'On the Wing' show opens June 30 at Fine Line's Kavanagh Gallery
The Kavanagh Gallery staff at Fine Line Creative Arts Center in St. Charles are bringing 62 artists together from across the country in a new show titled "On the Wing."
The show's subject is our feathered friends, who delight us with their beauty and have inspired artists for centuries.
With over 70 pieces covering the walls and pedestals, this show is packed with beautiful art in various media. Some of the highlights are detailed below.
• Virginia artist Jill Kerttula works with photographs and fiber. Kerttula feels observation is essential to being an artist and strives to find beauty in the mundane and humor in the neutral. Her camera is her sketchbook, and from her many daily shots, a few transform into fiber works as she merges photography with stitching. She strives to bridge the craftsmanship and traditions of "women's work" with the strong concept and composition found in fine art. Kerttula has two pieces in the show. One of her pieces, "What," shows two barnyard buddies caught looking straight at the camera.
• Chris Winn from Minnesota has always been fascinated with animals and most of her collages are about nature and animals. Winn's creative play on the all-knowing owl using strips of words as feathers provides a beautiful piece full of color, with hidden visual surprises for the viewer.
• While there are several owl images in the show, a wide variety of species are part of this beautiful collection. One of the images is that of a bluebird, who has unfortunately hit a window. This piece entitled "Bluebird 3" is from the "Window Strikes" series by Valerie Mann. Mann, a Michigan artist, is a self-proclaimed birder and prefers to watch live birds out in the wild. However, an opportunity to study birds from the ornithology collection at the University of Michigan's Natural History Museum allowed Mann to look at the bird specimens. Having seen her studies, friends started to tell Mann when a bird had hit their windows, so she could sketch the fallen bird, which resulted in the "Window Strikes" series of images.
• David Gregory from Peoria, Illinois, has submitted a wonderful watercolor depicting a redwing blackbird perched on husks of corn surveying his surroundings. Gregory says his primary goal in painting is to translate ordinary scenes into enticing ones that draw in the viewer.
It is an incredible array of art with 62 artists from 33 states in this show. The best way to learn about these artists and their fantastic art is to visit the show.
The Fine Line Creative Arts Center will hold a gallery reception on Thursday, June 30, from 6 to 8 p.m. During the reception, attendees can meet some of the artists and find out who won the awards. Light refreshments will be served. Gallery receptions are free and everyone is welcome to attend.
The Kavanagh Gallery is open to the public Monday to Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. The gallery is closed for the Fourth of July holiday from Saturday to Monday, July 2-4.
"On the Wing" opens on Thursday, June 30. It runs until Wednesday, Aug. 10. There is never an admission fee to see the art displayed at the Kavanagh Gallery, 37W570 Bolcum Road in St. Charles.