From
the, The Evanston
Review, February
23, 2006
A
'Flattened' Look at Abstract Art
BY
MYRNA PETLICKI
CONTRIBUTOR
Five
contemporary abstract artists from diverse backgrounds,
and with very different approaches to their work, are
showcased in "Flattened," opening Sunday at the
Evanston Art Center.
Roscoe
Village artist Katherine Drake Chial's paintings in
the exhibit include "Brave New World," a striking
image with a bold red center that seems to pulse because
of the effect created by dripping paint. The wide,
irregular red band is blanketed by shades of blue, green and white,
evoking the appearance of a landscape with a lake in
the foreground.
After
graduating from Kenyon College in Ohio with a degree in
history, Chial realized she wanted to pursue an art career.
She earned a bachelor of fine arts degree from Michigan
State University and a master of fine arts degree from
the University of Georgia (both cum laude). The mother
of two young children is a full-time artist whose paintings
have been exhibited in California, Georgia, Michigan, New
York, Oregon and Illinois.
Chial
admires the work of American artist Mark Rothko and
German artist Gerhard Richter, but often takes her inspiration
from reading physics, space, philosophy and art theory. "I'm
also very influenced by things that I see in nature," she
said.
Chial
described her paintings as "process-oriented.
I do a lot of pouring and dripping, and yet I try to
maintain a certain amount of control. But with a dripper/pourer
it's always going to be somewhat random. I try to work
within that space between chaos and order."
Anagram
art
Jason
Shelby of Morton Grove will have five paintings in the
exhibition -- two large pieces and three 30-inch by 30-inch
works. The names of Shelby's pieces are as imaginative
as the works themselves.
"I
generally do anagrams," he said. "Creating
the title is kind of like how the paintings are created.
Things are broken apart and reconstructed -- put back
together again in different ways."
He
noted that some abstract artists number their paintings. "It's
very sterile and the work is not sterile -- it's very imaginative." A
listing of Shelby's paintings sounds a bit like a language
from an exotic country, including such titles as "Brito
Gream," "Mechasonap" and "Brocca
Druleb."
One
of the larger pieces in the show is called "Creelawpoosh."
"I
don't remember what it came from," the artist
laughingly admitted.
The
predominately blue painting is every bit as imaginative
as its name. Spend time studying it and the design elements
may lead you to believe that you are seeing a shark, a
spaceship or a mechanical toy near the center. This is
typical of the artist's arresting style.
"There
are no real, tangible things you can see in the work," Shelby
said, noting this is a change from his earlier paintings. "Before,
there were actual silhouettes and actual objects --
more of a seek-and-find sort of thing. It kind of evolved
into (being) totally removed from actual evidence of
things."
Shelby
uses a multi-step approach to creating his work. When he
gets an idea, he first creates a sketch by hand, and then
scans it into his computer to further develop it. The final
step is reproducing that sketch on canvas in acrylic paint.
Although
his work is influenced by many sources and people,
Shelby was particularly drawn to artist Lee Bontecou, whose work
was featured in a 2004 retrospective at the Museum
of Contemporary Art. "She was making work on her terms, and the work
was really inspirational," he said.
A
full-time artist until very recently, Shelby now works
days as a graphic designer -- a financial necessity because
he and his wife are expecting their first child. The Oklahoma
native, who is in his early 30s, earned a bachelor of fine
arts degree four years ago from the School of the Art Institute
of Chicago. His work has been exhibited at galleries in
Arizona, Chicago and Evanston.
Also
represented in "Flattened" are artists Keith
O. Anderson, Alisa Henriquez and Fraser Taylor.
'Flattened'
Sunday
through April 2
Opening
reception 1-4 p.m. Sunday; a panel discussion with the
artists begins at 1:30 p.m.
Evanston
Art Center, Center for the Visual Arts, 2603 Sheridan Road,
Evanston
Free
(847)
475-5300
