December, 2008

Alice Sharie-Revelski’s displays her “Herb Angels” with lichens and moss from Northern Michigan and vintage hats from her mother, to create a unique and whimsical holiday display. The primitive-looking black and gold angels are stuffed with garden herbs, and draw their inspiration from the artist’s collection of antique dolls. Her doll collection is a frequent source of inspiration and subject matter for her artwork.

November 2008

My paintings are of figures, landscapes, and still-lifes. When I paint I look at things in a particular way, and silence takes on a sort of musical sound. You could say that in that silence there are those “unheard melodies.” And the people that I paint are listening to their own silent music; and maybe it can even be heard in the landscapes and still-lifes. This is one reason I love to paint.

www.lauriesucher.com

lauriesucher@mac.com

October 2008

For Chicago Artists’ Month, “Artists and Issues That Matter” Nancy Plotkin
and Margaret Lanterman are presenting portraits of Chicago workers.

Lanterman’s sculptures and Plotkin’s paintings take an intimate look
at people who make their living by working with their hands. Taking
this concept further, the artists explore how the work of one’s hands
defines one’s identity. They have selected subjects whose work might
range from boxing to baking, from firefighting to tailoring. These
real-life models are represented by two pieces of art, a painting of
the head and a sculpture of the hands. “I’m always trying to reach
through and touch the character inside” says Plotkin. “I go for the
soul”. Similarly, Lanterman sees the subject’s hands as shaped by
work that become, in her words, “a map of one’s experience, a gate to
the landscape of a person’s life.”

Both artists have a history in the founding years of Artemisia
Gallery and have exhibited widely, both in the U.S. and internationally.
Plotkin has taught for the Museum of Contemporary Art and Governors
State University . Lanterman has been teaching at DePaul University
for over twenty years.

September 2008

hy•brid
–noun
1. the offspring of two animals or plants of different breeds,
varieties, species, or genera, esp. as produced through human
manipulation for specific genetic characteristics.
2. a person or group of persons produced by the interaction or
crossbreeding of two unlike cultures, traditions, etc.
3. anything derived from heterogeneous sources, or composed of elements
of different or incongruous kinds: a hybrid of the academic and
business worlds.
4. a word composed of elements originally drawn from different
languages, as television, whose components come from Greek and Latin.
–adjective
5. bred from two distinct races, breeds, varieties, species, or genera.
6. composite; formed or composed of heterogeneous elements.
7. composed of elements originally drawn from different languages, as a
word.

In this work I use these definitions of “hybrid” as a starting point for these
newest series of sculptures. I bring together disparate elements from parts
of nature and culture such as real and cast plants, found and cast everyday
objects, opposing materials, animal imagery and industrial materials such as
car and machine parts to create a series of fantastic creatures.

August 2008

Patrick Duncan transforms the window gallery on Armitage Avenue into a scultptural environment of brightly painted wood and mirrors. He makes these sculptures from wood salvaged from alleys and curbs, cuts into and paints on the wood, and adds other pieces of reclaimed and reused materials to make surfaces which sparkle and catch the eye.

“My Paintings are often inspired by places I’ve been, Warren Woods in Michigan; The Mermac River in Missouril; Montauk Point in New York. These places, with their colors and textures imprint themselves, just as I hope these paintings will imprint themselves and transport the viewer to better thoughts and richer places.”

You can see more of his work and/or contact this artist at:

www.PTDuncan.com