ARTIST STATEMENTS
 
SUE ABARE
Why do I make art? Especially now, in this era of uncertainty and mayhem, I value the opportunity to slow down and pay closer attention. It’s important to remember, to preserve, to appreciate and celebrate the everyday. The “everyday” is not so ordinary! The things we make with our hands are precious. The scale is human, in a world  where more and more we are overcome with brutality and mayhem.
 
I paint to say, “Look.  I love color, shape, light. I love  stories and dreams. I’m trying to make it visible, to share it with you.” I want you too to say, “I see!”, even if at first you didn’t.
 
JEAN APGAR
Pigment, paper, fabric, glass - born of earth and crafted by hand and heart into images and objects that share a vision or evoke an emotion or response.  The sharing is the essence of the image or object.  Communication.  Nothing more.  Nothing less.
 
Creating my art in the various media I use is as much a part of me as breathing. My inspiration comes from the small, even insignificant, things that surround us in everyday life.  I earned my B.F.A. and M.A. degrees in painting from Northern Illinois University.  My work has been exhibited nationally and internationally and is included in private and corporate collections in the United States, Sweden, France, Luxembourg, Germany and Great Britain.  My paintings were selected for the American Embassy Residences in Rangoon, Burma and Niger, Africa, under the Art in Embassies program initiated by President John F. Kennedy.   I am listed in Who's Who in American Art, Who’s Who in America and co-authored the book, "Now What? This Art Business.”  My work is included in the books, “The Best of Silk Painting,” and “The Fine Art of Painting on Silk” and was published in Artists Magazine and Beadwork magazine. I am represented by Abel Contemporary Gallery, Stoughton, WI, Jill Rae Finally Art, Rockton, IL and 317 Art Collective, Rockford, IL, and am a member of several artists' organizations including Rockford Art Guild. Beloit Art Center, TNPS, WAOW, TWSA, NWS and SPIN.
 
JILL RAE MARTIN-GOLDEN
Jill Rae Martin-Golden is the owner of JR Finally Art Studio & Gallery which is located in a historic building in downtown Rockton. It is the accumulation of many years of studying art and wishing to devote more time to the work that she loves.  It is there you’ll find her working alcohol inks, watercolors, oils and pastels along with the works of other local artists.  Jill sees beauty in the ordinary and revels in sharing that vision with others.
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Color – bright and bold; subtle and quiet.  Line – connecting and moving.  Together creating  images to share my vision, my world where gardening is a form of painting and traveling is a scenic view of oneself.
 
BETH WEMMER
For several years I have done nostalgic realism.  I love old toys and old photographs and usually use one or the other in my work.
Toys are a fabulous challenge for me, they need to be rendered correctly to convey the thoughtfulness the toymaker showed in developing them.  It is a time for me to go back and revisit old friends, to see their scuff marks, their missing pieces, the grime from play of small hands.  They are rendered with minimal backgrounds because the negative space serves as the quiet area.  Without a traditional backdrop, the viewer can focus on the image itself and can transport himself or herself into that imaginative childhood space where toys can talk and walk and have adventures.
I also like to change the sizes of toys.  Tiny becomes big and regular becomes small or supersized. It could be said that that isn’t realistic. But it is fun to do. Who can tell the child in me that a toy in a different size wouldn’t still satisfy the urge for play?
 
JOHN WEMMER
I work with bright colors to not only move the viewer's eye around the piece but also to let my artwork command the attention of the room it is in.   I use optical interference for backgrounds or clouds of an unusual nature. I love using complementary colors next to each other to provide a high contrast and make those colors appear more vivid.   My ideal painting is one that is colorful, frenetic and offbeat.

​Woody Olsen Artist
www.instagram.com/woodyolsen

Merwood “Woody” Olsen was born in Beloit, raised in Sharon and graduated from Big Foot High School, Walworth, Wisconsin.

Currently residing in Madison, Wisconsin, he is a member of Association of Wisconsin Artists. He finds inspiration close to home in the natural beauty of Wisconsin.

His grandmother was a talented artist who studied at the Art Institute of Chicago and the University of Chicago around the turn of the last century. She left a legacy of numerous prized oil paintings of tranquil scenes of life at Wisconsin lakes and streams from a bygone era. She was also a sought after speaker on art history.

He lived in Chicago for over 40 years and was a member of the prestigious Arts Club of Chicago. He curated shows for a Pop/Outsider art gallery. In Chicago, he resided in Mies van der Rohe’s famous modernist Esplanade apartments on Lake Shore Drive. He recently retired from Northwestern Medicine Health Information, Chicago.

He’s had the opportunity to meet many of the most eminent artists of the 20th and 21th century. Discussing art with some of the world’s greatest artists is a special honor and privilege. He’s learned so much discussing art with the likes of Claes Oldenburg, David Hockney, Andy Warhol, Paloma Picasso, George Segal, Robert Mapplethorpe, Mya Lin, to name just a few.

Another major influence is travel focused on art. In Europe, he had the opportunity to visit London’s Tate Modern, the Vatican Museum, the Louvre and Picasso Museum in Paris. In the States, he credits visits to the many art museums of New York City, along with The Walker Art Center in Minneapolis, Houston’s Rothko Chapel and the Art Institute of Chicago, among many major museums visited.

In the 70s, when New York was the center of the art world and every artist had to be in New York, he spent many nights at the Hotel Chelsea in Manhattan. For years, many well-known artists stayed at the Chelsea and paid with art when they didn’t have cash to pay the bill. Famously, Larry Rivers left behind A Dutch Master that graced the lobby, along with many other pieces by other artists.

He studied at two top professional art schools, the Layton School of Art in Milwaukee and the Minneapolis College of Art and Design (MCAD). At the time, Layton was ranked among the top five art schools in the country. He studied with Wisconsin watercolorist, the late Anne Miotke of Whitefish Bay at Layton. Unfortunately, the school closed. With the closing of Layton, he transferred to the Minneapolis College of Art and Design and graduated from MCAD with a BFA.

Prior to Layton and MCAD, he attended UW-Whitewater studying art history, studio arts, etching and printmaking. He studied with talented professor, artist Leanne Stevenson, a School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC) graduate. She was very influential training him in art presentation and exposing him to Chicago’s Hairy Who artists.

Woody works primarily in watercolor incorporating acrylic washes. He’s a colorist using splashes of overlapping, floating colors of different shapes and sizes in an informal balance on a polymer-based paper. The work is minimalist, usually not overworked. A focal point draws the eye to the center of interest.

​As an art collector himself, he finds inspiration in the work of other artists. From his personal collection, he has a promised estate gift of several pieces of art to the University of Minnesota's Weisman Art Museum including two self-portraits from his Layton years.

Beloit Art Center is happy to announce this month’s exhibits, which will open on Friday, December 3. The Art Center will be open from 5pm – 9pm in conjunction with the downtown Holidazzle Event. A Gallery Talk is scheduled for 6pm. In the Main Gallery we welcome painter and mixed media artist Laura Easey-Jones and painter and sculptor Barbara Friedman. The Bell Gallery will feature the photography of Bernard Johnson.

​Main Gallery | LAURA EASEY JONES
Milwaukee based artist, Laura Easey-Jones, has been painting most of her life. She is also a mixed media artist and has combined these two disciplines to create a whole new art experience. Originally a photorealistic painter, a method she learned from her mentor and teacher, Mario Rueda, Laura went on to receive her art degree from Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles, California. She paints, does collage and bookmaking as well as sculpture. Laura is an award-winning artist whose work appears in galleries and museums around the state. Her murals adorn local establishments and private spaces. Laura teaches classes and workshops at Hart Park and for the Milwaukee Recreation Department. She is an active member of The Rogues Artists Group, MARN, NOAPS and League of Milwaukee.

​Main Gallery | BARBARA FRIEDMAN 
Color captivated Barbara Friedman even as a young child. She found inspiration nurturing flowers in the garden, playing in the woods, and picking the bluest of the blueberries. Her favorite Crayola crayon color was blue-green. She attended a Boston public high school and was offered a scholarship to begin attending art classes at the Boston Museum of Fine Art. There she began her formal training in drawing and studying amazing oil paintings by Sargent and Copley. In college Barbara chose to study horticulture and after several years of working in the field of plant science, she moved to New Mexico and redeveloped a strong desire to draw and paint. She studied under impressionist painters Susan Lange Marshall and Laura Robb and upon moving to Wisconsin, Dan Gerhartz. Studio still life painting affords Barbara the opportunity to paint in an inspiring setting, as she looks out at her gardens and trees and blends her love of horticulture and painting. Barbara lives near Milwaukee and teaches classes that include oil painting, plein air, studio still life and stained glass.

​Bell Gallery | BERNARD JOHNSON
In the Bell Gallery Bernard Johnson will be exhibiting a series of photographs taken in South Africa, Botswana and Madagascar. From 2012 to 2015 Bernard spent summers volunteering in Southern Africa with various programs focused on forest and marine conservation, environmental awareness, and education at local schools. While there Bernard also earned certifications as a professional scuba diving instructor and found a home away from home. His photography is influenced by the incredible fauna and geographic features of Africa’s National Parks, such as Kruger National Park in South Africa, and Botswana’s Chobe and Nxai Pan National Parks. Bernard’s first photography exhibition was in Monona, Wisconsin in 2016. He received a Top Ten award in the Beloit Art Center Juried Photography Show in March of 2021 and most recently was selected for a 2022 Honorable Mention Award with the Wisconsin Regional Artists Program (WRAP).

​Beloit Art Center is located at 520 E. Grand Ave. in downtown Beloit and has established a mission of partnering with the community and regional artists to maintain a center to teach, display and promote art through events, classes, and studio space. To learn more about Beloit Art Center visit www.beloitartcenter.com. Gallery hours are Monday 10am – 2pm, Tuesday – Friday 10am – 5pm and Saturday 10am – 2pm.

Beloit Art Center welcomes thirty-six regional artists in the Main Gallery in November for the Beloit Wisconsin Regional Artists Program (WRAP) Exhibit. The Bell Gallery will feature Graphic Designer Molly Dillon.

WRAP originated in 1940 as an outreach program of UW-Madison but is now administered by the Association of Wisconsin Artists (AWA). WRAP hosts exhibits and art workshops for nonprofessional artists in cities statewide throughout the year. Each location coordinates with a juror who gives critiques and awards at the local workshop. These events also include an artist demonstration or lecture. Artists selected for state awards have the opportunity to exhibit at the Pyle Center in Madison each August.

Bell Gallery artist Molly Dillon has a M.A. & M.F.A. in Painting and Drawing from Northern Illinois University. She has over thirty years of graphic design experience with newspapers and magazines and is currently the Marketing Graphic Designer for Blackhawk Bank, where she has worked since 2005. Molly is also the owner of Mad Dog Designs, which she started in 1993. Her work has been exhibited in many galleries and art shows in the Stateline area, as well as in Chicago, Madison, Seattle, and Canada.

A First Friday Reception will be held November 5 from 5-7pm. A gallery talk will be held at 6pm.  The reception is free and open to the public.  Both exhibits will be up until November 27. 

Beloit Art Center is located at 520 E. Grand Ave. in downtown Beloit and has established a mission of partnering with the community and regional artists to maintain a center to teach, display and promote art through events, classes, and studio space. To learn more about Beloit Art Center visit www.beloitartcenter.com.  Gallery hours are Monday 10am – 2pm, Tuesday – Friday 10am – 5pm and Saturday 10am – 2pm. 

 
​MollyDillon | Bell Gallery 

CRESWELL D'SYLVA | BELL GALLERY
ARTIST STATEMENT 
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My artwork is influenced by my various experiences of travel and study in Australia, Europe, Scandinavia, and a few Asian countries. I also lived for more than 10 years in the following countries: India, Australia, Mexico, and the USA.

After my schooling in Madras, India,  I studied for my Associates in engineering before immigrating to Australia in 1971. My studies architectural drawing at engineering college has given me skills to draw precise geometric forms which I use in my paintings.  In Australia, I studied art at the  East Sydney Technical College in Darlinghurst, New South Wales. While in Sydney, I began to express myself in various art forms like ceramics, painting and photography.

I am very influenced by abstract artists like: Bridget Riley, British Op-Artist, who explored optical illusions in art. Yaacob Agam, Optical & Kinetic artist from Israel. Frank Stella, Victor Vasasely,  Hungarian - French. Architects like Zaha Hadid, Iraqi British architect who designed some of the most modern buildings like the Guangzhour Municipal Government Opera House, the Abu Dhabi Performing Arts Center, Manchester Music Hall etc. Some other architects who I admire are Santiago Calatrava, Spanish architect, sculptor, and artist who also designed the Milwaukee Art Museum, World Trade Center, NY , The Dubai Creek Tour etc. The  Danish architect  Jorn Utzon who designed the Sydney Opera House in Bonnelong Point, Sydney.

I took time off of work to visit  Europe and travelled approximately 36,000 KMS in Scandinavia, Europe, and N. Africa, staying mainly at campsites and youth hostels. I visited the important art galleries and museums and learned about their culture.  I also spent 10 months in Copenhagen studying the Danish language and culture at the University of Copenhagen.
 
My first international solo art exhibition was at the Galerie Gammel Strand, in Copenhagen in 1984. I did participate in several group exhibitions in Copenhagen, Denmark , Sydney, Australia and more recently, juried regional exhibitions in Freeport and Rockford Illinois,  Beloit and  Whitewater art galleries  in Wisconsin.

While living in Mexico for 14 years, I was most impressed with the Oaxaca culture in the state of Oaxaca. Their traditional colorful costumes inspired me. I have borrowed the use of their color combinations from their costumes in my paintings. 

My paintings portray an eclectic  mix of balanced shapes and vibrant colors , all are my original creations and are presented for your visual enjoyment.

Every year the Beloit Art Center participates with twenty four other regional sponsors hosting juried art shows statewide in what is called the Wisconsin Regional Art Program (WRAP). The Wisconsin Regional Art Program (WRAP) encourages nonprofessional, student, and emerging artists to create and exhibit their work across Wisconsin.  It is for people who have a serious interest in art and create pieces for the love of art. WRAP originated as an outreach program of UW-Madison but is now administered by the Association of Wisconsin Artists (AWA) and is also associated with the University of Wisconsin Art Department. The Beloit Art Center’s regional show was held in November of 2020. 

WRAP encourages artists at all levels to practice their craft and show their work. In addition to the juried art show, regional exhibits include a workshop day for participating artists and the public in which a guest artist gives a lecture or demonstration followed by an educational critique of the exhibited artwork led by the exhibit judge.  Local award winners get to exhibit their work at the annual State Exhibit and are judged to win state level awards. This year’s WRAP/AWA State Exhibit & Conference started August 12 and runs through September 25. It is being held at the Pyle Center at UW Madison. Local award-winning artists will be recognized and receive their awards at the state conference awards presentation on September 25, at 1:00pm.

Beloit Art Center is proud to announce our local State Award winning artists from the Beloit Art Center’s Regional Show include the following: Tom Murn, Nancy Mayhew, Jacki Prisk, John Hines, and Turner High School student Maura Spain. Tom Murn’s entry “Blackbox2”, a 3D sculpture, was selected for the Shake Rag Alley Award.  Nancy Mayhew was awarded the Francis Kipp Award for Creativity for her mosaic piece titled “Into the Woods".  Jacki Prisk of Edgerton won the Marge Engelman award for her painting titled “Say Their Names”.  John Hines was chosen for the Aron & Ruth Bohrod Award for his painting titled “Time with Dad”.  Turner High School student Maura Spain was selected for the Duck Lake State award for her piece in the STAMP division (Statewide Teen Art Mentoring Program) sponsored by her teacher / mentor Annie Dudgeon.

Once again, this November, the Beloit Art Center will be hosting the Wisconsin Regional Art Program exhibit/workshop for our area. The next show for Beloit WRAP is coming up quickly. For any local artist that may wish to participate, use the online entry form at wiscartists.org . The fee to enter is $30 and should be sent to the Beloit Art Center, 520 E Grand Ave., Beloit, WI 53511. The deadline to enter is Saturday, October 23rd.  ENTRY IS OPEN NOW! Entrants should deliver their art to Beloit Art Center on Friday, October 29th (open 10AM close 5 PM) or on Saturday, October 30th (open 10 AM close 2 PM).
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The opening reception for the Beloit WRAP 2021 will be held on Friday, November 5th from 5 PM to 7 PM. The show is free and open to the public. The WRAP workshop and art pickup is on Saturday, November 27th. The workshop will run from 9 AM until 1 PM.  Art pickup follows until 2 PM.

Congratulations to June artist, Dava Dahlgran CPSA, CPXD, for having a color pencil piece she exhibited at the Beloit Art Center, Night Owl, accepted into the Colored Pencil Society of America 2021 Juried International Exhibit.

This year's exhibit is online because of Covid. To view the exhibit, visit  www.cpsa.org

Main Gallery 
ANITA WILDERMUTH

​Driven by her love for art, Anita Wildermuth became a teacher for 37 years.  Much of that time was spent as the supervisor of Elementary Art for the Beloit School District.  Inspired by her elementary art teacher Laurence Urbscheit and her father, Mrs. Wildermuth earned a Bachelor of Arts in Art and Elementary education from Luther College, and a Master of Arts in teaching from Rockford College.  One of her accomplishments was making sure every child in the district got to go to the Milwaukee Public Museum and Milwaukee Art Museum before they left the elementary school.  ‘It was the first time many students had been in a museum, or to a large city. Some were so excited they went home and wanted to take their parents back to share what they had seen’, Wildermuth recalls. Another highlight of Anita’s career was being among 50 people invited by the US Government to go to China with the People to People Art Program in 1988 to study the Chinese Art Education Program. She met Art teachers from all over the USA and China.  

Outside of her career, Mrs. Wildermuth has been very active with the Turtle fire Department, where her husband Robert has also been a volunteer for many years.  She is involved in the Beloit Intermediate Women’s club and Altrusa and is a member of the Beloit Art Center, Janesville Art League and the Wisconsin Regional Artists Association.

In September Anita will have a solo art exhibit in the Main Gallery at Beloit Art Center, made up of many of the pieces she has created over her long career as an artist.  The exhibit will feature a variety of mediums, including paintings, photography, jewelry, and fiber art. 

In the Bell Gallery, the Art Center is pleased to feature artwork created by summer Art Camp students, as well as Mosaic Workshop students.  All work in this exhibit is new and created this summer. 

A First Friday Reception will be held on September 3, from 5 - 7 p.m.  and is free and open to the public.  The Beloit Art Center is located at 520 E. Grand Avenue, Beloit, Wisconsin.   Hours are Monday 10am - 2pm; Tuesday - Friday 10am - 5pm and Saturday from 10am - 2pm.  For further information please visit www.beloitartcenter.com

Bell Gallery 
BELOIT ART CENTER STUDENT SHOWCASE

Above: watercolor butterflies. Below: students learned calligraphy, mosaic work, caricatures and acrylic painting during camp, along with pottery including hand building and working on the pottery wheel.  To see more projects stop by the Bell gallery during the month of September. 

Beloit Public Library
MARICLARE SHEIL

In partnership with the Beloit Public Library, the Art Center also installs quarterly exhibits in the library entryway.  From July – September the featured artist is Mariclare Sheil.  A graduate of the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, Mariclare’s paintings, drawings and murals can be found in corporate, public and private collections.  Mariclare is also the lead instructor of the Beloit Art Center Thursday Evening Open Studio Artist Group, which meets from 5:30-8:00pm each week.  Attendance is open to artists working in any medium.  At 6:00pm Mariclare leads a short time of instruction on varied topics.  The rest of the session is for working on projects and casual conversation.  This group has a come when you can, drop-in enrollment and meets on the second floor.
The First Friday Opening Reception on August 6 is from 5pm - 7pm at 520 E. Grand Avenue, Beloit, Wisconsin.  The event is free and open to the public. Both in-house exhibits will be open until August 27.  Gallery hours are Monday 10am - 2pm; Tuesday 10am - 5pm and Saturday from 10am - 2pm.  For more information please visit: www.beloitartcenter.com