"degrees" opens August 4th in West Dundee
swell gallery in West Dundee will celebrate the opening of a noteworthy exhibition of abstract artwork opening on Saturday, August 4th from 5:00 - 9:00 pm.
The four artists spotlighted in this show hail from across the central plains of Illinois and Iowa. Each received a Master of Fine Arts degree from Illinois State University and has followed their degree into a career as both a professional artist and educator.
Benjamin Gardner is Assistant Professor of Art & Design at Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa. Tim Kowalczyk is an Adjunct Ceramics Instructor at Illinois Central College in East Peoria, Illinois. Jeff Robinson teaches Painting 1 at Illinois State University in Normal, Illinois. Jared Wittenmyer taught Lithography 1 at ISU at was an Adjunct Printmaking Instructor at Southeastern Community College in West Burlington, Iowa.
The commonalities between these artists reach beyond their degrees. Repetition of form, harsh angles, distortion of the physical world, a deep engagement with materials and process and a delicate balance of relationships only begins to scratch the surface. The work of Gardner, Kowalczyk, Robinson and Wittenmyer each sings out strongly in its own voice, yet combined make up an impressive four-part harmony.
For the sake of clarity, these four men are a painter, ceramicist, assemblage artist and printmaker/sculptor, however, to pigeon-hole them would be unfair. Each reaches across mediums to fully explore his interpretation of reality, and strives to engage the viewer in thoughtful consideration of the influences and decisions that led to the finished piece before them.
swell gallery curators, Kim Tibbetts and Nikki Hollander, invite you to attend the opening reception on August 4th and chat with the artists directly.
Regular hours for this exhibition will continue every Saturday from 2:00 - 5:00 pm from August 11 through September 15, 2012. Swell Gallery is located at 123½ W Main Street (Rte 72) in West Dundee. Additional information is available at www.swellgallery.com or www.facebook.com/swellgallery.IL.