February 1, 2021 - Beloit, Wisconsin - Beloit Art Center Announces February Exhibits
 
The Beloit Art Center will host a First Friday Gallery Reception on February 5, from 5pm - 7pm at 520 E. Grand Avenue, Beloit, Wisconsin.  The event is free and open to the public.
 
Janesville artist and writer, Mark Lajiness is the featured artist in the Main Gallery.  His exhibit features hanging and freestanding sculptural pieces made from copper, stained glass, upcycled woods and a variety of found objects, including parts of musical instruments.   Pieces include birds, fish, mammals (wolves, cats, bears, etc.), insects, humanoids (including angels, aliens and gnomes), and hanging geometrical figures.  Mark’s work is full of detail and color and is best displayed indoors, hanging down from a curtain rod or ceiling hook, near a sunny window. Ideally, pieces spin and move a little in a breeze.
 
The featured artist in the Bell Gallery is Dr. Pierre Charles, a general surgeon who has practiced in the Beloit area for the past twenty-four years.  He took up painting recently as a form of relaxation and self-expression.  Because he has no formal training, he has teamed up with local artists to improve his skills. Dr. Charles has a broad range of interests which are reflected in his paintings.  Acrylics and oils on canvas and masonite are his preferred media.  He plans to continue painting and improving his technique while exploring other media and visual art forms.
 
Both exhibits will open through February 26.  Beloit Art Center hours are Monday 10 am - 2pm; Tuesday - Friday 10am - 5pm and Saturday from 10am - 2pm.  for more information visit: www.beloitartcenter.com

Mark Lajiness poses with a few of his colorful and unique sculptures which will be on display at the Beloit Art Center in February. 
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Dr. Pierre Charles will be exhibiting his artwork for the first time in the Bell Gallery in February. He recently took up painting as a form of relaxation and self-expression.

BRIAN HARTMANN | Main Gallery 

New art by Brian Hartmann to be revealed at Beloit Art Center
 
The Beloit Art Center will open an exhibit of over 20 new paintings by Beloit watercolorist, Brian Hartmann.  Brian’s paintings possess a nostalgic theme. Viewers will enjoy seeing recognizable Wisconsin sites produced with Brian’s intense color and detail.
 
While Brian has been creating art since he was a child, he didn’t exhibit his work or enter a juried art show until he entered the juried Wisconsin Regional Art Program (WRAP) at the Beloit Art Center in 2014. Brian won an award at the BAC show, sold his first piece of art, and he was on his way. Since then, Brian has won many awards including Regional and State WRAP awards that have landed his paintings at the Pyle Center at UW-Madison for month-long exhibits.
 
Brian contracted for a solo show in 2020 at the Beloit Art Center, but the COVID-19 pandemic pushed his show forward to January 2021. Brian said that almost no one has seen the new art. He has been saving his pieces for a reveal at the BAC opening this coming Friday night!  

Artist Statement:
Being a father of four, my life is always busy. What influences me in my choice of subject matter is the world the kids take me into, taking a snippet of my everyday life to convey a thought or feeling that can be rekindled in the viewer’s own life. Working with watercolor gives me the opportunity to manipulate and express a technique that is one-of-a-kind.

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Jan Crowley grew up in Clinton and now lives north of Elkhorn, Wisconsin.  Jan began creating art seriously after her children left home about 15 years ago.  She attended Milwaukee School of Arts (now the Milwaukee Institute of Art and Design, MIAD) for a year, however, she says she is mostly self-taught. 

Jan started working with pencil and found her way into watercolor about five years ago.  She also creates three-dimensional art including free-form sculptures and pots on a wheel.  Jan says she experiences peace while working with the spinning wet clay, adding that it has helped her get through the upheaval of the pandemic. 

In the last two years, Jan has been painting animals, particularly large birds. She says she is also very drawn to working with the human figure. Jan is a storyteller with brush, paper, and clay. She looks for the extraordinary moment of beauty and grace inside the everyday comings and goings of life. 

Lynette Redner was raised on a farm north of Clinton, Wisconsin.  After living in Arizona and other areas for twenty-five years, Lynette returned to the area in 2011 to be closer to her aging parents Donna and Jim Redner, who have since passed. Currently, she lives in Richmond, Wisconsin, a farming community south of Whitewater. 

Lynette's art is primarily self-educated. She has read many painting books and has attended community classes. In the last two years, she has taken intense week long classes from internationally known artists. Lynette works in a variety of mediums, and she paints in her studio, as well as outside in the rural areas of Rock and Walworth counties. 

Lynette describes how she acquires the inspiration for her paintings; "I am drawn to the shapes and how the light plays on the land, streams, and buildings. I see barns as an endangered species; they hold incredible history and strength, and they speak to the perseverance of the people who built them. My goal as a painter is to capture that moment in time, through my vision, choices of colors, and brushstrokes." She adds that when painting animals, "It's about capturing their emotion and translating that into a story for the viewer. ​

About the Wisconsin Regional Artist Program 

The Wisconsin Regional Art Program (WRAP) provides statewide art workshops and exhibits for nonprofessional artists. It began in 1940 with the intent of encouraging creative growth, which it continues to do today in these three ways:
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• Art work is shown in a noncompetitive exhibit in regional communities. Meritorious work is selected for the Annual State Art Exhibit in Madison. 
• A demonstration or slide lecture is given during the regional workshop by a professional artist.
• The exhibition judge answers your questions on design, composition, and technique during a group critique and evaluative discussion.

The Wisconsin Regional Art Program consists of many artist workshop/exhibits that meet throughout the year statewide. Each one has a different artist demonstration or slide lecture and a different judge to lead the afternoon critique. You may enter as many Wisconsin Regional Art Workshops as you like. Your art work will be on exhibit in different communities. If your work is selected for the State Exhibit at two different workshops, you may choose which ONE you want to submit to the Madison exhibit.

​My name is Kimberly Ruth Muller and the title of my show is
 
LIFE AFTER OVERDOSE
featuring 
“THE REAL“
 
a collaboration of myself & my late daughter Lindsey Rebecca Viramontes.
 
I reside here in the stateline area and currently work for Adams Publishing/ Beloit Daily News in downtown Beloit, WI. I am a Multi-Media Account Executive. I love to help people! And I love to bring new ideas and creativity to advertising. 
 
I strive to Never take My Life, nor My Blessings for granted. I appreciate all the Love, Beauty, and Art in this world. “EARTH without ART is just “EH.” I’ve been an artist my entire life. Since I was a tiny girl, I’ve had a connection to God, nature, animals, and kindness.  Like my beloved grandma Ruth Nickel, I’m always writing, always creating poetry, photography, sketches, paintings…  
 
Throughout the years, my creations have won awards and yes, it’s wonderful to have my art liked and appreciated, but more importantly - having a creative outlet during grief has sincerely SAVED MY LIFE!
 
-Kimberly

The new art shows will open on October 2nd, from 5-7 PM  at the Beloit Art Center with  an artist exhibition featuring Roberta Haakinson in the Main Gallery and Jean Apgar in the Bell Gallery. ​We will serve drinks but no food and social distancing will be observed.