Abstract and realistic, artists compete in EAG member show
Elmhurst Artists' Guild members are exhibiting their newest works and competing for prizes in the Guild's Spring Member Show being held in the EAG gallery from April 15 through May 23. The gallery is located at the Elmhurst Art Museum, 150 S. Cottage Hill Ave., Elmhurst.
Prizes are awarded during an artists' reception, free and open to the public, in the gallery, Friday, April 18, from 7 to 9 pm. Admission to the gallery and the museum is free all day Fridays.
Judging the show's entries is Gregg Hertzlieb, director and curator of the Brauer Museum of Art, home to a nationally recognized collection of 19th- and 20th-century American art, world religious art, and Midwestern regional art, on the campus of Valparaiso University. Hertzlieb, instructor in Museum Studies at Valpo, has a master's degree in fine arts from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and a master's degree in education from the University of Illinois at Chicago.
Among the entries are two different nature-related acrylic paintings. Using a contrast between organic textures and man-made forms, Michael Klaus-Schmidt's piece, "Twisted Oak," provides engaging patterns in a muted palette, creating almost a nocturnal mood. In a different approach, the soft palette of Marlene Vitek's "Spring Woods" evokes the lighter nature of sunshine on a spring day.
Other works in the show are oils, acrylics, watercolors, mixed media, collages, sculptures and photographs recently completed by EAG members, each displaying their interpretations and approaches to art with new and, often, unique perspectives.
The exhibition can be viewed during regular Museum hours, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday from 10am to 5pm, Friday from 10am to 8pm and Sunday from noon to 5. On days other than Fridays, Museum admission for adults is $5, seniors and students $3, and children under 5, free.
Most of the items entered into the show are for sale, and a portion of the proceeds benefits the Guild and the Elmhurst Art Museum.
The EAG gallery is not-for-profit, operated by the Elmhurst Artists' Guild. It features original contemporary artworks in a variety of styles and media. Each year it hosts several group shows featuring the artwork of Guild members, an invitational show for a significant local artist, and the National Art Premiere, a nationwide juried group show. Exhibits are partially supported by a grant from the Illinois Arts Council. More information is available at HYPERLINK "http://www.elmhurstartistsguild.org/" \o "http://www.elmhurstartistsguild.org/" \t "_blank"elmhurstartistsguild.org,