Boom Bloom at Krasl Art Center

Colorful exhibition Boom Bloom

opens at Krasl Art Center this Spring

Female duo presents color-saturated art, inspiring spring programs in-person and online.

ST. JOSEPH, MICHIGAN- Krasl Art Center (KAC) welcomes a new exhibition to southwest Michigan this spring. Between April 3 - June 6, 2021, visitors are invited to experience Boom Bloom, featuring Nikki Renee Anderson and Renee Robbins in KAC’s main gallery. Exhibitions are free and open to the public Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Monday 11 AM - 5 PM, with virtual and in-person programming planned on Facebook and Zoom.

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Renee Robbins, Siren Song, 48" x 72", acrylic on canvas, 2019.

Krasl Art Center’s main galleries will welcome Boom Bloom, featuring sculptures by Nikki Renee Anderson (Chicago) and paintings by Renee Robbins (Chicago) that explode, reconfigure, and blossom on April 3. United in form, their works employ organic shapes and bright, bold colors. In addition, both artists draw on real objects and lived experiences to create something beyond. Sculptures by Anderson recall childhood memories - like watching her father bake - while inventing new forms that explore the feminine experience. The soft rolls of her sculptures might just as easily evoke a pastry as the human body. Similarly, Robbins studies cells, stars, and the natural world in between to inform the new worlds she paints. Her paintings shift between recognizable flora to completely original biomorphic landscapes.

Biomorphic compositions multiply, shift, and drip inside a candy colored otherworld. Themes of growth connect the works in rhythmic blooms at either the beginning or the end of natural cycles. Hybrid forms simultaneously evoke so many different things such as cells, botanicals, or the human body. While drawing from the familiar, invention and a whimsical sense of play characterize the work. The ornamentation and saturated colors present ideas to lure, entice, and attract. The artworks consider standards of beauty, impermanence, and notions of femininity through a push-pull tension. Layers of attraction and repulsion manifest on the micro and macro scale in tandem like a daydream.

ABOUT THE ARTISTS:

Nikki Renee Anderson lives and works in Chicago, IL. She has exhibited extensively including recent exhibitions at the Chicago Cultural Center, Hyde Park Art Center, The Gaylord and Dorothy Donnelly Foundation, Glass Curtain Gallery and The Grounds For Sculpture. Anderson’s work has been reviewed in many publications such as the New York Times, the Chicago Tribune, Sculpture Magazine, Ceramics Art and Perception and American Craft Magazine. She received an MFA from Stony Brook University and a BFA from Drake University. She is a full time faculty member at Harper College where she runs the Ceramics program.

Renee Robbins is a Chicago-based visual artist who layers biomorphic forms to create detailed otherworldly environments. She has been awarded public art commissions with the Chicago Public Art Group, Wabash Arts Corridor, and Illinois’ Art-In-Architecture Program. She has exhibited widely, including exhibitions at The Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum, Chicago, IL; Lois Lambert Gallery, Santa Monica, CA; Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory, Batavia, IL; and the Alden B Dow Museum of Science and Art, Midland, MI. Robbins received her MFA from Michigan State University.

ABOUT THE CENTER: Krasl Art Center is a nonprofit art museum and learning center that enriches the lives of people living in or visiting Southwest Michigan by delivering enlightening art experiences through diverse education opportunities, meaningful events, and high quality exhibits and collections. KAC’s mission is to inspire meaningful change and strengthen community through the visual arts. To learn more, visit krasl.org.

EXHIBITION PROGRAMMING:

ARTIST TALK WITH NIKKI RENEE ANDERSON & RENEE ROBBINS
SATURDAY, MAY 8, 1 - 2PM EST
Free, In-Person and Virtual Event on Zoom; Register in advance at krasl.org
Join the artists in KAC’s galleries to learn about their inspiration, process, and the connections between their work.

LIVE AT LUNCHTIME FOCUS TALKS EVERY THURSDAY AT NOON EST
Free Virtual Event Live on KAC’s Facebook Page
Of special note:
APRIL 8: VIRTUAL COFFEE WITH THE CURATOR
APRIL 15: NIKKI RENEE ANDERSON
APRIL 22: EARTH DAY CELEBRATION
APRIL 29: RENEE ROBBINS

Krasl Art Center will offer different virtual and in-person programs for these exhibitions. Live at Lunchtime Focus Talks occur every Thursday at Noon on Facebook Live and offer insights from artists about the work on view at KAC and within our community. Some of the topics for these exhibitions include Coffee with the Curator (April 8), Nikki Renee Anderson (April 15), Earth Day Celebration (April 22), and Renee Robbins (April 29).

Learn about the artists’ inspiration, process, and the connections between the two Boom Bloom creators during a Hybrid Artist Talk on Saturday, May 8 at 1 PM. Guests will have the opportunity to register in advance for a discussion with Anderson and Robbins in KAC’s galleries - or stream the lecture from home via Zoom.

The community is also invited to register for KAC’s Third Thursday virtual series in April and May. Celebrate National Garden Month on April 15 at 7 PM with experts as we ‘dig deeper’ on the topic of gardening. Then on May 20 at 7 PM, join KAC Deputy Director and Curator, Tami Miller, on Zoom for a live tour from artlab artist Mike Slaski’s studio. Learn more about the artist and his process, see additional work, and ask questions during this virtual evening event. Register for either event at krasl.org/art/program registration.

On the Second Saturday of April and May from 11 AM - 12:30 PM, join KAC for Boom Bloom- themed virtual Family Days. Information on these free, virtual events and how to register can be found at krasl.org/education/free-and-fun. Join KAC on April 10 for Painted Abstract Sculptures inspired by Nikki Renee Anderson and on May 8 for Water Bears and Watercolors, Art inspired by Science and Renee Robbins.

Information and registration information for all of KAC’s programs can be found at krasl.org.

Robbins’ artworks are partially supported by a 2021 Individual Artist Support grant from the Illinois Arts Council Agency through federal funds provided by the National Endowment for the Arts.

Robbins’ artworks also partially supported by a 2021 Individual Artist Program Grant from the City of Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs & Special Events, as well as a grant from the Illinois Arts Council Agency, a state agency through federal funds provided by the National Endowment for the Arts.

Subatomic Particles- Neutrinos

One of my favorite subjects, subatomic particles like neutrinos have inspired several artworks of mine over the past decade.  I wanted to collect and reflect on the work as a group together here on my blog and to show how this subject has inspired my work in different scales and media.  The neutrinos are part of the unseen universe and their behavior is extremely fascinating to me.  It’s difficult to detect them and there is much that is still unknown about them.  They are elusive and very abundant in our universe and travel near the speed of light but are actually not faster than the speed of light.  They have very little mass, and are particles with no charge or energy. The marks in these artworks derive from imagery originally taken in a bubble chamber.  The lines and curves create a language that is exciting to invent with in the artist studio.  I take a lot of artistic license here in drawing these marks.  Imagining the trails and behavior that these particles create fascinates me.  Neutrinos are one of the most abundant particles in the universe and billions of these particles can travel through us at any time.  Considering what is happening in the unseen universe all over our human landscape is very inspiring.  My mind moves in many directions as I enjoy thinking about the invisible as a starting point for my imagination.  The mystery and ambiguity of these particles is part of the appeal to bringing them into my art.  In making these marks on a small drawing or in a large mural they take different forms.   When taken out of their science context into the poetic lens of art, we can dwell on a horizon that is in us but completely out of view.

Golden Ratio, 30” x 42”, 2014, acrylic on canvas.

The main structure of the composition blends a macro view from an airplane at night with the micro view of subatomic particles trails.

Detail of Fullerton Mural, 14 ft x 110 ft, acrylic on concrete, 2017.

Almost Faster than the Speed of Light, 12” x 12”, acrylic on panel, 2019

Point, 12” x 12”, acrylic, string, and sand on panel, 2005.

Faster than the Speed of Light, 10 nanoseconds, 6” x 8”, ink and colored pencil on paper 2011, Daily Drawings: Week 27

Faster than the Speed of Light, 20 nanoseconds, 6” x 8”, ink and colored pencil on paper 2011, Daily Drawings: Week 27

Faster than the Speed of Light, 30 nanoseconds, 6” x 8”, ink and colored pencil on paper 2011, Daily Drawings: Week 27

Faster than the Speed of Light, 40 nanoseconds, 6” x 8”, ink and colored pencil on paper 2011, Daily Drawings: Week 27

Faster than the Speed of Light, 50 nanoseconds, 6” x 8”, ink and colored pencil on paper 2011, Daily Drawings: Week 27

Faster than the Speed of Light, 60 nanoseconds, 6” x 8”, ink and colored pencil on paper 2011, Daily Drawings: Week 27

Faster than the Speed of Light, 70 nanoseconds, 6” x 8”, ink and colored pencil on paper 2011, Daily Drawings: Week 27

Spreadsheet Fever

Artist Archive for Aquatic Traces Series. Some portions are blocked out for privacy.

ARTIST ARCHIVE

During 2020 I’ve been working on my artist archive in depth.  An artist archive includes all of the work I’ve ever created and where it’s located. One of my artist friends said I was the hardest working artist that she knows.  I thought about that for a bit and wondered why she though that.  I realized that being organized is one of my strengths and that inspired me to do a blog about how I organize and keep track of all the my business parts of my art.  These topics will be broken up into several blogs as it’s too much information to cover in one blog entry. I started a proper archive of my artwork in 2015 and have been working on it slowly over time.  I wish that I started this when I graduated from college in 2005 but I didn’t realize this was something that I should do or keep track of.   I could easily store all the information in my head at the beginning of my painting career but as the years have gone by it became harder to remember details about individual artworks.  I had some of the information in a word document list but then when a work sold I deleted the information. It became important to reference information for all works. It’s difficult to store all the information in my brain about work that I made 15 years ago. I figured out that I should make a spreadsheet on excel to keep track of all of this information.  My archive includes all the details about all of my artwork, details including medium, date, size, series, price, sold, sold date, collection, location, and unique archive number.  It also includes information like if I reworked an artwork or if it was destroyed. While I had some of this data entry done from 2015-2019, it was missing quite a bit of information.  I had a goal at the beginning of 2020 to get this in shape and have been working on it slowly over the course of the year.  I made a list of all the things that I needed to do on the archive and then made a commitment to do one hour a week on the archive for the entire year.  I save this work till the end of the day when my creative energy is spent as it’s my least favorite task to complete. It’s lengthy, time-consuming and a bit boring but once I get started it’s fun to get in the groove of entering information.  It’s not as exciting as making work in the studio but an important project and part of being an artists. At this time, I have all the major works completed so I am excited to share that major accomplishment.  I’m not completely finished as I have works on paper to complete as well as works from 2000-2005 undergraduate and graduate. This portion can be even harder as many of those works no longer exist and I do not even have digital photos of many of them. Another column for high resolution photos in the archive became necessary when I discovered that I was missing photos. I wanted to know if I had high resolution photos of the artwork so I could re-shoot them if necessary. I think it’s ok if I don’t have all the info for my student work. However, I don’t have photos of many of my works on paper so I’m beginning the process to photograph and record information about all of the artworks. Anyway I thought I would share my system in case it might help other artists to keep better track of their work.  I have 23 series or tabs of my work recorded so far and with few more series to go.  I also added the all the images to excel spreadsheet so I can easily reference and see what works I have and all the details about it.  The unique archive number I created also corresponds to a folder that has the images with number in the file name.

I included close up photos of the spreadsheet.

Detail of Artist Archive Aquatic Traces.

Detail of Artist Archive Aquatic Traces.

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DAILY PLANNER, SCHEDULE, TO DO, & GOALS

Daily Planning page January 29, 2021.

I am a definitely planner and schedule out all my time throughout the day and week.  As an artist you have to be extremely organized with your time and conscious that you are taking action to accomplish goals and things that are important.  I have been using the Daily/Monthly Day Designer Planner for the past 3 years and I really enjoy it.   If you are looking for an inexpensive planner to block out your time and track goal progress this is for you.  Before trying this planner I used a blank notebook to keep track of time and that started in 2000.  The printed planner is a fantastic improvement  to my time management and for keeping track of deadlines. I would recommend to every artist. I just looked up the one I prefer and it is currently out of stock.  I usually buy it in Sept/Oct of the prior year. I think they have a certain time of year to sell the planner and since it’s almost February some of the ones they sell are already out of stock.  I prefer the three-column format of the particular planner sold at Office Max versus their flagship planner because of the daily page format.  I would actually prefer to get the thicker more expensive flagship type but I don’t like the two column layout of the flagship daily page and the additional square sections for do, dinner, dollars, and don’t’ forget.  Those squares are not really relevant to me and I do not like them. Many planners are for women with lots of pink and girly design which I don’t like either. Last year they only had one with pink in it available and that really bothered me. I could not find another planner with the three column layout that I like so I had to get it. This year they have better colors so I was happy. The simpler format planner at office max daily has one column for the schedule, one column for the to-do and a large column for the notes.  Plus it has a large area at the top for notes and other things that I like to jot down during the day.  The Office Max planner has fewer worksheets and pages then the flagship planner but all those extras can all be downloaded for free on the Day Designer website which I have done.  The planner has a timed column for scheduling and keeping track of my hours.  Daily, I keep track of the hours I work on a particular painting as well as time spent on marketing and administrative activities.  In addition it has a top three to do section.   Additionally, for 4 years I have been practicing daily gratitude where I write down things that I am grateful for.  January is when I reflect on the past year and refocus my goals for the New Year. I am also keeping track of this daily, weekly, and monthly to check in that I am spending my time taking action towards these goals.  While 2020 was a very strange year and 2021 will be different as well, I can still orient my time, which is my most valuable resource, and connect it with my values. 

As a compliment to my printed planner I also keep a TO DO SPREADSHEET also in excell. This is my master to do list where I write down every thing I am working on in three categories including CREATIVE, MARKETING, & ADMINISTRATIVE.  At the end of each week I review and record my time so I can check in with myself.  Each month is also a chance to make my focus change or limit my goals. There is only so much time in a month.

I have an additional studio planner/journal that I write more details on my challenges and ideas in the studio. This helps me to remain focused and remember different ideas I have from day to day.If I am looking for ideas I can go back to reference my thoughts very easily. This also makes it easy to prioritize what ideas are most compelling to create in the studio.

I have another tiny purple leather notebook that I write down titles in.When I get to the title portion of my artwork I can begin here to reference my ideas.

Falling Light-years

Falling Lightyears, 22”x22”, acrylic on canvas, 2020.

Falling Light-years is a metaphor for the cosmic changing seasons of 2020. The world is no longer what it was a year ago. Everything is occurring at such a rapid pace it is almost overwhelming to witness. The days seem like falling years. What does a light-year look like and how can I paint it? The painting is a moment in this unprecedented time as I look for grounding and stability amidst chaos.

Inside Treetop Starsaver

Treetop Starsaver, 24” x 24”, acrylic on canvas, 2020.

For Treetop Starsaver I imagined a device that could capture stars and glimmers of hope from above. The perspective is oriented from an aerial treetop view. I thought of the circular vessel of this composition in the same way as a bookshelf that holds it’s own cabinet of curiosity. I think of it as imaginary space to store expressions of gratitude. There is always a silver lining to find.