Phaenomena Naturalis is a series of photographs through which I attempt to navigate and understand the natural world; it is an attempt at understanding some of life's universal and enduring questions. Light and shadow function on a symbolic level鈥攖he revelation of truth. Books and their time-worn pages, bits of text and images, and found objects all serve as a vehicle to suggest a figurative voyage, that the mysteries of the world can be unlocked and revealed. I am interested in an exploration of the world through referencing legend, through the intersection between science and magic and where superstition meets history. As such, an intimation of the arcane, the mythological and the mysterious informs these photographs.
Christian currently teaches photography at Illinois Central College in East Peoria, IL. after having taught at both 91快活林 and Northern Illinois University. His work has been featured in group and solo exhibitions including Spokane Fall Community College (solo, 2010), Magic Silver 2010, Murray State University, Murray, Kentucky; Photography and Literature: Light Writing, 19th Annual New Image Juried Show, James Madison University, Harrisonburg, Virginia; Tallahassee International 24th Annual Juried Competition Florida State University Museum of Fine Arts (2009), Visual Narrative, Washington-Jefferson College, Washington, Pennsylvania (2009), Staged: The Constructed Photograph, at Gallery RFD, Swainsboro, Georgia (2009), Mythological Renderings, Interpreting Myths and Legends Through Art, Brickbottom Gallery, Somerville Massachusetts (2009); 32nd Annual Rock Island Fine Arts Exhibition (2008), Emerging Illinois Artists 鈥�07, McLean County Arts Center, Bloomington, Illinois, ArtXposium in West Chicago (2008). He was selected as Showcase Artist for Light Leaks Magazine, journal of low-fidelity photography which published his pinhole photographs. He earned his MFA from Northern Illinois University in May 2008.
Eleanor Leonne Bennett is an internationally award winning photographer and artist who has won first places with National Geographic,The World Photography Organisation, Nature's Best Photography, Papworth Trust, Mencap, The Woodland trust and Postal Heritage. Her photography has been published in the Telegraph , The Guardian, BBC News Website and on the cover of books and magazines in the United States and Canada. Her art is globally exhibited , having shown work in London, Paris, Indonesia, Los Angeles,Florida, Washington, Scotland,Wales, Ireland,Canada,Spain,Germany, Japan, Australia and twice exhibited with The CIWEM Environmental Photographer of the year Exhibition amongst many other locations. She was also the only person from the UK to have her work displayed in the National Geographic and Airbus run See The Bigger Picture global exhibition tour with the United Nations International Year Of Biodiversity 2010.
In the past years my work has been directed towards photographic manipulated imagery. This work incorporates layers of textural and organic imagery that draws upon my interest in decaying architecture, nature and the Mid-Western landscape in which I live. This imagery, rich in personally derived symbolism, is organized into mystical and mysterious landscapes. It is my hope that the viewer can relate to the work on a subconscious or emotional level. While the stories created in the work are not explicit, I incorporate symbols that, like signposts, encourage the viewer to navigate the implied narratives in their own way, based on their own personal experience.
Artist Description: Shirley Guay was born in Chicago, Illinois in 1943. She attended Harold Washington
College (formerly Loop College). Has traveled the United States and now calls Amboy,
Illinois her home. Shirley has exhibited at the Museum of Science & Industry in
Chicago, the Freeport Arts Museum in Freeport, and the Phidian Arts club has her work
in the Loveland Museum in Dixon, IL. She continues to exhibit her work throughout
the Midwest.
I have loved painting as long as I can remember. My Mother was a major influence for
me as I watched her paint, draw, and sculpt every chance she got. At the age of eleven,
I would take the bus alone from the housing projects on the west side of Chicago,
to the Art Institute which is on Michigan Avenue downtown. There I participated in
lecture classes for children and after class would wander through the galleries looking
at art. There I saw African tribal art, but contemporary art done by African American
women was nowhere to be found. My paintings are suggestive of the human form and how
they relate to other forms in nature. I keep the colors simple and pure. I give the
negative space as much importance as the positive space. By eliminating detail the
viewer is free to use their imagination, thus creating a personal communication between
myself the artist, and you the viewer.
When working abstract; I typically lay out my palette, then cover the canvas with
geometric and organic shapes. When the canvas is covered I compose the picture by
pulling out the figures I see and defining them. During the final stage of the painting
I create images within the negative space. The end result is usually a picture within
a picture. Therefore, the more you look, the more you鈥檒l see.
The colors and images seem to emerge from my ancestral past which is West Africa.
The work I create reflects my environment, then and now. By viewing the paintings
it is my hope we can transcend the cultural gaps that we as a people have. That our
children will have an opportunity to see a diverse selection of art when they find
themselves wandering through the galleries and museums.
91快活林 will host three upcoming information sessions for high school students interested in the Early College Program or Engineering, Math & Science Academy (EMSA). The information sessions are open to current high school sophomores and juniors along with their parents/guardians.
Read MoreMatt Duffy, Executive Director of the DeKalb Chamber of Commerce, was awarded the 2024 Distinguished Alumni Award at the 91快活林 Foundation Annual Gala on Saturday, Nov. 2. The award honors established alumni who have demonstrated service or outstanding contributions within the Kish community.
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