Fusion

A Fusion of South Suburban Arts

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November 19th-December 9th
102 Stephen St, Lemont, IL

Governors State University is pleased to present Fusion, recent work by senior graduate candidates in the visual arts program. The rich collection of innovative ceramics, paintings, photographs, and prints will be on display in Community Christian Church’s main street gallery in historic downtown Lemont from November 19th through December 9th.

Fusion showcases a cross-section of the South Suburban and Chicagoland art communities. Artists and curators include Thomas Bass of Shorewood, Richard Cammarata of Chicago, Wayon Collins of Homewood, Sara Freidman of Tinley Park, Barbara Lipkin of Naperville, Diana Lynch of Orland Park, Brooke Nicholson of New Lenox, Jaclyn Reidy of Orland Park, Candace Schutt of Worth, and Lori White of Frankfurt.

Come and meet the artists and curators at their opening on November 19th, from 6-8 p.m. Stop by, shop for holiday gifts, and speak with the artists during Lemont’s Hometown Holiday event on December 4th from 2 until 6 p.m. Then come back to learn more about your favorite artists on our lecture days, December 2nd & 9th, from 7:30 to 10:20 p.m. The exhibit and all events are free and open to the public.

Fusion is an inaugural exhibition for Community Christian Church’s gorgeous 102 Stephan Street space in Lemont, IL. Gallery hours are by appointment outside of scheduled events. For more information, please call Heather Page at (708) 534-4017, or email her at h-page@govst.edu. For more information on the location, exhibition, the participants, and the lecture schedule, please visit http://gsuart.blogspot.com/. This exhibition has been made possible by the generous donation of Community Christian Church.

Artist Lecture Schedule

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Join us for free artist lectures by university graduate students in art and art history.

Dates: Thursdays, December 2nd & 9th, 2010

Time: 7:30-10:20 p.m.

Location: 102 Stephen St, Lemont, IL

December 2nd
Time	Presenter	Media
7:30 p.m	Veronica Cook	Mixed Media
8:00 p.m.	Candace Schutt	Photography
8:40 p.m.	Sara Friedman presents Barbara Lipkin	Painting
9:15 p.m.	Lori White	Painting
9:40 p.m.	Thomas Bass	Ceramics
December 9th
7:30 p.m.	Diana Lynch	Printmaking
8:00 p.m.	Jaclyn Reidy	Painting
8:40 p.m.	Brooke Nicholson	Painting
9:15 p.m.	Richard Cammarata	Ceramics
9:40 p.m.	Wayon Collins	Printmaking

Richard Cammarata

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Bio

Richard Cammarata is an artist who teaches high school art for the past twelve years. His recent focus in ceramics highlights his interest in mechanical parts as iconic elements from the past. Cammarata’s gears are reminiscent of the aged and rusted machine parts he played on or around in his grandfathers truck yard as a kid. Objects once used for purposes unclear as seen through the eyes of a kid, he presents these objects distorted and mutated giving the work a surreal sense and vague understanding of its functionality.

Mr. Cammarata’s work has been shown in several group shows. Recently he sold a piece in a group charity auction in Chicago for the Haiti relief effort. In 2009 he was a participant in the educators art show at The Illinois Institute of Art in Schaumburg Illinois. In addition, Cammarata has sold work to businesses and private parties. Many pieces hang in the office of Manor Reality in Chicago. He has also exhibited work in the library in Mount Prospect IL. and won a purchase award where one of his works now hangs on display.

Richard Cammarata studied at the American Academy of Art for four years and graduated in 1993 with Associates in Art with a major in Oil Painting. In 1997 he graduated from The University of Illinois at Chicago with two Bachelor’s degrees, one in Art and the other in Art Education. Cammarata is currently working towards his Masters degree in ceramics at Governors’ State University and teaches art at Maine West High School in Des Plaines Illinois.

Artist Statement

My ceramic sculpture is a series of forms resembling gears, a mechanical device that drives machinery. Some of the gears I‘ve made are forms one might find in real life, while others become a mutation or deterioration of these objects. As an important part of any machine, gears transfer the workload and provide additional force needed to propel or apply leverage in an effort to move objects. This object is primarily responsible for the technological advances in today’s society. Ironically, hardened steel used for some machine parts contributes to manufacturing of lesser quality goods and materials that lack durability. As gears drive technology, they are not always used for good purpose. By producing inferior products susceptible to wear and tear causes greater waste. Gears are blind to the purpose for which they labor. They have turned the wheels of war and have mass-produced the disposable items that litter our landscape, having adverse affects on our environment.

I visualize these gears as relics or icons of a bygone era, set aside as a landscape devoid of life; remnants of the human condition called progress. In my effort to portray this effect, I use different glazes and firing techniques to emulate the hardened look of aged or polished iron. As I transform or mutate these gears, I want to suggest the enduring quality these items have, being exposed to both time and the elements of nature. My sculpture is meant to pay homage to these items that have been used or set aside after they have served their purpose. Paradoxically, I present these gears as beautiful objects of symmetry and form, a celebration of the mechanical elements that have fostered the technological advances we enjoy today. Relics left behind, made of long lasting material left to warp and decay. They have a sense of foreboding, almost apocalyptical as they leave their enduring mark on the landscape pointing out the rise and decay of our modern age.

Wayon Collins

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Bio

Wayon Collins is an illustrator/Printmaker who has won contest for newspaper illustrations on studentaffairs.com. Wayons art work is a social commentary that touches on issues like, the affects of Capitalism, Imperialism and Propaganda sometimes known as “Ideological Aggression”. By using outlandish character symbolism in comic book art and iconic posters of revolutionaries, Wayon begins to challenge the excepted ideas that through modern media he has been conditioned to believe in.

Wayons intaglio artwork has been shown at Western Illinois University galleries, and has had Serigraphs shown and produced at Governors State University. Wayon is currently showing work at Homewood’s Wisdom Art Gallery on 2107 and 183.

Wayons future showing will be at “Art on Armitage” next August. At “Art on Armitage” he will display stencil, Serigraph and Intaglio work. In 2010 Mr. Collins was a volunteer at Union Street Art Gallery.

Wayons art schooling, started at the International Academy of Design and Technology where he received an Associate’s Degree in Graphic Design. In 2007 he graduated from Western Illinois University with his undergrad in Political Science. Wayon is now a student at Governors State University where he pursuing a Masters in Art. Wayon currently works at Governors State University and also is Designer at UNIFIKATION MEDIA, at Unifikation.com.
Artist Statement

My art is a social commentary that touches on issues like, the effects of Capitalism, Imperialism and Propaganda sometimes known as “Ideological Aggression”. I have noticed that nation states, as well as people and ideas are either accepted or rejected depending on what media outlet they have been perceived through. By using outlandish character symbolism in comic book art and iconic posters of revolutionaries, I begin to challenge the accepted ideas that I have been conditioned to believe in. Comics bring the viewer back to their childhood where comics were often a escapism. This escapism brings the viewers guard down, and opens them up to the propaganda underneath.

By using comic books and posters I have generated my own media outlet upon which I launch my own “Ideological Aggression” on the unsuspecting viewer. My art gives a voice to those who can’t afford the magazine ads or commercials to express their views. My influences include Mural and street art of Chicago, Stan Lee and Jim Lee of Marvel Comics, rapper MF DOOM, and revolutionaries of the 1960’s.

My illustrations and prints are given life and color by the use of Serigraph, and Intaglio inks. I chose these inks, because they provide the brighter more vivid colors often seen in posters, and comic book art. Since both comics and posters are prints it lends well to the printmaking medium. I am a former illustrator for a newspaper serigraph and intaglio provide the perfect medium to express my craft.

Sara Friedman

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Barbara Lipkin

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Bio

My paintings are about the “WOW” factor. When I’m hiking in the mountains, or strolling in a fantastic medieval city, I often come across a scene that makes me stop and gasp with awe. That’s the feeling that inspires me to paint. That’s the feeling I try to convey to my viewers. I want them to feel that they are in the painting, surrounded by it, engaged with it, and I want them to say, “WOW!”

I use a palette that’s appropriate to the subject, the place, the time, and the feelings that I have about them. So sometimes I’ll use very cool colors, such as when I’m painting the majestic, cold mountain waters of the Canadian Rockies. It’s a quiet, powerful place, and demands a kind of formality, a kind of reverence. And sometimes I’ll use very warm colors, brush strokes with lots of energy, and a looser, more chaotic composition, such as when I’m depicting the warmth of Tuscany or Cinque Terre.

Regardless of the palette and brush strokes I use, I always have the same objective. I want to create a piece of art that expresses my feelings about a place. I want to demand that the viewer come into the space I’ve created and become a part of it. If the viewer can do that, then I’ve achieved my goal.

Artist Statement

I create landscape paintings that depict the countries that I visit. The goal of my paintings is to take the viewers to places that they may not have the opportunity to see in person. I hope that my paintings inspire the viewer to travel.

I use my own photographs to capture my favorite locations these vary from quant towns in France to the bustling city of Chicago.. While in my studio, I recollect and interpret these landscapes in my oil paintings. I work off of photographs taken from my journeys. Using oil colors I recreate my favorite locations, these vary from quant towns in France to the bustling city of Chicago. I prefer to work with oil colors because they allow me the freedom to layer and change my paintings over time. This process provides me with a calming feeling as I reminisce while I paint I enjoy the calmness that I feel when I paint.

I am currently working on Chinese Landscapes. The paintings in this collection show the towns and villages that I traveled through on my visit to China. Using I am attempting to capture the shimmering water that runs through many of the villages.

Diana Lynch

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Bio

Diana Lynch is a printmaker that spends most of her time in the studio working on her art. Her print work portrays the girls of a contemporary circus and the fun nature of performance, sexuality, and beauty. Her prints tell a story in a character driven approach through traditional circus skills, and focuses more attention on the preparation of the girls getting ready for a show and their use the circus as an outlet.

Diana Lynch has shown internationally for the Year of the Tiger print exchange in 2010. She has most recently shown her prints at Fugscreen Studios in Wicker Park, IL. In 2010, Lynch was juried into the online “Art Attack” competition through Paul Frank Corporation & Juxtapose Magazine. In 2009, Lynch attended and exhibited at the Self Employment of the Arts conference in Lisle, IL and a traveling print show in downtown Dekalb, IL. In 2005, she showed at the school of Art Institute of Chicago student exhibition for her figure drawing work.

Lynch studied in an early college program in at The School of the Art Institute of Chicago. In 2009, she completed her undergraduate studies in art from Northern Illinois University in Dekalb, IL. Currently, Lynch is working towards her Masters Degree in Printmaking from Governors State University. At this time, she is an Oil Painting Instructor and Coordinator of the Tall Grass Art School in Park Forest, IL.

Artist Statement

My work portrays the girls of contemporary circus and the fun nature of performance, female sexuality, and beauty. Contemporary circus tells a story in a character driven approach through traditional circus skills, and focuses more attention on the insecurities of the girls, and their use of circus as an outlet to feel most beautiful. In the circus they can transform into anyone they want to be and work together to put on a show. I have created my own circus called “Le Nouveau Cirque” simply meaning ‘The New Circus” that portrays the girls as alluring circus clowns that found love for themselves through support of a sisterhood while gaining confidence performing in the circus.

My imagery was created in prints primirarly by lithography, wood relief, monoprint and screen print. In a different field, but as a performer myself, I am inspired by the preparation of performance and what goes on behind the scenes to get ready for a show. I am intrigued by the way girls of contemporary circus portray themselves beautiful through exaggerated makeup and costuming. I work in color layers to build up both bright circus colors as well as dark colors to set a tone of the girl’s emotions. Each print is unique in the creation process but they all tie together through story. I chose print media because it allows me to have control over the end result of each piece. Printmaking impacts my art because it allows me to work more technically and on a different surface then the image ends up on, giving me more management of each print created as well as making editions of each print.

My intent is to challenge all people to engage in an activity to better their own life in a positive way. I want my work to inspire people to find their own personal outlet to feel most confident.

Brooke Nicholson

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Bio

Brooke Nicholson is a watercolor painter whose current work demonstrates the exploration of order among the chaos of everyday living. Her seed-like pods are delicately drawn with graphite and are contrasted with the bold colors and unique forms of a sprout emerging from within.

Miss Nicholson’s work has been shown at various group shows, including Governors State University and most recently, the New Lenox Public Library. In 2006, she also had a solo show in Naperville, IL. She has also been commissioned in the south suburban Chicagoland area for multiple murals in homes, as well as businesses.

Nicholson completed her undergraduate studies in 2006 at North Central College in Naperville, IL. Currently, Nicholson is working towards her Master’s degree in Painting and Drawing from Governors State University in University Park, IL. At this time she is living and teaching elementary students in New Lenox, IL at Spencer Pointe & Spencer Crossing School.

Artist Statement

My work depicts more than just an image on a piece of paper; it represents the experience of creating a work of art. For me, the process of painting is similar to the way individuals develop over time. In life, some things are controllable and others are not; events and occurrences may affect the path of development in good ways and in bad. My watercolor paintings reflect the change, growth, metamorphosis, duality and balance that exist in my life. I am interested in finding order among the chaos of everyday living. The delicate point at which opposing forces meet to create balance is what fascinates me. Like the process of painting, in my own personal journey to discover my true self, I am again attempting to create a balanced relationship between the control and chaos that is ultimately inevitable.

My inspiration comes from seeds and way they parallel human growth and development. Their delicate forms provide an environment in which new life begins to sprout and acquire an identity of its own. The seed itself is a necessary component, although what is protected inside is really most important. In order to portray this idea, my seed-like vessels are delicately drawn with graphite and seem to blend into the white background. The sprout of the seed contrasts with the rest of the composition through its bold color and distinctive form, creating an emphasis on growth, change and evolution.

As I begin a painting, I have no preconceived notion of what it will look like in the end. It is an intuitive process as I pour, drip or splash the paint onto the paper.

There is a sense of directional control, but I allow the paint to find it’s own chaotic path. The natural, unpredictable qualities of watercolors begin to take over – pools of color drifting in and out, hard edges, evaporation, drips, flows, etc. At this point I go back into the painting with pencil to define the pod in which the sprout is originating from. These deliberate choices are a way to balance the chaos I am seeing and to take back control. Ultimately, the sprout is unpredictable, yet still contains the underlying order of the vessel that produced it.

Jaclyn Reidy

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Bio

Jaclyn Reidy is an oil painter who focuses on the subjects of water and water pollution. Her paintings consist of purified water represented in lakes and waterfalls, marine animals living in a purified habitat, and marine animals harmed by water pollution. Each of her paintings convey the notion that water is the foundation of life and that water pollution is a major environmental concern that negatively affects both human and marine life.

Jaclyn Reidy participated in a student art show at Governors State University in the spring of 2010, showing her oil paintings. In the spring of 2008, Reidy exhibited in an art exhibition at Saint Xavier University showing package design. In the summer of 2007, Reidy completed a graphic design internship at Kolcraft Enterprises, Inc., in Chicago, Illinois. Here she designed marketing and promotional materials for Juvenile Products Manufacturer. In the summer of 2005, Reidy, along with other artists, were commissioned by the Chicago Cubs Baseball Team to complete a 15’ x 3’ mural relating to the theme of baseball, where it was installed at a Red Line Station in the north side of Chicago. In 2004 and 2005, Reidy worked as a summer apprentice artist at Gallery 37 Center for the Arts, a non-profit organization run by the city of Chicago, where she did painting and ceramics.

Jaclyn Reidy completed her undergraduate studies in 2008 at Saint Xavier University, where she majored in Graphic Design. Presently, Reidy is a graduate student at Governors State University in University Park, Illinois, pursuing a master’s degree in Painting and Drawing, to be completed in 2011. Reidy is also volunteering as an instructor’s aide in the art studio at the Chicago Children’s Museum.

Artist Statement

Water is the foundation of life. The flowing of water shapes landscapes, mountains, rocks, and history. The central theme behind my paintings is that water is essential for the proliferation of life, but it is adversely affected by water pollution, which in turn, harms marine organisms and human health.

The three sources of water pollution that I am concentrating on are eutrophication, radioactive waste, and oil contamination. Eutrophication is the process where the environment becomes enriched with nutrients such as nitrate and phosphate. These nutrients that end up in the water causes large algal blooms, which consumes all or most of the oxygen supply and results in the suffocation of fish and other organisms. Radioactive waste is caused by a number of factors, including electrical power generation, biological and chemical research, consumer product development, and manufacturing, and is harmful to marine life. When radioactive waste harms an organism, it can quickly pass along the food chain and contaminate seafood, which can cause birth defects and damage the nervous system of humans. Oil contamination results from oil spills from ruptured ships and causes the death of many fish. Oil that sticks to the feathers of seabirds causes them to lose the ability to fly. The message that I am trying to convey to the audience is that these environmental factors harm marine organisms and human health by contamination of seafood and drinking water and that pollution needs to be prevented in some measures, but in many instances, it is beyond human control.

My research and design process involves collecting photographs of water and marine organisms for references, and drawing an original composition from memory. The primary medium in my art is oil paint, for the purpose of bringing out the color and image to attract a person’s eye. I sometimes incorporate mixed media into my pieces, including oil pastels, colored pencils, and Prismacolor markers. In my paintings, I incorporate a great deal of texture to add tactility.

Candace Schutt

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Bio

Candace Schutt is a photographer who’s work contains color and black and white photography. Her photography explores the relationship between form and how one interprets what they are actually seeing. Her work uses strong sources of light and contrast with shadow areas to manipulate familiar objects.

Miss Schutt’s work has been displayed in group shows at Governors State Visual Arts Gallery, 12^th Street Gallery in Berwyn, and the O’Connor Art Gallery at Dominican University. Recently, her work has been displayed on Source Photography’s website featuring Graduate’s photography worldwide.

Candace Schutt did her undergraduate studies at Dominican University in River Forest, Illinois, at Dominican University, she graduated with a major in Graphic Design and a minor in photography. While she was in undergrad she also participated in a study abroad program, studying photography for 6 weeks in Florence, Italy. Currently she is a graduate student at Governors State University, in University Park, Illinois, pursuing her MA in photography. Ms. Schutt resides in the southwest suburbs of Chicago where she is continuing her schooling and working at a Chiropractor’s office.

Artist Statement

My work explores the relationship between the body, form, light and shadow. By combining the use of strong highlight and shadow areas formed from the body and contrasting background, I created light and shadow figures. From a distance these images could be taken as a series of contour light and line drawings, almost forming a natural landscape. But when the viewer is closer and engages with the photo, the details of the skin and body become more defined, revealing the identifications of a specific body part.

I am intrigued at how the form and contour of that specific part of the body may lead one’s eye to see a particular type of landscape found in nature. I chose to shoot these photographs in black and white because I wanted the attention specifically on the form that a portion of the body creates. I used a harsh light source to create dramatic highlight and shadow areas. The areas of light and dark flow to connect form and background so they stand as one image, but they also remain separate figures. Different spaces are created through depth of field and the harsh lighting cast over the body and background. I used a softer focus to take away from the body form becoming the central focal point of the image, allowing for more attention to be drawn to the light and dark forms created in the photograph.

My intent is to really draw the viewer into the photograph rather than taking a quick glance and constructing a quick conclusion. I would like the viewer to stay, look, and examine the photograph before they can actually determine what it is, what body piece is being displayed. I want to challenge the process of recognition by inserting the question of initial interpretation. My inspiration is to photograph something that is familiar and should be easy to recognize, and manipulate it in a way that forces one to stop and think about what are actually being viewed. One may need to take a closer look, and study the image to find the real facts and details of the image to discover what is really being displayed.

Lori White

2010-11-14T20:23:00.001-08:00

Bio

Miss White paints where her mind is at ease. The organic forms that White produces reflect the meditative power of natural forms. Her mind sees the environment in a simple abstract appearance that mirrors a sense of peace and harmony. Miss White’s hope is that each painting generates a person to visually meditate and become lost within their thoughts.

White has exhibited her work throughout South Suburban Chicago. In 2006 she was given the honor of displaying her artwork at the home of Purdue University’s President. Murals have been a big part of White’s career, contributing multiple wall paintings in homes across the suburban Chicago land area.

Miss White completed her Bachelors degree in art education with a minor in graphic design, at Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana. Lori White is now currently studying for her masters in painting at Governors State University in University Park, Illinois. At this time, she is teaching grades first through sixth at Tyler and Bentley School in New Lenox, Illinois.

Artist Statement

My artwork symbolizes the idea of meditation through natural and organic forms. I paint a place where my mind is at ease. In my artwork, the organic forms that I produce reflect the meditative power of natural forms. My mind sees the environment in an abstract appearance that mirrors a sense of peace and harmony. By painting with smooth, organic, and soft lines my artwork helps me get to a point of relaxation. Through the process of letting go of the world that surrounds me, I am at ease as I create. My hope is that each painting inspires a person to visually meditate and become lost within their thoughts.

I have always been attracted to the surroundings of nature. However, my eyes never observed what is truly there; they observed more of what I felt. I don’t see the details of the natural world. Instead, I see the obscurity behind the surface; a place where water becomes just a subtle sensation, and plants are given the impression of development and possibility. I create a peaceful place where I connect with my inner soul. The natural and organic lines reflect the essence and energy that I feel as I study my natural surroundings.

Using oil paint provides the opportunity to accomplish the soft unity of color that I need to complete each piece. My artistic style requires a media that will let me work for hours at time on one area within a painting. My work starts with charcoal sketches that I create when I feel inspired by the environment around me. When inspired, I begin to draw forms that allow me to feel at ease. The details of the object slowly disappear and simplify into a form that reflects my mind at a meditative state. The elegant and graceful lines are pleasing to the eye, which brings a sense of calmness. Color is an important factor in each piece.

Some paintings are created to bring a person to a calm, quiet place due to the limited color palette and some are to reveal the energy life brings within the soul through various vibrant colors. The end result exhibits abstracted paintings that speak to me internally and give off a reflection of my soul at ease.