November 6 - December 7, 2006
- Reception: Thursday, November 16, 6 to 8 p.m., Gallery Lounge
- Gallery Talk by Steve Hudson at 7 p.m.
- Musical performance by Jordan Kaye
Each artist in the All Terrain exhibit unveils a new perspective on how we look at the natural environment that we inhabit, seek to inhabit, or simply enjoy exploring. From realistic oil paintings to miniature isolated environmental sculptures to kitsch clouds and romantic sunsets, the All Terrain exhibit encourages audiences to take a second and more profound look at the outside world through landscape interpretation. Participating artists include Mark Abrahamson, Fred Easker, Rebecca Eilering, Gerard Erley, Steven Hudson, Derick Malkemus, Seowoon Oh, Arielle Sandler, and Michael Peter Smith.
Hudson, a Parkland painting instructor, will speak about his work in the exhibition during the reception. His oil paintings reflect his interest in landscape using historical references and pop- culture derivatives. “These paintings offer a playful wandering through different visions of the imaged world,’ he says. “They offer no total viewpoint or place objectively described. I offer up these paintings to embody a place of wonder, the place of seeing.”
Eilering, who works in Collinsville at St. Charles Community College, explains that her work involves the process of finding, making, cutting, layering, reassembling, and repeating visual information. “My work stems from my own observations and experiences of places in which I have lived or visited,” Eilering says. “I enjoy travel without a sense of destination. I become acutely aware and connected to my immediate surroundings. Through this method I can allow myself to become honest about how I perceive the surroundings (whether it is based on assumption, stereotype, myth, romanticism, or fact and understanding).”
Smith, a New York sculptor represented by Bodybuilder & Sportsman Gallery in Chicago, reveals the landscape in miniature. “My sculptures of scale models explore vulnerability,” Smith says. “Environments are barren, containing subtle evidence of unexplained occurrences. As dilemmas enter into these model worlds, mythic problems of self- identity, isolation, and vulnerability emerge. These miniatures allow for a safe, controlled analysis of inner fears and private anxieties.”
