As summer winds down and the days get shorter, one cannot help but feel a certain nostalgia for those first bright mornings of early summer. Not only does Kathy Hofmann perfectly capture dawn in this 15 x 16.5 inch acrylic on panel painting, she also captures the mood of a season. The dramatic contrast between the shadows of the tree and the bright, misty hills in the distance suggest the mystery and promise of a beautiful new day in the country. The dappled sunlight on the trunk, the subtle variation of the color of the shadows, and the beautifully painted leaves all indicate that this painting is by an artist with a sharp eye for detail, a talent for imparting light, and a true appreciation for all of nature’s wonders.
Read MoreLaurie Hogin – “Field Guides”
Laurie Hogin‘s “Field Guide” series refers to taxonomic impulse to organize and classify the overwhelming variety of creatures in nature. These intimately sized oil on panel paintings measure 4.5×3.5 inches, and with their custom gilded glitter frame, they are each 6.75×5.75 inches. Small, but full of personality, each set is beautifully painted and exquisitely detailed. These birds are full of personality, and certainly have something on their minds.
Read MoreJeffrey Ripple – “Atwater Beach”
Jeffrey Ripple‘s new painting “Atwater Beach” was painted especially for our Summer in Wisconsin exhibition. One really needs to view this incredibly realistic, highly detailed painting in person to appreciate Jeffrey’s skill. I can get lost in the foliage alone, so am including a detail below. “Atwater Beach” perfectly captures a beautiful day on the shores of Lake Michigan in Shorewood, Wisconsin’s best park. The contrast between light and shadow and the difference in brushwork in the hazy sky versus the photo realistic landscape elements make this a very special painting. One can almost see the individual grains of sand! Best enjoyed in person, this 15×32 inch painting will be on exhibit through September 3rd.
Read MoreBill Reid – “Beeware of Bears Bearing Ice Cream”
Bill Reid‘s new sculpture “Beeware of Bears Bearing Ice Cream” is quintessential of Reid’s work. Bill Reid‘s tongue in cheek word play is part of the artist’s rich and personal mythology with animals in the starring roles. This fanciful green bear wears a cape shaped like a butterfly but in the colors of a bee. Perched on high healed humming bird shoes, the smiling bear offers some unusual flavors of ice cream cones, including zebra, bluebird, and fox! This beautifully crafted and marvelously painted metal sculpture is 42 inches high and 21 inches wide. Not too big, not too small, but just right!
Read MoreCraig Blietz – “Think Like a Bluebird”
“Think Like a Bluebird”, a captivating new oil on panel painting by Craig Blietz portrays an enchanting moment between two ubiquitous creatures, a white Holstein cow and a bluebird. They communicate in an empathetic manner through eye contact. Does the larger beast respect the smaller creature’s place on the branch? Or perhaps, each is admiring the others natural strength and beauty while considering their differences. The contrast between the muscular cow and the delicate bird heightens the drama, but does not cause tension. Through serious, old master painting techniques and careful treatment of light and color, Craig Blietz is able to make the viewer believe in the possibility of such an unlikely encounter in this quixotic work. With an image size of 19.5 x 28.5 inches, “Think Like a Bluebird” gives the viewer ample space to get lost within the beautiful world depicted.
Read MoreT.L. Solien – “Norwegian Costume”
T.L. Solien’s new work “Norwegian Costume” is both monumental in scale and subject. This dramatic acrylic on canvas painting measures 96 x 68 inches, and like most of Solien’s work is psychologically intense. The woman in this painting is dressed in atraditional costume from her home country. Does she look so serious because she realizes that she left many friends and comforts back in the old country? The figure is based on a circa 1938 photograph of the artist’s mother and from T.L. Solien’s “Westward Expansion Series.” Solien says of this painting, “The image stands as a metaphor for the disruption of tradition, isolation…..imposed or self-imposed, and potential for a violent response of conclusion. Part of what appears to be a small coffin is on one side, a kitten walks nonchalantly toward the other edge, as woman clutches a pair of rakes behind her back. Silhouettes of discarded bottles, cans, cacti and a broken window and fence suggest the harsh life of a new immigrant in an unforgiving environment. The straight stance, direct gaze, and colorful costume of the Norwegian woman suggest pride, perseverance, and tenacity in spite of the difficulty adjusting to a new life.
Read MoreMark Brautigam – “Little Wolf River in New London"
Nothing says says Summer in Wisconsin like tubing down a lazy river. Our summers are short, and beautiful days sometimes seem rare, so when the perfect day occurs, everyone comes out of the woodwork to enjoy it. Mark Brautigam‘s On Wisconsin series features many images from around the state in all seasons, but this is one of my favorites. The carefree tubers on the sparkling water under the shimmering trees makes for a delightful scene. The true beauty of this view communicates naturally in large format photographs. The image size measures35×44 inches. The artist lives in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, holds a BS in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Minnesota and served as an officer in the United States Marine Corps for four years.
Read MoreCharles Munch – “Wind River”
“Wind River, ” a new painting by Charles Munch for our Summer in Wisconsin exhibition embodies many of the issues that interest Munch. As he says, “I really do want people to care about what nature is. I want people to be more in tune with nature as one of the big forces in the world, something to be reckoned with, to be respectful of, to take pleasure from. It is not just something to be ignored, exploited, or conquered.” As in many of Munch’s paintings, human and animal life interact in an enigmatic fashion surrounded by a meticulously painted landscape. Charles Munch’s penchant for color comes from his training in art conservation, where colors cannot be approximate, but must be exact. Brush strokes are purposely made as smooth as possible, lending more importance to color and the reductive composition. Wind River measures 39 inches tall by 63 inches wide, and like all of his large work, the details have been carefully worked out in a much smaller version.
Read MoreDerrick Buisch – “Errata Index 21”
Derrick Buisch has a new installation of twenty-one 10×12 inch paintings of his personal ideograms. An ideogram is a written (in this case painted) symbol of an idea or object. Derrick Buisch has been developing this graphic language over many years in his sketchbooks and paintings. Symbols, painstakingly reproduced, reoccur in various contexts on larger canvases. His intriguing use of visual clues point to ideas. Buisch condenses the symbol into a few deftly drawn lines, and with concentration, the viewer can pick up on the visual clues and break the code.
Read MoreRuss Vogt – “Red Reeds”
Inspiredby natural reeds found in marshlands, Russ Vogt’s ceramic sculpture “Red Reeds” is as graceful and engaging as it is red. Comprised of hand formed over-sized “beads”, each segment in unique. Russ Vogt fires his clay at an extremely high temperature, which makes it vitreous. Thus, even in the coldest days of winter, this artful sculpture can stay outdoors without water or ice permeating its solid surface. Elegant enough for indoors and hearty enough for outdoors, Vogt’s good design shows. Beautiful in the summer, but stunning in the winter against a white backdrop of snow, “Red Reeds” are appropriate any time of the year.
Read More