WSG Gallery's Blog

Nora Venturelli in Figure Show at Sisson Gallery

2012-01-25T05:58:00.000-08:00

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

2012-01-15T11:03:00.000-08:00

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

2012-01-02T10:19:00.000-08:00

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:

WSG looks back at 2011

2011-12-28T14:25:00.001-08:00

In this last week of December, 2011, it seems necessary to remind ourselves of the highlights of our year.

1. Our 13th year in business!
2. We celebrate the life of longtime member Dee Ann Segula, while mourning her death and the loss of a wonderfully creative friend.
3. Lynda Cole takes 3rd at Art Prize in Grand Rapids.
4. Our first wedding proposal happens at the gallery.
5. Scream 4 hits the movie theaters, featuring the artwork of several WSG artists - most prominently, Nora Venturelli's in the scene where the bad girl throws her body onto a glass coffee table.
6. More art from WSG bought & rented for the filming of 5 Year Engagement (watch for it in theaters this year).
7. Another year of top-quality, sometimes challenging, art made in Michigan.

8. Gallery artists Connie Cronenwett, Lynda Cole & Elizabeth Schwartz' artwork featured on Adams Outdoors billboards throughout Southeast Michigan.

WSG's Venturelli shows at Chelsea Center for the Arts

2011-12-11T17:10:00.000-08:00

The Legacy Land Conservancy and Chelsea Center for the Arts have collaborated in a landscape show running through February 29, 2012. The show is a gathering of landscape "heavy hitters" in Michigan, and, we're proud to say, they're all local! Check out Ann Arbor.com's article:
http://www.annarbor.com/entertainment/chelsea-center-stand/

WSG's Holiday Show Opens

2011-12-01T07:30:00.001-08:00

Middy Potter's "Long Tall Sally" greets visitors to WSG's Holiday Show, which opens with a reception Friday, Dec. 2, 7-10 pm. The opening coincides with downtown Ann Arbor's Midnight Madness kick-off of the holiday season.

We have many smaller, unique items in the Holiday Show. Our artists have created smaller paintings, hand-made cards, jewelry, felted, recycled wool mittens and many other objects d'art to fit your list of gift items this season!

Parking will be crazy Friday, but the atmosphere will be festive with music, outdoor performances and special sales in our unique group of local retailers downtown.

We have a new neighbor in our building - Lily Grace - a specialty cosmetics shop, and Friday will be her Grand Opening, as well.

Buy local, buy handmade, BUY MICHIGAN!

Hope to see you at the gallery!

Nora Venturelli at Kerrytown Concert House

2011-10-31T17:22:00.000-07:00

Nora Venturelli's paintings will be on display at Kerrytown Concert House for the month of November, 2011. When you see this group of paintings, you'll be drawn to her exquisite handling and observation of the landscape of Northern Michigan.

More on Lynda Cole at Art Prize

2011-10-23T13:01:00.000-07:00

Our very own Lynda Cole shares her experience at Art Prize 2011 and her 3rd prize finish in this international show! Read on: http://www.annarbor.com/entertainment/lynda-cole-enjoys-3rd-place-victory-at-artprize/?cmpid=RSS_link_entertainment

Evening Gowns for the Midwestern Woman at WSG

2011-10-19T18:50:00.001-07:00

Evening Gowns for the Midwestern Woman, an exhibit of work by Valerie Mann opened to the public Tuesday, Oct. 18. A reception to celebrate is Friday, Oct. 21, 7-10 pm. Wear an evening gown or fancy suit to the opening to be elligible to win 1 of 2 $25 gift certificates to the gallery!

The installation pictured here is the namesake of the show.

Evening Gowns for the Midwestern Woman is an installation sculpture of evening gowns sewn from a variety of patterns and fabrics, with some modifications along the way. Each gown is clearly a distinct design from the next, but has a solid connection with the gown adjacent through its hemline. As a result, these individual pieces are all interconnected eventually. The dresses are complex in design and engineering, yet simple in form. They simultaneously hang from the ceiling on hand-made cedar (a la old split rail fencing) hangers, and are tied to the floor and walls, giving an effect of floating together.

The artist says, "This piece allows me to combine several things I love to do – problem solve an idea, sew and camp. Camp?, you might ask. The original idea I had in my head was to have the skirts pop out like a dome tent. This required some further study of our family tent. Measurements were taken, prototypes made and the skirts were all altered with panels engineered to pop out like a dome tent."

The idea for this piece came about gradually, becoming clearer in the artist's head with time and with work in her sketchbook. "Even so," she says, "I was still on the fence with my commitment to the idea as the focal piece for an entire show. Then, an wonderful gallery patron challenged me as we looked at my work early last summer, saying, “I think you're being too neat...to careful. Don't hold back! What are you waiting for?” It was exactly what I needed to hear."