LF_082417

LakeForestLeader.com LIFE & ARTS
the lake forest leader | August 24, 2017 | 19
It’s a dog’s world at The Gallery this summer
Katie Copenhaver
Freelance Reporter
Artists on the Bluff held
the opening reception for
its August exhibit, “Dog
Days” at The Gallery in
Lake Forest on Aug. 11.
The Gallery was looking
for a light, fun theme
for its August show, said
Sandra Bacon, president
of the local artists’ collective.
“We have an idea and
let artists either follow it
or not,” she said.
Many of the participating
artists are showing
works of dogs or
other animals while others
contributed waterscapes,
landscapes and
cityscapes. Among the
animal art is Meredith
Kopelman’s series of
dog paintings, “Cockerspaniel,”
“Labrador,” and
“Schnauzer,” which depict
approachable looking
canines in bright colors.
They are a good match for
Ann Bingham-Freeman’s
series of dog and monkey
paintings, which are also
in vibrant colors, but possess
a cartoon feel, like
the work of Chicago Imagists
Karl Wirsum and
Jim Nutt.
Photographer Eric Toalson
offers two dog photos,
“Just Add Water,”
the summery image of a
golden retriever playing
in a sprinkler, and “Eleanor
Rigby,” a close-up of
a fluffy white dog’s face.
The title might actually be
the dog’s name or perhaps
it is inspired by the face
references in the Beatles’
song. These are joined by
Toalson’s four nature photos
of sea water, the sky,
fog and lightning.
Hard to miss in the gallery
are the three sculptures
of Michael Bellefeuille.
“Mechanical Butterfly,”
Mixed media artist and photographer Georgia Velisaris
stands with her favorite piece in the show, “Aquarium.”
Dragonfly,” and “1 Horse,
2 Personalities,” are made
of repurposed metal pieces
fitted together into the insect
and animal forms. The
butterfly is larger than any
real life dog and features
wings that move mechanically.
The dragonfly is suspended
from the ceiling
and throws shadows from
its wings, possibly made
from ceiling fan blades, on
the walls behind it. Bellefeuille
and his brother
created the horse, each
building one side of it independently
with different
materials and then fastening
them together, according
to Bacon.
Darlene Bock’s pastel
drawings include “Natalia
and her Pug,” “Ants” and
“At the Dock.” In particular,
“Ants,” which shows
three children playing in
the street in the summer
time, and “At the Dock,”
which depicts a young
woman sitting on a pier
watching a goose swim
along the water, beautifully
capture how sunlight
falls on their subjects.
“Natalia and her Pug” and
“Le Repose,” an ink on
black scratchboard drawing
by Leslie Scott, show
dogs in fine, realistic detail.
Sandra Bacon has acrylic
paintings of dogs, a cat
and a monkey in the show
and says she paints pet
portraits on commission.
Her animal images appear
not only in paintings, but
also on mugs and napkins.
She noted that her fanciful
monkeys reference paintings
by Frida Kahlo.
Additional images of
dogs appear in photographs
by Nancy Strahinic
and graphite drawings by
Paulette Colo. Other animals
represented include
an elephant in “Kaitlyn’s
Kilabasi,” a watercolor
and pastel by Carol Breyer
that achieves a unique
vintage look; a bird painting
by Sandra Bacon; and
a cockatoo photo by Georgia
Velisaris.
Amy Lee Segami, who
is well known for using
a unique paint on water
method derived from an
ancient Japanese style
called Suminagashi, contributed
two archival
reprints of her original
A mixed media tile and photography by artist Georgia Velisaris is on display at The
Gallery in downtown Lake Forest throughout the month of August as part of its “Dog
Days” exhibit. PHOTOS BY CLAIRE ESKER/22ND CENTURY MEDIA
A mechanical horse constructed by Michael Bellefeuille and his brother is also on
display at The Gallery.
works, “Snow Fantasia”
and “Pond of Passion.”
Acrylic paintings by
Howard Alberts depict
cityscapes and waterscapes
of Europe, China
and Chicago in a whimsical
style.
“Dog Days” runs
through Aug. 28 at The
Gallery, 202 Wisconsin
Ave., Lake Forest with
hours by appointment.
Artists on the Bluff exhibits
change monthly,
with the September show
to feature Lake Forest and
Lake Bluff scenes and the
October show to have a
Halloween theme. Visit
Artists on the Bluff at
www.ArtistsOnTheBluff.
org.