LP_011719

lockportlegend.com life & arts
the Lockport Legend | January 17, 2019 | 17
Artists think inside the box for new canvas exhibit
Laurie Fanelli
Freelance Reporter
A blank canvas represents
infinite possibilities.
For its latest exhibition,
The Artist Guild of Lockport
challenged its members to
create unique works of art
within the confines of identical
20-by-20 inch canvases.
From 6-9 p.m. Saturday,
Jan. 12, artists and art connoisseurs
were invited to the
Flower of Life Art Gallery
for the opening reception of
“20x20: The Canvas Project.”
The event gave attendees
the opportunity to see
how each artist transformed
uniform sheets of white into
unique pieces of visual art.
Flower of Life Art Gallery
owner Larry Brogan enjoyed
witnessing the many ways
TAGOL artists explored the
confined lines of the untraditional
canvas.
“I think it’s pretty cool,”
he said. “It’s interesting having
the uniformity of everything
in the size, and for the
most part everything is hung
at the same level, so it makes
for an interesting show. It’s
good to see what kind of art
everybody did on a bit of a
more challenging canvas.”
The square shape inspired
Lockport resident Misty
Soderholm to explore the
symmetry and spirituality
of mandalas, spiritual symbols
highlighted by perfect
patterns, as well as her love
of animals with her piece,
“Mystic Teacher.”
“I had taken a couple
classes in mandala making,
and you have to start with a
perfect square,” Soderholm
explained. “I love animals
so much and I wanted to tie
that in. Because mandala is
more of a spiritual theme, I
tried to make the wolf a little
more spiritual.
“In the Native American
tradition, teacher is the
medicine of the wolf which
is why I named it ‘Mystic
Teacher,’ but I love all
animals. The wolf was one
that I hadn’t done yet so I
felt drawn to that. When I
knew the history of it, being
a teacher, I thought it tied in
really well.”
The 20x20 canvas also
inspired Downers Grove
resident Sindee Viano to
try something a little different.
Rather than using a diverse
color palette, her piece
“Baby, Baby” — inspired by
news that a new grandchild
is on the way — is an exploration
of shades of white.
“This is my happiness
coming out on the page,”
she said, noting that the
bright white hues represent
an endless array of possibilities.
“It’s made with all
acrylic iridescent paint and
tape for texture. It also has
some glitter glue on there
and depending on how you
turn your head, there’s gold,
rose, white and blue.”
Family was at the forefront
of Viano’s 20x20 experience
as her daughter Kari
Nakayama accompanied her
to the gallery for the opening
reception. Prior to the exhibit’s
start, Nakayama stopped
by Brogan’s adjoining tattoo
studio, Tattoo City, to get
one of her mom’s original
designs inked on her wrist.
Nakayama explained that
she can see her mom in every
work of art Viano creates.
“It’s got her personality in
it,” Nakayama said. “That’s
nice to see and it’s always
very different.”
Whether tattooing or
painting, Brogan enjoys
keeping his art “fresh and
new” by creating “something
different all the time.”
His latest painting — an
ultra-realistic portrait of a
Lockport resident Maya Busi admires her mother Amanda Busi’s 20x20 pieces “Shake Your Tail Feathers” Saturday, Jan.
12, during the opening reception for “20x20: The Canvas Project” at the Flower of Life Art Gallery.
Photos by Laurie Fanelli/22nd Century Media
sparrow surrounded by nature
— was inspired by his
patio view.
“For awhile I’ve been
wanting to do some bird
paintings,” Brogan said.
“I’ve got bird feeders outside
on my patio. At any
given time there can be 20
to 100 sparrows hanging out
as well as all kinds of other
birds. The sparrows are the
ones who call it home year
round.”
The 20x20 show also featured
works by Ed Smith,
Amanda Busi, Diane Clavio,
Sally Beller, James Murphy
and many more.
Through Feb. 24, “20x20:
The Canvas Project” will
be on display at The Flower
Of Life Art Gallery (1601
S. State St.) and “Blue: A
Mystic Teacher” by Misty Soderholm (left) and “Keep Your Eye on the Sparrow” by Larry
Brogan on display at TAGOL’s 20x20 show.
TAGOL Exhibition” will
open on March 2. The 2019
exhibit calendar also includes
“Rhythm and Hues
2” in April, “Origins VI” in
September and the TAGOL
Family Holiday Art Show in
December.
More information about
TAGOL can be found at
www.theartistguildoflock
port.com.