MARKETPLACE

Abigail Engstrand

mixed media diptych: absorbent ground, watercolor, pencil, oil crayon, acrylic pour medium on 2 oval Convexo canvases hung together to form an exclamation point!

40" x 20"

"During 2020 we kept our eyes on the horizon, our mouths and noses covered, (for millions, taste and smell were diminished or lost) our ears are left exposed, tasked with holding our masks on and listening to the pulse of our country, the heart of our land. My white ear hears the cries of the too long oppressed voices of black and native American souls. The oval shape is fluid and facial; a welcome break from the squares and rectangles of our phones and computer screens. Drips and puddles of transparent color form layers of vapor and residue. Constant washing is drying our hands, wrinkling time, scratching a line. Look out, read closely, for signs of health.

2020, just try to focus! It rendered life full of emptiness- a fearful gratitude, a maze. It was constantly asking me to prioritize my values and evaluate my priorities. That it was “a year in translation”, was the only thing for sure. “What does this mean?” “Is that a fact?”  

Lots of waiting, watching, wondering, 

we went inside, we walked out into the woods, 

and we washed 

and washed. 

My great big collaborative mural job got postponed again and again and my college boys came home. 

I created signs and marched, masked, asked to end white silence, and fight for fair elections. 

I returned to my watercolor washes. I zoomed into my senses, to parts of the anatomy and memory. I painted hands, drew mouths, noses and ears-

half faces, small places and looked out windows at the shifting horizon. 

“Think outside the box”, she said...I am round and all up in my head.

Let’s begin again-

Is it safe to come out? Crack open my shell?

We need to listen-no more hell! 

Put it into perspective, pay attention to proportion... 

I drove across the state to care for my dying mother in law. I sketched her in her sleep. Listened to her breathe. What is most important? Where is the power? Is it clean? My statement is full of questions. Do I have time? I want to live! This is my art process no matter what materials I employ."

Abigail Engstrand

mixed media diptych: absorbent ground, watercolor, pencil, oil crayon, acrylic pour medium on canvases

34" x 19"

"The beautiful aqua surgical blue captures the vapor, the virus, the washes, the hope. The youthful heat and anger glow and burst forth with attitude, neon red, points back to his head, an egg emerging strong from the cave, One 19 year Old in a 2020 Diptych. The oval portrait light in the dark, portrays the stark, compares and contrasts curved line and straight, tops the block, frames the love and the hate. He is my son. Protection.

2020, just try to focus! It rendered life full of emptiness- a fearful gratitude, a maze. It was constantly asking me to prioritize my values and evaluate my priorities. That it was “a year in translation”, was the only thing for sure. “What does this mean?” “Is that a fact?”  

Lots of waiting, watching, wondering, 

we went inside, we walked out into the woods, 

and we washed 

and washed. 

My great big collaborative mural job got postponed again and again and my college boys came home. 

I created signs and marched, masked, asked to end white silence, and fight for fair elections. 

I returned to my watercolor washes. I zoomed into my senses, to parts of the anatomy and memory. I painted hands, drew mouths, noses and ears-

half faces, small places and looked out windows at the shifting horizon. 

“Think outside the box”, she said...I am round and all up in my head.

Let’s begin again-

Is it safe to come out? Crack open my shell?

We need to listen-no more hell! 

Put it into perspective, pay attention to proportion... 

I drove across the state to care for my dying mother in law. I sketched her in her sleep. Listened to her breathe. What is most important? Where is the power? Is it clean? My statement is full of questions. Do I have time? I want to live! This is my art process no matter what materials I employ."

Alan Rozanski

digitally drawn using Wacom Cintiq and Autodesk Sketchbook Pro Saturday Evening Post (Sep/Oct 2020)

15" x 12"

“Acting So Distant” was published in 2020 in The Saturday Evening Post. It was selected by editors who were hoping to provide at least a little levity to their readers on the topic of social distancing.

Over the past two years, Alan Rozanski’s cartoons have also appeared in The Wall Street Journal, Woman’s World and The Journal of Alta California. Rozanski also maintains websites for his two comic strips – Moon Crazy and House – both of which were developed in the 1990s and originally intended for newspaper syndication. Besides magazine gag cartooning, his hobbies also include playing ice hockey and guitar – although, very rarely at the same time."

Allison Estry

acrylic on canvas

20" x 10"

"Hey, does anyone else remember the start of 2020, when all we had to worry about were the horrific wildfires rampaging across every continent?

Well, the festivals are cancelled, the parks closed, the shows all rescheduled. What else is there to do but sit in my room and paint?"

Ari Rosenthal

photographic design on canvas

16" x 20"

"My work is dynamic, diverse, and non-dogmatic. It is a visual dance of saturation, texture, form and space. Each image is a unique synthesis of elements that result in a “re-imagining” that may or may not divulge its origins.

Each piece of art "usually" begins with an original photograph as its canvas. My creative process is a non-uniform one and varies based upon the origin image and whether it involves deconstruction, enhancement, collage or warping. This process is rarely predetermined.

Occasionally, I’ll begin by isolating the most powerful architectural elements - be they organic or man-made - within each image and using that as a launch point. Other times, I’ll strip any recognizable form from an image and work with or mold from its essence.

Though I know the genesis of each piece of work, it is the process of discovery - accidental and intentional - that determines the outcome.

2020 has seen the loss of life, a major destabilization of our social and democratic values, yet we've seen a resounding voice crying out for stability. Powerful game changing figures like Stacey Abrams and Kamala Harris have emerged to signal a return to stability and decency."

Beth Stoddard

oil on cradled panel

18" x 24"

"My artistic practice is borne of the delights and constraints I experience as a city dwelling landscape painter. 2020’s pandemic heightened both the challenges and enjoyment of this art making. In oil on panel I paint urban parks and nature preserves from direct observation.

There are over 150 green spaces in the Milwaukee County Parks system. By summer’s end last year I completed my quixotic long-term project to paint all of them. August’s Domes Self-Portrait shows a sense of enjoyment in my work, and the pride of accomplishment having completed the multi-year Parks painting project.

Expansive gardens mirrored in the Domes’ windows depict the ongoing respite provided by public green spaces. A necklaced mask betrays the continued risk of disease and necessary need for caution, as well as hinting at mitigation practices that made, and make, a slightly fuller life possible.

Continuing to paint the County Parks was a safe yet sometimes uneasy endeavor during most of 2020. I contributed to local life and culture, as well as my own artistic well-being, by depicting in paint my city’s wealth of natural beauty."

Bolanie Awosika

acrylic on canvas

24" x 18"

"Art is a vehicle that affords me the opportunity to share encouraging messages visually. My desire is through my unique visual language to create pieces of art that positively illuminate the atmosphere of the home, business or community where my art is viewed.

My goal is that through my artwork individuals will celebrate the wonderful blessing in their lives and are comforted and strengthen when they are in the midst of challenging life circumstances. My proficiency is acrylic painting. I utilize color and a wide variety of symbols to convey my messages to the viewer."

Brianna Hernández Baurichter

single-channel video

00:05:40, install dimensions vary

Brianna Hernández Baurichter

single-channel video

00:04:11, install dimensions vary

Carley Knight

DMC floss on Aida fabric

12" x 11"

"I choose to paint abstractly because I want to express something that is inside of me that cannot be expressed through words alone. I am mostly inspired by my “doodle” drawings that I drew during my time as a student to keep my mind occupied. My paintings are also inspired by the fiber art that I make. I like to think that my work represents the interconnected web of life, exponential growth, and an organic process.

I use acrylic paints because they dry quickly. That allows for layers of color to be developed over a shorter period of time. Speaking of color, I like to play with colors in my work. For the main “web,” I like it when one color gradually turns into the next shade, one ring at a time. I use a complementary for the “ribbon” to make the painting “pop.” People who view my work say they see neurons or other organic shapes in my art. I want to let the viewer interpret my work for themselves."

Carole Glass

acrylic on canvas

30" x 24"

"After achieving a BFA in art and design from UWM, I worked in the field of graphic design for various corporate entities. About ten years ago, I returned to my first love, painting.

Using acrylics, I develop scenes from personal photographs and inspirations that emphasize the poetry and poignancy of nature with themes of solace and resolve. I spray, brush and rub pigment on canvas. By making art, I became more hopeful, more trusting that as humans, we are part of nature, with the same resolve."

Clare Jorgensen

encaustic (beeswax, damar resin, pigment) on birch wood panel

24" x 18"

from the series "Blursday"

"A year of layers. Brutal and smooth. Scraped back and filled in. 2020 began with promise, but each month exploded new emotional challenges that at first seemed containable. Belief that we could endure the political and pandemical for a while. As more time passed life became less recognizable. Life moments were eroded and carved away. New layers of suffering and the insufferable revealed themselves.

The battle seemed to be a mix of covering up and scraping down. Both the best and the worst are uncovered in equal balance. The medium of encaustic feels much like the skin of the zeitgeist of 2020 - the raw reaction to the intuitive experience and the real experience of life in 2020."

Clare Jorgensen

encaustic (beeswax, damar resin, pigment) on birch wood panel

24" x 18"

from the series "Blursday"

"A year of layers. Brutal and smooth. Scraped back and filled in. 2020 began with promise, but each month exploded new emotional challenges that at first seemed containable. Belief that we could endure the political and pandemical for a while. As more time passed life became less recognizable. Life moments were eroded and carved away.

New layers of suffering and the insufferable revealed themselves. The battle seemed to be a mix of covering up and scraping down. Both the best and the worst are uncovered in equal balance. The medium of encaustic feels much like the skin of the zeitgeist of 2020 - the raw reaction to the intuitive experience and the real experience of life in 2020."

Colette Odya Smith

pastel and watercolor on four-ply museum board

24" x 24"

"My selection for this show reflects my abiding interest in finding and amplifying the beauty and mystery that exists quietly all around us. I am drawn to humble, intimate scenes rather than grand sweeping landscapes. Rocks, water, and foliage are my subject matter, though my interest is in presenting realities that are both obvious and hidden. This dual interest has developed into the creation of images that are intentionally both representational and abstract.

I often purposely obscure the customary references of horizon and atmospheric perspective. In this way easy identification of the scene is downplayed. Context and scale become malleable. This allows a broader range of interpretations and frees me to move beyond the literal. Adding to this ambiguity, I often mix reflected imagery with solid forms, begging the question of what is ‘real’ and what is illusory.

I welcome viewers with recognizable forms and colors that are out of context just enough to be seen as indeterminate passages of paint where one can get lost without concern for naming and words. I invite the viewer to enter through these ‘doors’ to my discoveries and to respond with their own perceptions and appreciations.

And finally, let me share that by using pastels and watercolor, I am charmed to be using the same elements of dust and water that I am drawn to paint. These images might be anywhere, but they come from my heart and I hope they speak to yours."

David Sear

acrylic and colored pencil on paper

9" x 9"

"I wove several drawings/paintings together to form these somewhat fractured images. It seemed to reflect our collective, but also my own personal experiences from 2020."

David Sear

acrylic and colored pencil on paper and linen

9" x 9"

"I wove several drawings/paintings together to form these somewhat fractured images. It seemed to reflect our collective, but also my own personal experiences from 2020."

Deborah Brooks

oil on panel

18" x 24"

"My senses were heightened in vigilance for the Coronavirus in the beginning of 2020. News of disrupted supply chains and possible food shortages were triggering to my core. I knew my way through these uncontrollable conditions would be to shift the focus of my paintings. By March, that vigilance transformed into a full on search for beauty as I began a quest to create a sensation of abundance in my work. Each decision I made, whether about color, placement, size, shape or paint handling had to do with ramping up the need for visual plenty and richness. This piece is part of my series: Vibrant Life.

The stark injustices and inequities coupled with the pandemic amplified a deep need for me to provide a moment of beauty in the face of the many ugly truths of this past year."

Dennis Robert

forged metal and stone

20" x 20" x 6"

"This piece signifies the concerns and perceptions that many of us have felt this past year. Most of us have expressed in some form the words carved into the stone as they represent the weight of all the additional things we have had to deal with. These are all shared burdens that we have to pull with us everyday. All the steel is hand forged which also represents the additional work that was needed to survive in 2020.

Since I was a child I have been drawn to the natural shapes, textures, colors of rocks and by the ability to shape and form metal. All metals originate in rocks and when working with those two elements I play with the juxtaposition and balance of their connection. Both materials are bound together either through design, application or physical form. Although both share a natural source, their individual basic properties are not compatible. Through my art I attain to show a common bond between the two whether it be mimicking an organic shape, implied movement or the merging of the two elements back into one. I want to reveal an alternative perspective between metal and stone providing the viewer with a unique visual experience."

Dennis Robert

sandstone and steel 

10" x 16" x 3"

"With so much information coming at us from so many different sources it becomes difficult to determine what is true. Truth, being subjective is ever evolving depending on one's perspective. Whatever your truth is, it has been covered up with falsehoods, deceptions, disinformation, fiction, inaccuracy and outright lies. Truth may be set in stone but is it no longer clearly visible or discernible. We are losing sight of what is truth.

Since I was a child I have been drawn to the natural shapes, textures, colors of rocks and by the ability to shape and form metal. All metals originate in rocks and when working with those two elements I play with the juxtaposition and balance of their connection. Both materials are bound together either through design, application or physical form. Although both share a natural source, their individual basic properties are not compatible. Through my art I attain to show a common bond between the two whether it be mimicking an organic shape, implied movement or the merging of the two elements back into one. I want to reveal an alternative perspective between metal and stone providing the viewer with a unique visual experience."

Dick Blau

archival inkjet print

17.5" x 24"

"Image from MILWAUKEE NIGHT AND DAY. 10 years of photographs distilled into an 18 minute film, all made in one square block of downtown Milwaukee. Many of the images of the film were made this last year and involve the beauty, pathos and turmoil that I witnessed. Both pictures included in the exhibition are "about" the act of witnessing."

Dick Blau

archival inkjet print

17.5" x 24"

"Image from MILWAUKEE NIGHT AND DAY. 10 years of photographs distilled into an 18 minute film, all made in one square block of downtown Milwaukee. Many of the images of the film were made this last year and involve the beauty, pathos and turmoil that I witnessed. Both pictures included in the exhibition are "about" the act of witnessing."

Francesca Simonite

charcoal and prismacolor

18" x 23.5"

"My work is driven by personal photographs and an interest in ideas around impermanence and infinity. I seek to explore the identity of the many people finding their voice in a climate which is so divisive. I am interested in infinite ways of seeing, understanding, expressing; I'm interested in the grey lines."

Frank Juarez

mixed media on wooden cradle panel

24" x 18"

"My art is driven by daily observations. In my studio, I reduce those visuals into paintings with an experimental approach. Through my studio practice, I bring what’s important to the surface so that viewers can connect and interpret their own meaning."

Frank Korb

acrylic, roll-a-tex, charcoal and collage on paper

17" x 17"

"My art is based on the building blocks of my faith, elements and principles of art, and relationships within life. I focus on abstraction and consider how I can work my faith into the creation of my work. I began by experimenting with a neutral background of visible grids formed by religious and spiritual writing by using them as both text and texture. Using the grid as my ground helped me create a sense of organization and balance to build upon. Throughout the development of using my grids as ground, I built upon the layering of color and contrast, transparency and opaqueness, positive and negative space over the top of the visible and invisible grid. Each work focuses on compositional and visual movement as my lines chase around, throughout, and off of my picture plane. I emphasize the interaction of color, space, and shape developed within each work; recognizing and responding to how the text, images, and texture of the paper from the grid below support the top-most imagery. Through this process I emphasize the relationships within my composition: a push and pull of space, color, and textures as well as the other elements and principles of art and design."

Frank Korb

acrylic, roll-a-tex, charcoal and collage on paper

17" x 17"

"My art is based on the building blocks of my faith, elements and principles of art, and relationships within life. I focus on abstraction and consider how I can work my faith into the creation of my work. I began by experimenting with a neutral background of visible grids formed by religious and spiritual writing by using them as both text and texture. Using the grid as my ground helped me create a sense of organization and balance to build upon. Throughout the development of using my grids as ground, I built upon the layering of color and contrast, transparency and opaqueness, positive and negative space over the top of the visible and invisible grid. Each work focuses on compositional and visual movement as my lines chase around, throughout, and off of my picture plane. I emphasize the interaction of color, space, and shape developed within each work; recognizing and responding to how the text, images, and texture of the paper from the grid below support the top-most imagery. Through this process I emphasize the relationships within my composition: a push and pull of space, color, and textures as well as the other elements and principles of art and design."

Guntis Lauzums

framed photograph

22" x 28"

"Chris Burke is a local tattoo artist in Bayview who painted the George Floyd Portrait in the mural recently painted by local artists on a boarded up storefront at Holton Street and North Ave in Milwaukee. This photograph won an honorable mention in theThe Chromatic Photography Awards 2020.

Guntis Lauzums passion is to capture interesting images and exhibit them. He exhibits in many juried shows throughout the United States and Europe and has won many awards. His work is part of the permanent collection at the PLMC Museum in Cesis Latvia. Member: Coalition of Photographic Arts, Wisconsin Visual Artists, American Latvian Artists Association and MARN."

Holly Buchholz

acrylic on gallery wrapped canvas

12" x 16"

"2020 in a new town, new state with this new normal was harsh on our family. My series of swimming alone and pool paintings are part nostalgia for the life (and the pool!) we left behind in our move, and part reflection on our loneliness and isolation in the past year. Floating alone is quiet, muted, like sensory deprivation. It can be surreal to be suspended, losing track of time and your surroundings. Swimming alone also can be relaxing and renewing and I am hopeful as we put 2020 behind us and move forward."

Holly Buchholz

acrylic on gallery wrapped canvas

12" x 16"

"2020 in a new town, new state with this new normal was harsh on our family. My series of swimming alone and pool paintings are part nostalgia for the life (and the pool!) we left behind in our move, and part reflection on our loneliness and isolation in the past year. Floating alone is quiet, muted, like sensory deprivation. It can be surreal to be suspended, losing track of time and your surroundings. Swimming alone also can be relaxing and renewing and I am hopeful as we put 2020 behind us and move forward."

Jenie Gao

limited edition signed giclee print (ink and watercolor painting + digital typography)

18" x 12" unframed

27" x 21" framed

"Collaboration: art direction and artwork by Jenie Gao, typography and final layout by Rae Senarighi

“Keep Singing” is a collaboration between Jenie Gao and Rae Senarighi during the pandemic as a reminder that even amidst crisis art calls us back to our humanity.

Gao and Senarighi are selling a limited edition run of 100 giclee prints hand-signed by both artists. $10 from each print sale will go into an artists’ commission fund. By purchasing this print, you’ll not only support two professional artists (Rae and Jenie) and their families, but you will also help them pay the love forward to other artists.

We are living in an unprecedented time, and it’s common during a crisis for people to forego the arts. Worry consumes us as we scramble to cover basic and short-term needs. There’s a saying that when people enter survival mode, humor is the first trait to go.

And yet. Even amidst the greatest uncertainty, a landmark, a flag, a familiar image can cue us to return to our humanity. Even in darkness, songs can unite people across balconies, uplift soldiers in trenches, and remind us of who we are. Even from deep grief, dancing and drawing can reignite our souls.

The book burning is the harbinger of every ending civilization. The difference between a healthy civilization and a collapsing one is the social bond that comes not from our technology, but the vibrant culture of our humanity. Art represents the cultural ethos of our time. It is the social glue between people, the bonfire for our ideas, the embrace between our ancestors and our successors.

Artists are like canaries in a coal mine. In an uncertain world, we need to keep singing."

Jerry Styberg

archival pigment print

26" x 19" 

"A single hand gesture … perhaps a symbol …

We are in a time of reckoning, of questioning our values and our biases.

We are in a time of hope for better times ...for a more fair, equitable and just society.

We must also be in a time of reflection, of understanding, and of resolve and of personal action.

Hope for a better future for all is not an option. It is what must move us toward becoming a kinder, gentler, and more civil people who are united for the common good and dedicated to living and acting on the ideals upon which our country was founded."

John (the Ox) Lewinski

mixed media

30" x 24"

“Almost Blue” emerged from my "Your Face Escapes Me" exhibit at London's Chopperchunky Gallery. As The Ox, I work under a pseudonym separate from my writing career as a journalist. While covering the virus, I wanted to examine how this era’s blend of technology, politics and Covid-19 separates us from each other.

For "Your Face Escapes Me," I explored some aspects of minimalism to look at how little of a face we need to recognize it. That’s all we’re left with now in the age of Coronavirus. We keep an eye out for human contact and beauty, even in the midst of insanity and illness — a view that helped create "Almost Blue."

Krista Allenstein

oil painting on vintage map affixed to hardboard, original wording of the sign has been changed

19" x 25"

"I painted this work at the beginning of the protests and marches in the wake of the murders of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor. We all need to find a way to be good to one another, to treat EVERYONE with respect and without violence. The time has come.

Original sign: The City Center Motel, Burns, Oregon Vintage Map: Dodge County, WI"

Krista Allenstein

oil painting on vintage map affixed to hardboard, original wording of the sign has been changed

19" x 25"

"This particular sign features morse code spelling out "Lucky." I learned morse code during quarantine. Morse code is a universal language and one used in the event of emergencies. I feel both of these attributes make it the perfect language for 2020.

Original sign: Hawk Bowl, Whitewater, WI Vintage Map: Wisconsin"

Kristine Hinrichs

photograph

18" x 22"

"I began to get serious about photography about ten years ago when I read about and then started on a “Project 365” that required me to post an image on social media daily, one that was shot that day. I have continued that project, not missing a day since July 2, 2011. From the beginning, my primary goal was to showcase the city. Although I have produced quite a portfolio of country, bird, and travel images, my primary interest is the city. Over the years, my interest in the city has become more focused.

Although I love a beautiful sunrise, I am in my element wandering or driving around the city in the pre-dawn darkness. It feels like the city is “all mine”. I have a particular interest in black and white images, in images that look from the outside in, and the people who are also out in the pre-dawn hours. One of my goals is to show the city as a safe and interesting place to live in and visit.

My work has been featured in several juried exhibitions – the biannual Photography 2018 and 2020, Plymouth Art Center, Praxis Gallery, CoPA Milwaukee, Art Bar Milwaukee, Trout Museum, and others."

Laj P. Waghray

00:02:00, install dimensions vary

Laura Dawson

kiln formed glass art

11" x 13.5" x 4"

"I can relate to the personality of a raven, their love of community and "shiny things." 2020 has been a challenging year and with more time at home I have felt a creative surge and a greater appreciation for my medium, glass, a desire to be with other creatives and how I took for granted the community around me until I became more isolated and quarantined. I have a new feeling of gratitude and appreciation for all that I have. I am a collector.

I am a glass artist. Glass is my passion. I have created art in stained glass, glass mosaics, bead making, but my focus is fused glass, glass that is formed in a kiln. I have been creating glass art in a kiln for almost 20 years. My inspiration comes from nature, trees, mountains, animals and insects. Creating with glass allows me to be very abstract and organic with my work. Glass is such a beautiful medium, the possibilities are endless."

Lennis Mathews

encaustic medium, found objects and oil paint on wood

24" x 24" x 5"

"I’m an artist based in Milwaukee whose mixed media work explores memory, acceptance, place and belonging. I find inspiration from vintage ephemera and rusted metal. Creating beauty with the worn and rusty, the disused and discarded. My work is made through the collage method of building up layers of encaustic medium, incorporating found objects and adding meaning to pieces through incising and painting. A rural upbringing gave me an appreciation for hardworking people and the objects that helped them do their work, now and in the past. My work honors and celebrates these people."

Maggie Smith

watercolor on paper

16" x 13" framed

"2020 has been a year of chaos which inspired me to work with watercolors to explore the abstract. Raccoons caused chaos in my attic, and made an appearance on an abstract background in 'Raccoons in the Time of Covid'. This piece is part of a series that includes five other In the Time of Covid artworks." 

Mary Beth Drabiszczak

soft pastel on gessoed paper adhered to masonite panel

13" x 8"

"Family and relationships have been a grounding principle for me in the midst of the pandemic, causing me to look at old family memorabilia and photos. I love Mary Cassatt’s explorations as her focus on children and maternal relationships is meaningful to my work, since my mom passed away when I was four years old. Cassatt’s use of mark making also intrigues me with the hatching of colors, which seems to mimic simple and direct drawings created by young children, manifesting as thoughtless “scribbles”. I incorporate these interests in my own drawing of myself as a child - when my mother was still alive.

Lacking social interaction makes working from figures a kind of therapeutic experience - one in which I find that I’m conversing with myself. I find closure in studying subjects over time when I’m in the process of making. This focused reflection time is a way to positively utilize my time in isolation, while also finding closure in loss."

May Klisch

acrylic on panel

8" x 8" (framed)

"Ruth Still Rocks" is a tribute to a significant person we lost in 2020 but who still indelibly rocks our world. Her enduring character is symbolic of all that is good about being resilient and fighting the best fight possible no matter what the circumstance — from political upheaval to a world rocked and wracked by a pandemic.

I am a Midwestern Asian American artist working in watercolors, oils and acrylics. My approach to figurative work has been impacted by this pandemic as I have veered towards the discombobulation of realism. Many, if not most, of my works made in 2020 are abstracted and disrupted, a direct reflection of the times in which I’m living."

May Klisch

acrylic on panel

8" x 8" (framed)

"Riding The Wave To Normalcy” is symbolic of the rough water we all weathered in 2020. All of us rode the swells of this ever-changing pandemic the best we could, some adept, some less, and some of us simply wiped out. All of us sought to regain our footing in the fluid situation and attempt some kind of normalcy where we could.

I am a Midwestern Asian American artist working in watercolors, oils and acrylics. My approach to figurative work has been impacted by this pandemic as I have veered towards the discombobulation of realism. Many, if not most, of my works made in 2020 are abstracted and disrupted, a direct reflection of the times in which I’m living. "

Michael Havice

archival print mounted on gatorboard

12" x 17.25"

"At this time, what I see and what I feel inspires my photography. My images prompt the sights, sounds and feelings of ordinary moments. Each image is individually dramatized when a viewer interprets what I present as what was, what is or will be. My images inspire a viewer to take the moment further when he or she anticipates while viewing a photograph or after. What proceeded this moment? What is happening outside of the frame? What happens next?

My photography may prompt a viewer with feelings like, pleasure, pain, empathy, serenity and perhaps desire."

Michele St. Amour

acrylic on canvas

27" x 19"

"In 2020 both my personal world and our planet changed forever: Mid March, Coronavirus made the world come to a screeching halt. Early April, shortly after the lock downs went into effect, my mother passed away from Alzheimer's. Late May, the world's focus shifted to social rights awareness and the injustice going on around us including in my own city of Wauwatosa. For the entire year it felt like our country's democracy was being challenged over and over.

This year forced many of us to look around and think about/acknowledge what mattered most in our lives. My conversations with friends and family often revolved around what seemed like feelings of helplessness in an environment lacking empathy created primarily by people trying to push agendas. Not content with listening to false beliefs or opinions continuing to be pushed, speaking out became a new normal. This takes a toll on even the most steadfast soul.

For years I had wanted to explore creating painted works using vibrant colors like the ones I saw artists utilize when living in Costa Rica many years ago. This tragic year allowed me to finally make it happen. Pivoting to the use of these bright, beautiful colors helped me escape to another world and for a moment ignore the incredible sadness, ignorance and antipathy going on around me."

Nicole Shaver

acrylic, digital print, enamel, and ink on birch panel

24" x 24"

"I am interested in the intersection between the natural and the remembered.  I recycle photographs of a sublime experience that might seem otherworldly in order to catalogue my time on our planet.  I strive to evoke the feeling I’ve enjoyed during genuine interaction with opportune moments presented in every day locations.  "Where ever you are, there you are," in no other year did this become apparent.  For someone who suffers from chronic wanderlust, 2020 was an exercise in creating myself an anchor and learning to enjoy being grounded in a stormy sea."

Nina Ghanbarzadeh

archival pen on paper

15" x 12" (framed)

"The year 2020 started with much chaos and confusion and continued challenging us all across the globe. Facing many issues in our community–from police brutalities towards our black community members to immigration issues–and deaths of so many Americans in the US can be paralyzing. I found it difficult to be in my studio and make art, while my fellow citizens were fighting the fight or dealing with loss of their loved ones. Drawing these small works made it much easier to recreate the momentum that I needed in my art practice. These drawings all explore repetition, they look machinated at first glance. Closer examination reveals that there is an inconsistency in the mark making due to human made flaws. As simple as lines and dots may appear, it is very difficult to keep them consistent when drawn free hand. Drawing lines and dots over and over again each day is a way to foster a sense of peacefulness. It is the act of repetition that helps me to feel calm despite the chaotic world that we live in today."

Nirmal Raja

video performance

00:07:40, install dimensions vary

Pamela Anderson

acrylic on wood

20" x 18" x 20"

"I enjoyed playing with my colored blocks as a child. Intrigued at an early age by shape, form, and color, I sought creating something akin to my excitement I experienced as an adolescent. The Color Block Sculpture series have allowed me to expand my painting onto new surfaces and shapes. Simply rearranging the painted blocks creates a whole new visual sculpture. They are playful, intuitive and an exploration for me as I move beyond the canvas surface to create. Working in my studio gives me an escape from worldly issues and drama. Art Escapism is a very healing means to destress and detach from the realities of the world."

Phyllis Bankier

photograph printed on canvas

18" x 24"

"To Phyllis Bankier, Photography is about capturing the moment, the emotion, the action, the subject, the memory, the beauty and the purpose of life. Photography allows her to take all the things she enjoys about life, and save it forever. Her compositions are a celebration of color, light, shape and some emotional manipulation. As a nature photographer, her photographs give her an opportunity to explore the architecture and designs of the Earth.

This year, however, many of her flower portraits took on the emotional sentiments of what was happening in this world. Stories and emotions about the pandemic began to emerge from her flower portraits. She has included one such portrait: Babies Playing - Mother Watches.

We Are Family Babies Playing, Mother Watches This pandemic has split up family and loved ones, making it tough to see the ones we love the most. Social distancing feels like social isolation. Parents try hard to keep their family safe and at home during this crisis. Children now make up at least 1 in 11 of all reported U.S. coronavirus cases."

Rosy Petri

fabric gesture

24" x 12"

"I am a self taught artist that primarily works with raw edge appliqué quilting. I also incorporate printmaking, photography and oral history multimedia storytelling that invites participants more deeply into conversations about collective liberation. Inspired by the sacred art and architecture of churches and cathedrals, I create contemporary iconography seasoned with Black history, music, and culture. Part autobiography, part documentary, my work is about self-discovery, history, and radical Black Joy. It is important for me to acknowledge that my ancestors are the descendants of the survivors of the middle passage. In my art, I hope to honor the ancestors (known and forgotten) by carrying on cultural traditions as they have manifested in my life. My work is an offering of rhythm, color, and celebration for them."

Roxane Mayeur

encaustic and mixed media on panel

30" x 24"

"This work, created while in quarantine, grew out of the desire to give form to the uncertainty of the current political and cultural chaos. Cast Beyond the Moon depicts the desire for equilibrium during tumultuous times and the lack of clarity about what lies ahead."

Sandra Cipolione

acrylic on canvas

19" x 25"

"I've been strangely lucky this year. It's feels a shameful to say that. My day job at a grocery store transformed into "essential work". I have so far avoided illness, which is shocking considering my job environment. I have not had the luxury of time I see other artists having. However, that wasn't luxury to them. It was lost opportunities and income. The overall mood of the country has given me the liberty to explore themes I previously would have thought were "too dark". Now, they're timely. We're all now trying regain our footing after the proverbial rug has been pulled out from under us. What's the next step? Perhaps this show can be a way to compare notes and draw a new map."

Sharon Kerry-Harlan

acrylic, screen printing and thread on fabric

20" x 16" x 1.5"

"Do not pretend that I do not exist. I AM.

Write your laws and erect your walls, but I will not disappear. I AM.

Hose me down and lock me up, still, I AM.

Kin we are by flesh, blood, soul, I AM.

I will not stand behind you, rather shoulder to shoulder with you, I AM.

Look at me. Look. At. Me. I AM."

Tom Smith

oil on canvas panel

18" x 22" framed

"Much of my involvement in making art involves a social component. I am primarily a plein air painter, which involves working in the open, oftentimes interacting with people as I paint, and with other artists painting alongside me. Even my indoor studio is a space shared by other artists. I am also a professional cellist. Normally I perform in orchestras for large audiences. 2020 took all that away from me. Every musical event I would have been involved in was cancelled. Nearly every painting event was cancelled also, and the 2 that were held omitted every opportunity for social interaction.

Since leaving my home to paint became unviable, I brought my work supplies home. I NEEDED to paint however, so I searched photos I had taken as inspiration. The view in “Serenity in Solitude” is in Door County. This is a special place to me for many reasons. Often my wife and I travel there to “get away from it all”.

The small figure in the painting represents, while painting this piece, the sense of loneliness and isolation I felt during this time. Yes, there are dark clouds for the present, but I began to see that they would move on. I needed to learn this-that there could be serenity when it seemed darkest, that there would soon be a time when the solitude would end. In some ways, finding serenity during 2020 is the greatest gift I have been given."

Stephanie Bartz

photography, digital collage, encaustic and pigments on panel

8" x 10"

"In this series, Stephanie photographed dogs on site in various urban settings. She sent the images to Roxane who altered the photographs by adding encaustic and pigments."

Thom Ertl

contemporary urban assemblage

12" x 12"

"Rock over scissors. Scissors over paper. To succeed in 2020 means placing passion over that which is presented to one and all.

Thom J. Ertl Designs is a hybrid of wall art and furniture. It incorporates and recycles common, everyday items—bottle caps, beads, fabric, bric-a-brac, just to name a few—into modern, artistic, practical, original home furnishings and interior design. It is a reflection of over 35 years of artistic experience, combining visual merchandising, graphic design and contemporary urban assemblage with a strong sense of whimsy and color and a thought-provoking element of surprise. The challenges of 2020 gave Thom J. Ertl Designs pause for thought and has resulted in creations emphasizing dimension and a strong narration of better days to come."

Thomas Ferrella

oil on plexiglass with newspaper headlines

21" x 24"

"My work is as free as is my interpretation of the world. 

Everything is fair game."