Starting July 9th, Ted Johnson and Lee Vanderwalker are showing their work on the mezzanine through September 13th.
The opening/ meet the artist night will be August 15th.
Ted Johnson has been showing his paintings and wood turned sculpture for over 40 years. He has shown at art fairs and galleries all over Michigan and has now settled down and working on a newer body of work to reflect a new chapter in his life.
Johnson paints women in a way that is often shocking but not in the way one might think. He captures the female mind and all of intricacies so exactly. The sense of wonderment, care, concern, anger and peace have escaped from his brush to breath life into a painting.
Many people who own a painting by Johnson will often purchase his pieces because they remind them of someone they know or they want to keep that image around, like a friend. Many people have named their Johnsons and refer to them like members of the family.
Lee Vanderwalker"My painting technique and process involves layers and layers of colors, added to and subtracted from each other to alter the rich and luminous surface of the silk. At times I will lay down color upon color seeking unrevealed treasures. Painting on silk is an exercise in controlled chaos; the results are simultaneously compelling and rich."Like snapshots in a vacation photo album, Vanderwalker’s paintings are moments of experience arrested by intuitive recognition of their universal appeal. Her images of the Caribbean are stunning and bright, flashes of pure color, recalling the freshness of naïve art. Exuberant color and simple, freely drawn figures present a primitive naturalness and energy.
Vanderwalker studied the serti-technique of silk painting at Stadt Universitat in Bamberg, Germany while maintaining a studio for two years. From 1991-2000 she founded and controlled X-Height Studio, Inc. an electronic service bureau and imaging center located in Troy, Michigan..And today... Lee’s view from her Caye Caulker, Belize window seems to go on forever. The beach, the sun and the infinite turquoise water deceive you into thinking that there is no beginning and the there is no end. When the sun goes down in the Caribbean, the stars come out and the Milky Way makes us step out of our bodies and reach for the infinite. There, is the doorstep to understanding all things.
This show starts July 9th and runs through September 13th with a meet the artist night August 15th 6pm-10pm.
Next on the list of goodies is the Wyandotte Street Art Fair July 9th-12th.
Be sure to tour the gallery during the art fair and enjoy the air conditioning and extended hours.
The Ted Johnson/ Lee Vanderwalker show will be ready to preview and all of our fabulous house artists will be showing their work.
Patricia Izzo will have her tent outside but that is only part of her work. Be sure to go to the third floor, the Patricia Izzo Fine Art Photography Gallery, where all of her finest pieces are shown along with some of her personal favorite photographer colleques.
Friday, July 18th is our annual Downriver Flashback on Sycamore and Biddle Ave.
Enjoy the festival from 11am-dusk with vendors selling flashback wares and music starting at 5pm. This free festival features Frijid Pink, Reverend Mark Falconberry & his Blues Band, The Cetan Clawson Revolution. Emcee Stanley T. Hadhatter. For more information call 248-722-8880.
