Norris Gallery 'Gift of Art' exhibit highlights three local artists
St. Charles, Nov. 25 - Paintings, drawings and limited-edition prints by three local artists - Nick Freeman, Scott Harding and Terry Walsh - will fill the Norris Cultural Arts Center's gallery throughout the holiday season in an exhibit, "The Gift of Art." All works in the exhibit will be available for purchase, and priced in a range that makes each work an attractive holiday gift for the discerning art lover.
"The Gift of Art" opens for public viewing on Dec. 4 and remains on display through Jan. 10. The public may meet the artists during a free reception in the gallery, Saturday, Dec. 5, from 5 to 7 p.m. The Norris Gallery is open to the public 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday. Admission and parking are free.
Freeman, Harding and Walsh also will be at the gallery during scheduled concerts throughout December and during certain other weekend times throughout the exhibit. Their availability will provide an opportunity for gallery patrons to learn the stories behind the paintings, which can add important meaning and value to an artwork acquired for a private collection or as a gift.
On Saturdays, Dec. 12 and 19, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., the public is invited to view Harding and Walsh as they present demonstrations of their painting techniques in The Norris Gallery. Admission to the demonstrations is free. For information, call (630) 584-7200 or visit www.NorrisCulturalArts.com.
About the Artists
• Nick Freeman has been painting for most of his 59 years. He attended the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and the Minneapolis College of Art and Design, and, as he says, "Despite their best efforts, I managed to retain my commitment to representational art and traditional painting methods."
A 30-year Fox Valley resident, Freeman enjoys capturing the local scenery as well as scenes of everyday life; a modern take on genre paintings. His work has been described as "conventionally unconventional," using traditional oil painting techniques to depict scenes of people engaged in ordinary activities. More of his work may be seen at galleryfreeman.com.
• San Antonio, Texas, native Scott Harding's passion for art began at an early age when he spent much of his time drawing. Harding received his bachelor of fine arts degree through the honors painting program at Indiana University, Bloomington, in 1989, then moved to Chicago and began a professional career in illustration and the graphic arts.
In 2003, Harding entered his first national and international competitions and his works have won several awards including "Best of Show" at the Oil Painters of America Midwest Regional Show, the "Nichols Taos Fine Art Gallery Award" at the American Impressionist Society's National Show and "Best Painting from Life" at the National Oil & Acrylics Painters Society Exhibition.
"I'm fascinated with the effects of light on the world around us," Harding says, noting that a moment in time, captured by color and composition, "can strike an emotional chord."
His paintings reflect a wide range of subject matter, and his style is realistic, with an impressionistic touch. Harding's medium of choice is oil; his works also include pencil, charcoal, watercolor, pastel and intaglio printing. For more, visit www.ScottHardingArt.com or Scott Harding Art on Facebook.
• "I am an artist and painter," says Terry Walsh. "I have made my living exclusively as an artist for over 40 years. I have rarely worked in only one aspect of the art business, but usually two or three at a time. While I have made my living in large part by pursuing work in commercial applications, there has remained one constant throughout: painting on canvas. At times it has risen to a principal position. At others it has been relegated to background status as supporting my family was primary. Painting on canvas has always been for me a way of retaining a connection to art that is not ruled by the mechanics of commercial styles and practices."
For the first decades of Walsh's career, his painting was principally a variety of surrealism and symbolism, usually acrylic on canvas. For over a decade, however, he has been painting landscapes in oil, occasionally a still life, or a hybrid of the two. Walsh takes some inspiration from the painters of the Hudson River School and the Impressionists and Post-Impressionists. "I hope the viewer will find my particular version of the physical world visually interesting, perhaps emotionally engaging," Walsh says.