WOOD|WORK
Group Exhibition
at the Ramsdell Regional Center for the Arts
101 Maple St, Manistee, MI 49660

Opening Reception: Friday, July 26th from 5-7pm

Wood, and the woods, have inspired artists throughout the ages—from Roman frescoes, Chinese Shan Shui ink paintings, 19th century realism to modern minimalist sculpture. The exhibit Wood|Work brings together four contemporary artists’ signature approaches to wood, both the material and inspiration from the place where trees grow.

Each artist takes on the material, and the place, from unexpected, personal perspectives. Leelanau County residents Nik Burkhart and Nick Preneta base their constructions on wood—adapting processes from fine art and woodworking traditions to collaborate with the natural medium in various formats.  Sarah Bearup-Neal lives in an 80-acre hardwood stand in Benzie County that yields stories that need to be told in collage. Joan Richmond, based in Grand Traverse County, creates images in monotypes and paintings of trees she encounters during travels far and near.

All four artists use familiar processes—assembling, cutting, painting, marking, drawing, sewing, gluing—that yield thoughtful, surprising outcomes. The result is a meditation on the many ways that wood, and by extension the natural world, informs and enriches our lives.

My work is represented by V Gallery in Omena, MI.

5039 N West Bay Shore Dr
Omena, MI 49674

HOURS
Wednesday - Monday, 11am-5pm

CONTACT
vgallery@v-v-v-v.com
www.instagram.com/vgallerymi

Seven recent artworks from "The Orchard" series were selected for a group show curated by Jessica Kooiman Parker at the Alluvion Traverse City, MI.

"Botanic" is an exhibition that takes a collective look at our intimate relationship to the plant kingdom. Plants create and regulate the air we breathe, they provide us with food, medicine, textiles and building materials. Through thought provoking conceptual work, installations, botanical paintings and prints, sculptures, wood work and a freshly installed seed library, Botanic attempts to examine and honor the gifts of our plant friends.

My painting "Winter Reign" was selected as part of the "North of the 45th Exhibition" at the Devos Art Museum in Marquette, MI. The show will ran from June 23rd through July 28th, 2023 with a closing reception on Friday, July 28th from 6-8pm.

DeVos Art Museum
1401 Presque Isle Ave, Marquette, MI 49855

My drawing "At Present (Temma Lowly)" was part of a group exhibition titled "Deposition: Drawn" with 20+ artists at North Park University that opened on February 14.

This exhibition was curated by Tim Lowly (professor and director at NPU) and related to his daughter Temma, who has significant physical disabilities. Tim sent each of the participating artists a unique prompt (somehow related to Temma) and asked us to make a drawing and accompanying text related to our prompt. More info about Tim's work relating to Temma at www.timlowly.com and via Instagram.

"Nik Burkhart & Marti Liddle-Lameti: Reverberations"

Two person exhibition at the Elizabeth Lane Oliver Center for the Arts (Frankfort, MI) ran from February 24th through March 31st.

This exhibition by myself and Marti Liddle-Lameti contained a broad spectrum of textiles, paintings, drawings, sculpture and fiber art completed over the course of the last five years. The combined artworks explored the relationship between humans and the natural world and examine how each shapes the other over the course of time. The title "Reverberations" asks the viewer to consider the similarities and differences of the two artists' artistic practices and material choices. Echoes of trees, sky, water and other natural forms emerge as common threads, creating an awareness of the deep impact that the environment has on the lives of both artists.

Image: Installation View from "Reverberations"