Connecting to Our Common Ground

Brushwood Center
Connecting to Our Common Ground
about the group exhibit

21850 N. Riverwoods Rd. // Riverwoods, IL 60015
September 10 - October 29, 2023

Featured Artists: Paul Branton, Peter Gray, Ken Hester, Renee Robbins, Sheri Rush, Preston Lewis Thomas, Julian E. Williams, Jr.

Brushwood Center, in partnership with Hyde Park Art Center and collector, artist, and environmental scientist Patric McCoy, presents an exhibition of artwork celebrating the different ways in which we connect with and are shaped by nature.

Gallery Hours:
M, TU, W, TR, Sa: 10am - 3pm
Su: 1pm - 3pm and by appointment 

About my two artworks in the exhibit:

“One Step Beyond”, part of the “Galactic Lagoons” series, shows a variety of flora and fauna performing a dance while landing on the moon.  This otherworldly environment, while rooted in patterns and shapes from the natural world is fantastical and imagined.

Paintings in the “Galactic Lagoons” series bring together celestial and aquatic spaces in order to explore natural wonder, both real and imagined. Planets are layered with microscopic forms to highlight seemingly disparate details in one composition. Bright botanical colors merge with shapes and patterns derived from biological specimens and coral reefs to amplify our curiosity.

“Anchor” is part of a narrative series called “Biota” which illustrates the beginning and end of an invented biome using a palette composed of transparent rainbow glazes, a light blue background, and shapes of burnt sienna. The artworks title “Anchor” reflects the main form holding on to something fixed, so it doesn’t get swept away by the elements.  The series features invented flora and fauna and explores how they exist and evolve over time.

 
Paintings in the “Biota” series investigate the flora and fauna of a distinct region in order to imagine multiple views of one habitat—diving into its mysteries, exploring every corner, and considering how a place changes over time. While the work references many actual things on a human scale, these paintings also incorporate invisible elements from the molecular and cosmic levels.

Recurring Motif- Fireflies

I have several recurring motifs in my work and I’ve been painting the magical glow of fireflies in my paintings since 2008. Here is a curated collection of original works that have used this amazing subject in different ways. Different species of lighting bugs make different glow marks when they fly through the sky. They typically glow when are looking to attract a mate. Look for the different firefly marks in my paintings below including J shape, a dash, a dot, a flicker, half circle or a even zig zag. The collection is organized from largest to smallest size of the artwork.

A Kaleidoscope of Hidden Worlds, Fullerton and DuSable Lake Shore Drive, Chicago, 2017.

Trail of Fireflies: Hot Summer Nights, 37” x 50”, acrylic on canvas, 2015, private collection.

Trail of Fireflies: Magic Carpet, 36” x 36”, acrylic on canvas, 2015.

Forest Bathing, 36” x 36”, acrylic on canvas, 2019.

Firefly Signals, 16” x 20”, aersol and acrylic on paper, 2022.

Trail-of-Fireflies: At the Drive-in, 12” x 16”, acrylic on panel, 2014.

Trail-of-Fireflies: Nocturama, 12” x 16”, acrylic on panel, 2014.

Trail-of-Fireflies: Vapor from the Sea, 12” x 16”, acrylic on panel, 2014.

Trail-of-Fireflies: Space Pirates, 12” x 12”, acrylic on panel, 2014, corporate collection.

Trail-of-Fireflies: Hot Summer Nights, 12” x 12”, acrylic on panel, 2014, corporate collection.

Pond of Stars P8, 6” x 6”, acrylic on panel, 2014, private collection.

Pond of Stars C29, 6” x 6”, acrylic on panel, 2014, available.

Pond of Stars P8, 6” x 6”, acrylic on panel, 2014, private collection.

Pond of Stars J36, 6” x 6”, acrylic on panel, 2014, private collection.

Pond of Stars W23, 6” x 6”, acrylic on panel, 2014, private collection.

Pond of Stars Z26, 6” x 6”, acrylic on panel, 2014, private collection.

Fiber-Optic Fireflies in the Amphitheater, 24” x 24”, acrylic, fabric, and string on panel, 2008.

Still Inspired Dance Photos & Videos

Photography & Video by Rishi Productions. Courtesy of Gosia Matusewska & Gabriel Garavaglia.

✨New✨ project documentation from the March 2023 collaboration with Still Inspired Dance Non-for-Profit at the Athenaeum Theater in Chicago.

The blog post includes performance photographs, choreographer statements, as well as a film that has short clips of all four performances.

I’m so happy to be able to share the different approaches they each took with their dance pieces. Each dance was about 4-8 minutes long and while I cannot share the entire performance here, I hope this gives a sense of the artistry involved in creating these dance performances.. The performance started with me explaining my painting and projecting and image of it it onto the stage. Next each choreographer introduced their piece and their approach and this followed by the dance performance. At the end of the four pieces we had a short Q&A with the dancers, choreographers, and myself with the audience.

One thing that I learned was the dancers took a classical ballet class before the performance to warm up. This was amazing to witness in the dress rehearsal. They hire an outside teacher to do this class.

2023 Still Inspired Dancer Cast

Kaleigh Dent, Katie Louise Dabson, Ava Wichser Foerster, Sabriah Floberg, Erin Hoeger, Kate Laughlin, Lauren Reed, & Abigail Stachnik.

Annie Conway - Choreographer Statement for Gorgeous Love.

I was drawn to the whimsical elements, the coloring, and the symbols within Satellite of Love. The title also intrigued me and I knew I wanted to work with themes surrounding love - all versions of love.

Pulled back, there’s this wholeness to Satellite of Love, but it’s made up of all these smaller, interconnected compartments and spaces, each having its own attributes. This read to me like a roadmap; so with this choreographic process, the dancers and I set out to sort of take a walk around this thing, highlighting different phases and stages of love that ultimately lead us to the point of finding our great loves, friendships, close communities and family – all the various soulmates that fill us up and shape who we are….   And then ultimately coming back to that wholeness, that total contentment and gratitude in having found those core people.

Photography & Video by Rishi Productions.
Courtesy of Gosia Matusewska & Gabriel Garavaglia.

Kate Vandivier - Choreographer Statement for Reflections on a Night Sky.

I was inspired by Renee's original description of the piece being about the painting Everything I Ever Wanted. I was also struck by how visually striking this piece was, and that, to me, it looked like an eye observing the night sky and all of the various constellations, contemplating everything you ever wanted. I started thinking about everything I ever wanted versus what I got. And as I reflected on this idea, I started to realize and be grateful for what I had, even if at the time it wasn't what I wanted. So in the end, my piece is a love story to ones self, and learning to appreciate ourselves and be kinder to ourselves.

Photography & Video by Rishi Productions.
Courtesy of Gosia Matusewska & Gabriel Garavaglia.

Laura Thurston - Choreographer Statement for Then and Now.

My piece, Then and Now was inspired by Renee’s work Allure in the Sea Change series. 

I was initially drawn to the layers of colors on the jelly fish-like creatures and wanted to know more. In researching Renee’s beautiful description of Allure during our collaborative process, I was given more purpose for the development of choreography, as well as how Allure tied in to the Sea Change series. 

The first of two sections was based on the ideals of Allure and the connection to the Sea Change series. Movement invention was created with the concept of fluidity, quickness, darting/attention-getting movement, and choreographic patterns were reminiscent of Renee’s descriptions, using influences from spirals, DNA helix, and attention-seeking pedestrian moments to mimic the invention of Allure. The first section is the “Then” of Then and Now. The second section was a collaboration with the performing cast of 5 females, investigating what the word Allure means to our human selves, today. What societal pressures are placed upon women, and what are the layers that unfold as a result? Some incredible conversations were had, and movement invention from the dancers inspired the creation of the “Now” section of Then and Now. 

Photography & Video by Rishi Productions.
Courtesy of Gosia Matusewska & Gabriel Garavaglia.

Brian Hare - Choreographer Statement for Celestial Shoal.

I was initially drawn to Renee’s work Kaleidoscope of Hidden Worlds because of its’ location. I have always been fascinated by site specific work. With the work being located as part of the pedestrian walkway leading to Lake Michigan under Lakeshore Drive it has an unnoticed impact on our emotional state. Something that is passively absorbed as we go about our day. Upon learning more about the mural I came to appreciate Renee’s bright and defiant use of color. The unapologetically vibrant color pallet I found particularly suited for choreography. The imagery of Macro and Micro organisms weaving and dancing within and through one another starting from a small primordial space and ultimately expanding out into a great cosmic view I found particularly beautiful. Renee’s perspective and unique composition I found very easy to draw inspiration from to both generate movement and craft a narrative arch in my work Celestial Shoal. Renee’s work is both literal and abstract in equal measure which I think makes it a uniquely suited for choreography. It was a true privilege to put my own spin on Renee’s work.

Photography & Video by Rishi Productions.
Courtesy of Gosia Matusewska & Gabriel Garavaglia.

View another blog post to learn more about Renee Robbins’ collaboration with all four choreographers here. This blog post features written descriptions of the paintings by Renee Robbins.

Exhibition Photos of Simple Pleasures

Simple Pleasures & Silver Linings: An Unseen Universe
Dec. 16, 2022 - Mar. 17, 2023
[Salonlb.]
Gallery Hours TU & TH 11 - 6 pm and by appointment.