New sculpture show opens May 12 at Fine Line
The Fine Line Creative Arts Center in St. Charles is welcoming two new shows with a gallery reception on Thursday, May 12.
The shows (one to the Kavanagh Gallery and an outdoor show on the Fine Line grounds) will feature works in both traditional sculpture forms and ones that use less conventional methods.
"Sculpture at the Kavanagh Gallery" will feature works by 19 artists from the Midwest. Each artist brings their own point of view.
Lori Small from St. Charles also has two pieces in this show.
Small has always been fascinated by the tactile beauty and diversity of wood and the magic that light imparts. Using the combination, Small creates stunning lamps.
Each lamp begins with a "trophy," usually a fragment of found wood. Each trophy has movement, a direction it wants the eye to follow. Using the trophy as the guide, Small creates a skeleton of soaked reeds that follow that form. Once dry, it is covered with pieces of torn translucent paper soaked in glue to create a robust, visually seductive shell when illuminated. Small says, "the goal is to connect people to nature. I create art that looks like it could have grown outdoors because, in part, it did."
One of the artists using a more traditional method is Bradley Cahill from Sycamore.
Cahill's work explores ancient mythology. He began carving stone in 2002 to try to understand this archaic art form. Cahill has two pieces in the show. His work, "Cthulu's Daughter II," is a hand-carved limestone high relief that depicts an animal-human hybrid inspired by HP Lovecraft and rendered using traditional stone carving tools.
As well as an indoor sculpture, Fine Line is again showing outdoor sculpture.
Pieces by nine artists will be on display in conjunction with the indoor show.
Illinois artist Jennifer Meyer made the "Peaceful Warrior." Meyer created the piece from small leftover metal scraps from other sculptures.
Meyer says, "Even the smallest movement toward ecology can make an impact."
Another artist whose work is on display on the Fine Line grounds is Orion Richey. Richey is a Central Illinois sculptor who uses custom metalworking techniques and specially designed forges and tools to fabricate spiral sculptures from plate steel. His piece in the show, "Cosmic Magenta," is a beautiful contemporary piece in a rich deep pink.
The gallery reception on May 12 from 6 to 8 p.m. will include artist talks and the presentation of artist awards. Light refreshments will be served during the event.
"Sculpture at the Kavanagh" is open Monday to Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. The show runs through Friday, June 25.
The outdoor sculpture pieces will remain at Fine Line through April 2024. Visitors can see the pieces Monday to Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Like all shows at the Kavanagh Gallery, admission is free.
For information, visit fineline.org or