Long Grove Artists Guild shows off local artists

There was a line out the door as people packed the opening reception for the Long Grove Artists Guild Invitational art show, "Something About The Color Red …" Saturday, Feb 15.

This exhibit engaged people in lively conversation. The open-ended theme required creative thought, not only from the artist, but also from the viewer. Even the judges were challenged by their assignment.

Judge Tony Armendariz, a local contemporary artist and art instructor at the Rivellino School of Art in Long Grove, said, "The theme made it especially difficult to judge the work as there were so many creative takes on it. Judging the objective qualities of the work was difficult enough given the excellent level of skill demonstrated. This goes for the kids as well as the adults. Choosing the top works was difficult enough, let alone one that stood out over the others.

"It came down to the top four or five pieces that not only demonstrated excellent skill and presentation, but also addressed the theme in a different and creative way," said Armendariz.

"What I looked for was not necessarily a central object or figure that was red, but something that conveyed the idea of red or used red in a small but powerful way."

Judge Leslie Norman, art instructor at Kildeer Countryside School, also commented on the challenge of judging this show.

"When the task was presented to Tony and I as judges to choose the unique and creative approach to 'Something About the Color Red,' it took me time to wrap my brain around this idea. I kept going back to looking at the artistic approach, the fine tuning of craftsmanship and the stories each piece was trying to convey.

"After awhile, Tony and I walked around together and we each explained our reasons for our choices. We had some wonderful discussions about the art pieces and helped each other pull ourselves back to the task of unique approach to something about the color red," Norman said.

The winning entries for the "Most Creative Approach to the Color Red" were:

• Adult: Catherine Kanvik with her mixed media, "Audrey."

• Youth (16-17): Olivia Sorenson with her painting, "Girl Reading a Book."

• Youth (13-15): Sarah Ellstrand with her ceramic, "Arnold."

• Youth (10-12): Tessie Primack with her mixed media, "Live Love Laugh."

• Youth (7-9): Allison Wade with her acrylic painting, "Red Passion for Endangered Panda."

• Youth (4-6): Ella Fang with her pastel, "Owl."

There is still opportunity for the public to vote for a People's Choice Award in this show. The art will be on display from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays through March 15. Members of the Artists Guild will be there at those times to welcome visitors.

The People's Choice voting continues through March 9, open to the public. The People's Choice ballots will be tallied by 5 p.m. that day.

The Long Grove Artists Guild Gallery is in Building 21, shared with The Lucy & Ethel's shop on Old McHenry Road and the Potpourri shop on Fountain Square, Long Grove.

This show was a fundraiser for the American Heart Association and the Long Grove Arts & Music Council, a 501c3 organization dedicated to bringing the arts to the community.

For information about future Long Grove Artists Guild invitationals and events, contact georgiart@lgamc.org.

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