SANCTUARY

The works in this show created, illustrated, or portrayed the concepts of Anachronisms, Juxtapositions, or Implausible pairings. They surprised us, bewildered us, and amused us with strange combinations or relationships of time, space, use, and jarring shifts of our usual perceptions and experiences.  Images on view were bizarre, whimsical, fantastic, and inspire questions like “what is going on here?”, “how can that be?”, and “what if that were true?”

The show is a big mix of powerhouse color statements and subtle textural studies; large-scale, fill-the-wall paintings and small, intimate drawings; slap-you-in-the-face photos and dig-in-and-solve-the mysteries mixed media pieces. In every case, the inspiration may come from observed objects or places, but the artists move away into their own private visions, interpretations, discoveries and creations.

The exhibit of 110 works includes interpretations, descriptions, and views of life on, in, around, above or under water. Images range from realistic visions of secluded lake shores, powerful waterfalls, and crashing ocean waves, to peaceful pools and forest streams, and abstracted patterns of currents and reflections on water’s surfaces.

Anthony Abboreno, Ted Fuka, Jessica Smit Mattingly, and Joan Quirke have been exhibiting their works for some time. For this show, we are presenting several representational pieces from each of them that move in the direction of extremely realistic observations or photo-realistic images.

 Their works are primarily paintings – in acrylics, oils, watercolors or pastels. Their subjects are often natural forms, landscapes, portraits, animals, still life, and studies of man-made objects that are visually exciting – cars, trains, trucks, rural and city structures.

Tall Grass Arts Association presents KALEIDOSCOPE, this year’s annual exhibit of works by its family of juried Gallery Artists, opening on August 24, 2024.In this large and diverse collection, seventy artists share a wide range of media, including paintings, drawings, photographs, mixed media, glass, and fiber works, from realistic images to a

Founded in 2004, the Chicago Pastel Painters is a fine arts organization dedicated to the promotion of the medium of soft pastel. It is a society member of the International Association of Pastel Societies (IAPS), is completely run by volunteer members, and engages in the education of individual artists and the public through online newsletters, annual juried exhibitions, workshops, and other events in the Chicagoland area.

The group’s exhibit at Tall Grass includes 61 highly-honored artists from around the country who have had  their works juried into this very prestigious show. Paintings include a range of subjects – portraits, still lifes, landscapes, abstractions – and are of the highest quality, technical skill and personal vision.