July Artist of the Month

Melsie Anderson is One12's Featured Artist

Melsie Anderson is a self-taught jewelry artist. Her unique work is made with polymer clay. She creates each bead by hand, using several colors of clay. Melsie has been know to use colored sand, embossing power, paint and kitchen spices to produce a more unique look to her jewelry.

Melsie finds her inspiration from nature. Many of her designs mirror tropical flowers that can be seen in photographs and colorful paintings. She also pulls inspiration from ethnic fabrics.

Having no formal art education, Melsie has long enjoyed the creative process and working with her hands. She has taken classes in pottery, glass blowing, stained glass, mold making, lampwork beads, and knitting just to name of few.

She makes each piece to stand on its own. Melsie enjoys when customers tell her they bought a dress or shirt to match her creations that they have purchased.

Art in the Park Promo Image Announced

The 2010 Art in the Park committee has chosen the Improve-isation by Tanya Pshenychny as this year's promotional image.

Tanya's work will be featured on posters and other promotional items for this year's event. It will also be featured on the annual Art in the Park t-shirt that will be available a month before the event.

Art in the Park is a one day art fair presented by the Galesburg Civic Art Center in Standish Park Arboretum. The 2010 event will take place on September 11. Art in the Park features the show and sale of regional artists works, music, food and family activities.

April Jackson on display in the Cottage Hospital Lobby

The work of April Jackson is on display now through September 30th in the Galesburg Cottage Hospital Lobby. Ms. Jackson has 10 works on display.

In June of 2008, April Jackson was a shy 28 year old library school dropout from Chicago abruptly transplanted in Galesburg. 2008 was a chrysalis in which she (mal)adjusted to an entirely different life. In June of 2009, at a very low point, she received her greatest, most unexpected gift- space to create. Using acrylic paint and found objects, frequently painting with kitchen utensils, she has produced more than 100 abstract works, most of which contain hidden elements of her story. She has exhibited at Art in the Park 2009, one12, Innkeepers Coffee, Stone Alley Books and Collectibles, and in her studio. After 30 years of discord, she is using art to bring balance to her world. When she grows up she wants to start an organization to provide veterans studio art time and materials.

Karen Lynch - June One12 Artist of the Month

"There is nothing like the beauty of nature to bring serenity to the soul"
Karen S. Lynch

Karen is a fervent to capture the beauty of God's creations with her own unique vision through that of a camera lens. She began making creative photographs at age nine - a growing hobby that became a passion spanning nearly 50 years. She possesses a constantly expanding interest in images of nature, storms, people, architecture, history, and local events. In recent years she began writing for local newspapers with her own photography illustrating her articles, including government and politics a the local, state and national level.

While most of her images center on rural themes and animals, any subject may become a target of her viewfinder. Karen's latest venture has found her exploring the world after dark through a collection of photographs entitled, "Night Lights" -- finding the natural beauty after dark using no flash with a long shutter exposure. Karen's collection also includes beautiful macro floral photos and still life setting, often as discovered opportunities while on a journalism adventure.

Inspiration in photography subjects are often found in everyday objects are often subjects found in everyday objects few people may notice. Karen has a keen eye in pursuit of the unusual in light, texture, composition and subject matter. The world is full of interesting places to explore and photograph. One could say, "I see photographs everywhere." Karen hopes you enjoy this selection of a few of her extensive collection of images collection of images, "CANDID LIFE IN THE RURAL MIDWEST."

One12 May Artist of the Month

Lori Reed is the May Artist of the Month

Come enjoy the works of Lori Reed at One12 during the month of May. Lori will be at the One12 tent on May 7th for First Friday's on Seminary Street, as well as making an appearance at our exhibition opening the same night.

When Lori was seven years old, she sat at her grandmother’s picnic table and made a pencil drawing of a deer. She proudly took the drawing into the farm house to show her grandmother
and was greeted with a sudden intake of breath followed by an exclamation of “Oh, honey! You’re going to be an artist one day!” So, in her mind, her destiny had been revealed.

Lori spent many a summer day on the farm drawing, coloring, and painting things on rocks. In high school, she finally received formal art training and was strongly encouraged by her art
teacher to pursue art in college. Following two years in a fine art curriculum, a summer job in graphic design shifted her focus toward obtaining a degree in graphic design.

After a few advertising agency jobs, Lori started her own graphic design business in Galesburg,
Illinois, and eventually convinced her husband to leave his art director job to work with her in the growing business. They’ve happily worked together for many years – even teaching graphic
design at the liberal arts college in Galesburg – but the lure of doing art for herself, rather than a
client, became stronger and stronger.

The offer to exhibit work at a nearby liberal arts college’s beautiful new gallery set things on a
course where Lori has not looked back. The thirty-six pieces she exhibited in that show in 2006
were very well received, thereby encouraging her to devote still more time and effort to further
develop her mixed media work. This experience served as an adult analog to her grandmother’s
exclamation and served to launch Lori into her current productive period. She pursued a number of themes and worked with various materials; more exhibition opportunities arose and the hours of the graphic design business were cut back. A theme of nostalgia or part of a story became dominant in her art as she began to layer with acrylic matte medium vintage photos from her grandmother’s 1920’s album, handwritten entries from a great uncle’s store ledger, pages from old library books — work that has formed into her “Album Series.”

In 2009, two separate road trips — Yellowstone National Park & western Montana and to the hill country of Texas — sparked a desire to depict the feelings evoked by walking in the more rugged, natural places of the country. Using photographs taken on those trips, as well as ones from earlier trips Lori and her husband had taken to Colorado, Utah, Arizona and New Mexico, she started on work that has become her “High Plains Series.” She often manipulates the photos digitally to have a more painterly or sketchy feel and works with prints of the altered photos as the base of her art. She then layers up art papers, fiberous grassy papers or actual plant material and raw flax. Works that Lori makes on stretched canvases wrap around the edges and give the feeling of catching different angled views of the scene. There is a compelling tendency to touch these works.

One of Lori’s collectors says, “I became aware of Lori’s art-making after her first local exhibition
and have since had the pleasure of collecting pieces from several different series of her work.
Without a doubt her skill shows development on a steep incline, intensifying my experience of
each piece as she explores new and meaningful artistic expressions. Early works evoke whimsy and joy, and I treasure them for that. Her current works, however, speak to me more spiritually. She has somehow imbued those flat canvases, through their many layers, with great depth and life.”

There’s a feeling of being someplace else when you stand in front of a Lori Reed work of art, a place filled with power and calm.

Artist Opportunities

Clay and Fiber Festival
Prairie Arts Center
Bishop Hill, IL
August 16 - 17, 2008
Entry Fee $10.00 for each entry. Entry Deadline: July 31, 2008
For more information call 1-309-927-3008.

The Fifth World Ceramic Biennale 2009 Korea International Competition.
Registration for Preliminary Screening: August 4 - September 30, 2008.
Entry application available at the Art Center or www.wocef.com

Cathie Crawford & Elena Rakochy

Join us in the gallery June 27 through July 26 to view the work of Cathie Crawford and Elena Rakochy exhibition. Both artist will be at the opening reception on Friday June 27 from 5-7pm. The reception is free and open to the public.