she makes, but she also documents our shows at WSG, re-sizes and cleans things up so they are generally more usable. In this piece, Nina's talent for seeing something in a moment - a place - comes through as she captures a forlorn, yet peaceful homestead in a windswept setting.

The tree in the foreground seems like it keeps the house company. It is interesting that the scrubby tree and the house look to be nearly the same height, a visual perception that happens because of atmospheric perspective. Intellectually, we know that is not so.

Tuesday, December 7, 2010

Holiday Cheer Next Door to WSG


This is another great window celebrating the season downtown Ann Arbor. When you stop by the gallery to see the holiday show, you may work up an appetite talking about all the great artwork to choose from. You can just head a couple of stores down to "The Black Pearl" where this snowman was painted by John Copley and Mary Thiefels and replenish yourself!

Thursday, December 2, 2010

Getting Ready for the Season

Get downtown and check out the windows all painted up for the holiday season! I came upon John Copley and his "minion" painter friend Mary Thiefels decking out the windows in such beautiful images as this garland with jewels somehow attached to the painting. This is in the window of Sieferts jewelry. Check out the wonderful work all over downtown windows!

Monday, November 29, 2010

Holiday Show Opens Friday, Dec. 3, 7-10pm


It's here! WSG's much-awaited Holiday Show! It opens tomorrow, during normal business hours, but the reception is Friday night, Dec. 3, 7-10pm during Midnight Madness. Downtown should be hopping! All of our member artists, visiting artists and a few guest artists will have gorgeous things to choose from - gifts for those on your list, or the gift you may want for yourself! Check out this piece by member artist Valerie Mann and her collaborator, Barbara Yerace. It's made of re-claimed wood, rubber and hot glass.

Tuesday, November 16, 2010

Haiku answer

It's Karie Coron-Wagner's. Go the the gallery - 306 s. Main, downtown Ann Arbor - and see this painting of Michigan landscape that I can't get out of my head!

Saturday, November 13, 2010

Norma Penchansky Glasser at Lansing Art Gallery

Norma's work is on exhibit at Lansing Art Gallery - www.lansingartgallery.org - through December 23, 2010. Her powerful and graceful pieces invite you to walk around and study the lines, negative spaces and the visual decisions she's made in the creation of them. There's a certain zen in each piece. The labor intensive process of creating a cast bronze piece - the sculpting of the clay initially is a meditative process, inviting the artist to take her time, examine the subject from all angles, in the round, above, below and all points between.

Wednesday, November 10, 2010

Adrienne Kaplan's opening at Hudson Gallery


Gallery member Adrienne Kaplan opened her show at Hudson Gallery, in Hudson, Ohio, near Sylvania Saturday night, Nov. 6. You can see her gorgeous, color saturated canvases through early December at the gallery. Also, don't miss her lovely set of 6 paintings (at WSG) from her trip to Maine this past summer!

Saturday, November 6, 2010

Love at First Sight at WSG!


Yep, everyone loves art - and what's not to love at WSG! Our first bride and groom at the gallery, the gallery member on duty was quick with the shutter. What a cool photo!!!

Friday, November 5, 2010

Adrienne Kaplan at Hudson Gallery

Adrienne Kaplan's show at Hudson Gallery in Hudson, OH opens Saturday night, Nov. 6, 5-7 pm. Learn more at Hudson Gallery's website: www.hudsongallery.net .

Wednesday, November 3, 2010

WSG artists at Power Center through Nov. 17


This is 1 of Nora Venturelli's 3 paintings on exhibit at the Power Center in Ann Arbor right now. Several other WSG artists have work at the exquisite performance space as well. We appreciate using the exhibit space at the Power Center each year. It's great exposure for all of us at WSG and it's great for the people going to performances there - especially when they have intermissions!

Friday, October 29, 2010

WSG Artist in Ann Arbor Clay Tour

WSG member Francesc Burgos will participate in Ann Arbor Clay Tour 2010, two days of open ceramic studios in Ann Arbor, December 4th. and 5th.
See annarborclaytour.com for details.

Tuesday, October 26, 2010

Lynda Cole at WSG gallery

Lynda Cole is the featured artist now at WSG gallery, through Nov. 28, 2010. In this photo, her lovely collaborative installation (w/Candace Pappas) captures the light as it comes in the front window. This piece is just gorgeous! The ephemeral qualities of the materials they used, the way the suspended elements dance in the air, create a meditative piece that is mesmerizing!

Thursday, October 14, 2010

Ann Arbor.com review of Alvey Jones' show

Read this great review of Alvey Jones' Vermeer and the Art of Painting in Ann Arbor.com:
http://www.annarbor.com/entertainment/wsg-gallery-alvey-jones/

Saturday, October 9, 2010

Check out this lovely short video about Martha Keller's recent retrospective:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LTQvedvlB40
Search Martha Rock Keller, Remembering the Days.

Thursday, October 7, 2010

Visiting Artist, Lulu Zheng at WSG


We are so lucky at the gallery to have a group of vastly talented visiting artists. Lulu Zheng grew up swimming competitively in China, went to medical school, all the while swimming and painting her muse - water! Most of her work celebrates her close relationship with water and swimming. This large (about 3 1/2 x 4 1/2 ft.) piece is called "Lulu Meets Her Muse and Trusts Her". What a gorgeous piece!

Women Writing, by Alvey Jones


When you look at Alvey's "Vermeer and the Art of Painting" show, be sure to pay special attention to the light source. Vermeer was a Dutch painter. The light in the Netherlands is a Northern light, having a "cool" quality. Cool as in bluish - not warm as in sunlight in the tropics. Note Alvey's color choices, as well. How do they complement the "original" Vermeer painting?

Tuesday, September 28, 2010

Vermeer Studies: The Art of Painting


I particularly love this piece by Alvey, with the wistful painting of his granddaughter as model on the right, the sassy shadowbox assemlage in the center panel and the copy of the Vermeer Lacemaker on the left. Women of different ages, from different ages, all engaged in a creative pursuit! Cool!

Wednesday, September 22, 2010

Alvey Jones article in A2 Journal


Read the interview and special article about Alvey Jones' show at WSG in A2 Journal, at Heritage Papers publication:

http://heritage.com/articles/2010/09/19/life/doc4c968ad61c7f5123142541.txt

Wednesday, September 15, 2010

What would Alvey do???


Artist's Statement
In the fall of 2009 I asked my wife what she wanted for Christmas. "A Vermeer," she said. Any one would do.
She got her Vermeer.
My wife's Christmas wish, while tongue in cheek, led me to embark on an ambitious (some would say preposterous) project. I would paint exact replicas of the works of Johannes Vermeer of Delft, using as much as possible only the materials, techniques and equipment that had been available to the 17th-century Dutch painter. I looked on it as a training regimen, aimed at improving my capabilities in the use of oil paint.
It was quickly apparent that my attempts to recreate a Vermeer were an abject failure – least of all because I do not live in the 17th century. But failure is often a useful tool for an artist and, in my case, was in the end irrelevant when a much more interesting and fruitful ambition presented itself.
I formulated the following creative problem: What would it be like to create a series of Vermeer facsimiles and translate that experience into my own work? I could apply the lessons learned from a major 17th-century artist to mirror images by a marginal 21st-century artist. I wanted in the course of transcribing Vermeer's pictures to immerse myself as far as I could in his frame of mind, to inhabit the mood of his paintings. I wanted not to just duplicate the paintings, but to imagine what it would have been like to spend months painting them. And it did take months to paint them. Oil painting done properly is, I discovered, a very slow process. Further, I wanted to imagine how Vermeer might use concepts, materials and tools available today to produce comparable pictures.
The subjects I devised seem to parallel his, yet diverge in ways informed by the passage of more than three hundred years. While my own work is but a shadow of the world created by Vermeer, I hope echoes of his light and atmosphere penetrate here and there.
The effort was worthwhile. I have a greater understanding and respect for Vermeer's accomplishment and a better appreciation of my shortcomings as a painter. My answer to the question "What would Vermeer have done?" can be found in the exhibition at WSG Gallery.

Thursday, September 9, 2010

Vermeer Studies: The Art of Painting



On view at WSG Gallery right now is an "authentic" 17th century Vermeer-o-Mat.
When you come to the gallery, you can purchase a limited edition exhibit catalog, hand-made by the artist, Alvey Jones. This catalog is inside the Vermeer-o-Mat and what fun it is to pull the handle and have your exhibit catalog drop down in this early vending machine!
Alvey put a lot of time into the design and production, not only of the catalogs, but of this wonderful Vermeer-o-Mat.

Tuesday, September 7, 2010

Alvey Jones at WSG Gallery

What a Treat! Alvey Jones' much awaited show opens this Friday, September 10 from 7 - 10 pm. There will also be a free wine-tasting provided by Vinology at the reception.

Alvey undertook a year-long study of Vermeer paintings, reproducing this Dutch master's paintings to learn as much as possible, and came up with a cool concept for his show of painting contemporary women, in daily attire in their natural settings in a similar position with as similar a lighting situation to Vermeer's as possible. As I lit the show today, it was hard to keep my eyes on my job and off of Alvey's work!

Sunday, August 22, 2010

Review of Michelle Hegyi's show at WSG


http://www.annarbor.com/entertainment/wsg-gallery-michelle-hegyi/
Check out the link above for the review of "Do You Remember the Shape of the Trees", Michelle Hegyi's current show at WSG Gallery.

Monday, August 9, 2010




Look Between the Rain, No. 9
2/10
beeswax, acrylic and pigment ink on Japanese paper
edition of 10
image size 24"h x 24"w, floated with magnets on museum board, framed in pickled white wood frame
frame size 26-7/8"h x 26-7/8"w x 1-1/4"d
© 2010 by Michelle A. Hegyi




"Many of the pieces in my show combine digital painting with real paint strokes, collaged in translucent layers using pigment ink, beeswax, and acrylic on Japanese Unryu paper. They reference the disappearance of memory using translucency, trees, leaves, geometric abstraction, and architectural elements."
-- Michelle A. Hegyi





Do You Remember the Shape of the Trees..., No. 6
1/10
beeswax, acrylic and pigment ink on Japanese paper
edition of 10
image size 34"h x 24-5/8"w, floated with magnets on plexiglas strip
© 2010 by Michelle A. Hegyi

Tuesday, August 3, 2010

WSG artist teaches at Traverse City this week


If you happen to be out in the Leelenau Peninsula area or somewhere around Traverse City and the bay area of Traverse this week, you may see some enthusiastic landscape painters led by our own talented landscape painter Nora Venturelli. She teaches an intensive landscape painting class for Eastern Michigan University each summer Up North. Look for some of her gorgeous northern Michigan work at the gallery when she returns!
Check out the blog the students created: http://landscapewithnora.blogspot.com/

Thursday, July 29, 2010

WSG artist and friend exhibit at Brighton District Library

WSG Gallery artist Alvey Jones and painter Gail Sanchirico host an opening reception for their exhibit at Brighton District Library on Sunday, August 1, 2 - 4pm. The show runs through September 8. Alvey will have over 50 books on display! Stop by, say hi and see some cool work!

Friday, July 16, 2010

Images from Tubingen, Germany show

If you happen to be in Tubingen, Germany, stop by the Kunsthalle, adjacent to the Kulturhalle, and see some of your favorite WSG artists' work on display in this lovely space. A gorgeous, spacious, natural light-filled gallery, the Kunsthalle is about 30 feet from floor to ceiling with concrete floors and white stone and concrete walls. It's a very modern-feeling space in a city hundreds of years old, with cobblestone streets just outside the door. The above piece, by Valerie Mann, is one of the pieces that traveled across the pond for the exhibit.

Thursday, July 15, 2010

Clothesline Show


WSG has a lot going on! Our artists returned from Tubingen, Germany from the Sister City Exchange last week. Our German hosts were most gracious and the Kunsthalle (city art gallery) is a gorgeous space for the show of our work "Ann Arbor Artists in Tubingen".

Also, our Clothesline Show is up for another week - through July 24! There are many smaller, more affordable pieces hung throughout the gallery on clotheslines for a fun shopping experience in celebration of the Ann Arbor Art Fairs!

And lastly, gallery artists Alvey Jones and Barbara Brown are doing an Artists' Residency at Hollander's in Kerrytown through July 24 - STOP IN AND SEE THEM! Hours for the residency are 10 - 5 weekdays.

Friday, June 25, 2010

Clothesline Show

WSG is trying something new for our next show!
We're having a "Clothesline Show" to celebrate summer in Ann Arbor and the Ann Arbor Art Fairs. What's a clothesline show? Well, it's a great way to buy some great art for great prices from some of your favorite Michigan artists. We've dug deep in our studios to bring out work - some "never before seen", even. The work will be strung through the gallery on clotheslines, in clear bags for you to browse and priced for you to take home!

Check out Lynda Cole's image above. It's a digital, archival print and full of color to brighten up your living space!

The "Clothesline Show" goes up this weekend, opens to the public June 28, 2010 and goes through July 25. We'll be having a closing reception July 23, 7 - 10 pm. Yep, it's during Art Fair, so come enjoy some refreshments and air-conditioning! And take home some art!

Tuesday, June 22, 2010

WSG Artists' work to appear on the set of Scream 4

5 artists from the gallery will have several pieces gracing the set of the movie "Scream 4", filming in the Ann Arbor area starting June 28. We are excited, but we are not rookies to the movie business! Several WSG artists have had pieces purchased for movies filming in the area in the past couple of years, and Adrienne Kaplan even advised on the movie "Flipped" and her studio tools, brushes, etc. appeared in the movie, too! That movie is being released this summer, so watch for Adrienne's brushes!!!

Friday, May 21, 2010

Norma Penchansky-Glasser - Inside and Outside the Box

Step into WSG gallery's entry space and you'll be welcomed by a group of bronze sculptures first. You may stop, wait for them to draw a breath, lift an arm, flex on the ball of a foot, make their next move....

Norma has studied the figure as her primary inspiration, capturing each dancer at the point just before the next gesture - at a point that leaves the viewer anticipating what comes next.



On the walls, you'll see Norma's spectacular drawings. You can see the artist's work process in these pieces, as she sees the figure, records in on paper, imagines the figure's next movement, records it on top of the first drawing, and so on. The drawings have such a poetic nature - meditative, really. The black and gray lines are so elegant against the white paper!




A slight departure from Norma's bronze work and framed drawings are her wall-hung box pieces. I say slight, because her drawings and sculpture provide a stepping-off point for these little pieces. Norma starts with an antique sewing drawer and uses drawings of her dancers, beautiful papers, clay objects and parts from sculptures to create these assemblage pieces.

"Dance With Me", above, is one such piece. The box pieces provide the artist with more immediate satisfaction than the bronze pieces - a nice break from the labor-intensive process of sculpting, moulding, casting in wax, investing in ceramic shell, pouring bronze, chasing, patinating and mounting on a base (WHEW!). Working in several different veins, an artist can feed her soul, invigorate her thought process and, ultimately, discover things that translate among the media she explores.

Norma Penchansky-Glasser's work will be featured from May 18 through June 27, 2010. Gallery hours are Tu, Wed noon to 6, Th - Sat, noon - 10 pm and Sunday noon - 5pm. WSG gallery is located at 306 S. Main St., Ann Arbor.

Friday, May 14, 2010

Interview with Francesc Burgos

Study Model for a National Cenotaph
stoneware with terra sigillata


Interview with the Artist, Francesc Burgos

I had the pleasure of gallery-sitting one evening with Francesc and decided to ask him a few questions about his background, his work and his process. Read on to learn more!

Q. How long have you been working in clay?

A. I've been working with clay since 1990 or 91. Prior to that, I was an architect, working for a firm in San Francisco that did mostly residential, single-family houses. We did a few commercial projects - warehouses, malls and shelters. I also taught Spanish at U.C. Berkley, where I earned my graduate degree.

Q. How did you come to clay as a medium - how did you know that was the direction you wanted to go, after your architecture work?

A. It was a visit to the Asian Art Museum - I was simply AWED by the medieval Japanese ceramics on exhibit. I knew I had to be a ceramicist! So, I took classes at Laney Community College. Then I pursued an MFA in ceramics at University of Utah, where I was living at the time.

Q. What was it about that first contact with the ceramic pieces at the Asian Art Museum that drove you?

A. I was drawn to the Japanese medieval clay pieces because of their simplicity. They were unrefined, but very elegant and had a lot of presence. You could see the character of the maker in the piece - I'd never realized how expressive ceramics could be!


Q. Could you tell me a little about your working process - how you come from idea to form?

A. I make lots of sketches. Very often I draw cross-sections of the pieces - to plan structurally how they'll be built. I have to anticipate how firing will affect the clay. I start first with form and make full-scale drawings and sometimes templates.

Q. What are some of the things you think about, as you're making those drawings and planning the forms?

A. I am considering interior spaces, structure and the nature of dwelling.

Friday, April 16, 2010

Clay sculpture of Francesc Burgos at WSG gallery


Right now at WSG gallery, the gorgeous ceramic sculpture of Francesc Burgos is featured in our front window space. This delicate piece welcomes you into the gallery. Using porcelain joints and thin bamboo poles, Francesc creates a balanced structure that makes an ephemeral drawing on the wall with its shadows. The show continues through May 15, 2010.

"Abstraction of a Woman's Head with Hat (after Julio Gonzalez), Montserrat"
earthenware with terra sigillata
Francesc manipulates form in a way that makes it seem, well, not manipulated - like it might have just naturally occurred. The terra sigillata surface treatment further enhances this effect. Terra sigillata is a technique the artist uses to cover the clay form with slip (a thinned clay mixture), letting it dry to a certain degree, then burnishing the surface to bring out the natural eggshell-to slightly glossy finish of the clay. This labor-intensive finish really allows any texture in the surface to be enhanced.

"Propitia"
porcelain with terra sigillata



Here, Francesc continues his exploration of form simultaneously radiating and turning in on itself. The negative spaces are just as important - and interesting - as the positive spaces.

"Branch and Return"
earthenware and wood

Again, Francesc plays with space, growth, contraction and "drawing" with shadow. You can see a suggestion of the shadow drawing on the pedestal in this photo, but at the gallery, the shadows are much more dramatic. The genius of this piece (and the large pieces on the gallery walls - YOU GOTTA CHECK THEM OUT!) is that they define your perception of space with minimal materials.

Wednesday, March 31, 2010

WSG, Family & Friends

WSG Invites Family & Friends
February 23 - April 4, 2010
reception: March 12, 6-9pm

That's right, folks! We invited family members and friends who make art to take part in this show. Artists from 9 years old on up have work in the gallery for this show. People making work in plaster, porcelain, oils, watercolor, printmaking, photography and mixed media are represented here and the artists are from Michigan, Ohio and South Carolina.

Be sure to stop by and see the giant doll house with an elaborate story and riddle to solve!

Natural Landscapes


natural landscapes
Karin Wagner Coron

January 5 - February 21, 2010

reception: Jan. 8, 2010, 6 - 9pm

Karie paints the landscape of Michigan with a special attention to the skies in this show. She has a talent for capturing the vastness of the sky and its humbling nature, noticing subtleties and bringing them to the canvas in a way that makes the viewer say, "Yes, I've felt that way when I've seen the sky."

Visitors to WSG during Karie's show will step in the gallery and stop immediately inside the door to catch their breath. Her work transports the viewer to a favorite place, physically or metaphysically. Landscape can do that.

Karie took her camera on a trip to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, prior to her show. She snapped photos on the way up and back, drinking in the beauty of Michigan. When she returned to her studio, she chose the photos to use as a stepping off point and brought the landscapes to life with her favorite media - oil on canvas.

This show is a great break to the cold, gray winter in Michigan. However, one of my favorite paintings is the large, square-format painting of a winter sky straight ahead, as you enter the gallery. Karie captures the subtle coloration and glow of the sky in a way that stops me in my tracks every time I enter the gallery.

Saturday, January 30, 2010

Holiday show


WSG Holiday Show

December 8, 2009 - January 3, 2010

Reception, Friday, December 11, 7 - 10 pm

Our Holiday show is full of surprises! We have pieces of all sizes and media. The space as you enter the gallery is hung with paintings, drawings, hand-pulled prints, photography work and felted wool hats. On the pedestals, you'll find bronze sculpture, mixed media sculpture, books, recycled wool mittens, porcelain and stoneware pieces. Something for everyone!

We've tried something new for this Holiday Show. Each artist has produced several smaller-scale pieces, in addition to their larger-scale pieces so visitors to the gallery will have a broad range of pieces at a broad range of price-points and can choose gifts for yourself or others!

In addition to our member-artists, the following visiting artists will also be on display:

Pat Truzzi, John Lilley, Matruka Sherman, Maria Ruggiero, Ruthann Baker and Margaret Parker.


Figures & Spaces - paintings by Nora Venturelli

NORA VENTURELLI
Figures & Spaces

October 27 - December 6, 2009, Opening reception November 6, 6-9pm

Also showing are gallery member-artists and the following visiting artists:

Ruthanne Baker, John Lilley, Chris McCauley, Margaret Parker, Pat Truzzi, Maria Ruggiero and Matruka Sherman


As you walk into WSG, you have 3 choices as to where you can indulge your eye.

1. Straight ahead, on the title wall, are 3 still life paintings, each with a mannequin, a wooden frame and a rectangular piece of paper as the objects. Venturelli has set up a challenge for herself in these pieces - a very limited palette of khakis, browns and off-white colors are used to define the objects, visually pulling you into the spaces with the complex layers of shadows and the illusion of depth.



2. To your left is a grouping of 5 oil paintings - figures in dynamic poses, dramatic colors capturing the figures moving, changing poses. One model super-imposed atop himself almost seems to be struggling to release himself from the canvas. Another seems to be moving back and forth through the deep spaces Venturelli has created.



and your 3rd decadent choice is:

To your right, is a grouping of large-scale drawings - 46 x36". Venturelli's love for the figure is truly evident in these charcoal and pastel pieces. Their quiet power makes you stop...breathe... and stare in awe.