Difficult Treasures :An art exhibit of new works by Laura Atkins, Amy Chenier and Con Lustig presented by River’s Edge Gallery in Downtown Wyandotte
Where: River’s Edge Gallery 3024 Biddle downtown Wyandotte
When; Opening October 18th with a meet the artist 7-9 pm. The show will continued to be displayed until November 6th.
Gallery Shows History Through 3 Artists
As River’s Edge Gallery (REG) gets ready to celebrate 40 years representing mainly Michigan artists the Gallery Director, Jeremy Hansen, and founder, Patt Slack, wanted to present a show that would represent a time flow. The flow of the gallery itself as it shows three artists who are from different time periods in the growth of the gallery but who, when showing together, seem connected and timeless.
The three women artists chosen use traditional painting techniques and style and would be referred to as realistic surrealist. All three use difficult techniques and execute them in the most difficult of ways, using layering and shadowing on canvas or board. Subject matter is deeply ingrained in the use of figurative gestures and simple objects used to convey symbolic messages. The intent behind each work is thoughtful, personal, even secretive…..
Hansen explains the title of the show as “Art is a difficult treasure in many ways. Historically it has been revered by the rich, celebrated by the poor and driven with passions and cravings by the artists and collectors. Paintings have been fought over, lost in disputes and hidden from public view. Paintings have shamed politicians, promoted ideas and represented movements.”
The three artists chosen to reflect these time periods are:
Con Lustig: New to River’s Edge she is an artist with a background in Art History.
“My work often draws from many styles but most often Late Renaissance and Dutch Old Masters in conjunction with modern digital art.” Since Con only recently began to paint in ernest and is primarily self-taught her style is in a constant state of evolution and growth but Con states her paintings “always tend toward the illustrative and symbolic.”
She says that her inspiration comes from “unnamable feelings that perplex us and concepts like fate and faith that have existed for millennia but still fascinate us. My art draws on figures, symbols and archetypes from myth, the occult, fairytales and our daily lives. Each piece is meant to be an act of communication between the concept, the viewer, and myself.” Jeremy Hansen added that “even though she has only recently come into the public eye, she has been discovered by several top collectors.”
Laura Atkins: Laura has been with River’s Edge for about seven years. Laura works primarily in oils on canvas or panel. According to Hansen, “ Laura’s paintings are often described as haunting and addictive. Her atmospheric vignettes are filled with metaphors and her subjects could be said to have a timelessness.” Laura also is mostly self-taught but seeks the training in the old atelier style of seeking out artists that she admires. She has recently attended Portrait Artist Paul McCormack's portrait oil painting workshop. She has also been a studio assistant for Portrait Artist Leslie Adams and continues to study the Art of the Old Masters in the Detroit Institute of Art and the Toledo Museum of Art.
Laura has often stated that she feels she is living in a modern-day Renaissance as there are some very wonderful living Artists that she admires.
Amy Chenier: Amy has been with the gallery for about 25 years. She originally came from the Upper Peninsula of Michigan and now resides in Detroit.
Patt Slack and her late husband Jim Slack spied her work at a local art show and knew that this was a young artist already showing a mature potential. At this time she had made her reputation as a sports artist, a male dominated area. She was in the top sports museums and on the cover of prestigious sports magazines.
This continued with the gallery as her agent as she was commissioned to do pieces for the new Comerica Park