Art springs from occupational inspiration in Villa Park gallery
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VILLA PARK
The Park Art Center in Villa Park opens its first curated exhibition, “Shift,” with a reception from 6 to 8 p.m. Jan. 8. The exhibit features three artists who blur the lines between their occupation and their art-making.
“These artists embrace their medium to an extreme level; exploring it at work, for hours each day, as well as experimenting in off-hours to truly understand the expressive nature of their medium,” Faith Humphrey Hill, board member and curator of the exhibit, said in the news release.
The three artists are Jacob Fishman, Carey Overstreet and Ted Strandt. Fishman has been a neon sign maker, and is a well-respected neon conservator for major art museums. In his studio, he explores the boundaries of neon. Seeking inspiration from his career, family and love of neon itself, Fishman’s artwork reflects on his experiences as a sign maker and on his family. With the neon field shrinking following the popularity of LED, Fishman has expanded to experimental techniques in the neon medium.
Overstreet was a property owner with a fine arts background. Seeing the potential of the things around him, he repurposed the drop cloths from his renovations, stretched them and painted abstract or representational paintings on them. He doesn’t cover up the original drips, preferring to embrace the history of the canvas.
Strandt is a stone carver who has spent his career engraving gravestones. After completing his jobs, he uses his tools to make expressive sculptures of his own design. Often inspired by folktales and stories, a sense of history is present in his works. Once established in his art-making and career, he learned that several generations of his ancestors alsowere stone carvers, further expanding his enthusiasm for history.
The exhibition continues through Feb. 1 at the Park Art Center, a nonprofit devoted to fostering appreciation and expression of the arts among diverse audiences.
Park Art Center is at 9 E. Park Blvd. Hours are 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday.
For information, call Wendee Goles at 630-501-1455 or go to www.facebook.com/parkartcenter.
Click here to view original web page at www.mysuburbanlife.com
January 18, 2016