Nora Venturelli in Figure Show at Sisson Gallery

Visitors to the show opening Jan. 25, 2012 at Sisson Gallery, Henry Ford Community College will be treated to an all-star line-up of artists representing the figure in their work. WSG artist, Nora Venturelli will have 6 paintings from her "Vice Versa" series on the walls. These spectacular pieces layer drawings and studies of the figure on the canvas with a final, more voluminous figure anchoring the foreground. I love the way the pieces play with your perception of positive/negative space and figure/ground.
The pieces from Venturelli's "Vice Versa" series belong in a museum!

The show runs January 25 through March 16, 2012, with a reception Jan. 25, 6-8pm.

WSG artist, Valerie Mann, is keynote speaker, visiting artist at Saline High School

Gallery artist Valerie Mann was the keynote speaker and art project facilitator for the 1st ever "Art Day" at Saline High School, Friday, Jan. 13, 2012. The art career day was organized by 2 moms who have daughters interested in art careers and/or interested in keeping art a vibrant part of their lives, if they major in another subject. Mann spoke to them about managing their 2 most important assets, their health and identities, to prepare for whatever career they choose. She encouraged them to find ways to manage stress in their lives, and added that making art was one way to do that. Her message of "art is really about problem-solving" was intended to open the students' minds to the importance of making art a part of their lives.
After her keynote speech, the students broke into 3 groups, rotating between a hands-on public art project with Mann, a panel discussion with recent Saline grads who've gone on to study art in college, and a "getting into art school" discussion with a few college reps. Read more and see the photos at this link: http://www.annarbor.com/news/saline-high-schoolers-explore-a-future-in-art/

new year/new work: Francesc Burgos at WSG

New for 2012 at WSG Gallery is a show of recent clay work by Francesc Burgos. New Year/New Work is on exhibit through February 11, 2012, with a reception Friday, January 6.

Burgos comes from an architecture background, earning an MFA in ceramics from University of Utah after a career as a commercial and residential architect. That background in structure has a significant influence on the artist's thought process as he sketches and refines ideas for his pieces. The platter (above) has what looks like a little village or grid of sky-rises in its center.


Pay special attention to Burgos' surface treatment. He uses a technique called "terra sigilata" to build up a surface that somehow celebrates the essence of clay - the earthy quality. Yet the finish is somewhere between matte and glossy and seduces the viewer into touching it....yes, touching the piece of art. The piece above has raised bumps, at once sophisticated in design and reminiscent of an ancient tradition of ceramic work.

Burgos was inspired into pursuing the study of ceramics by an exhibit of medieval Japanese ceramics. "The simplicity of form" was what grabbed his attention and imagination.

Stop in the gallery over the next 6 weeks and see where Francesc Burgos' imagination took him.
Read these older blog posts to see more of his work and read an interview, start with May 14, 2010: http://wsgartgallery.blogspot.com/search?updated-min=2010-01-01T00:00:00-08:00&updated-max=2011-01-01T00:00: