PAST EXHIBITIONS

February 16 - April 14, 2007
FRESH FACES
An annual exhibition of outsider artists from around the world. This years show will feature: Michel Nedjar (France), Gérard Sendrey (France), Jaber (Tunisia/France), Edmond Engel (Switzerland), Carlo Zinelli (Italy), Francois Burland (Switzerland), Giordano Gelli (Italy), Madge Gill (United Kingdom), and Stanislav Holas (Czech).

January 5 - February 10, 2007
FRESH FACES
3 CONTEMPORARY ARTISTS
CAROLINE ANDERSON
HARRY
KARL MULLEN

Judy Saslow Gallery - Booth 26
January 26-29, 2007

October 20 - November 24, 2006
Scene in Chicago 2006

This year our annual exhibition of local talent will include Danny Mansmith, Dolan Geiman, Kelly Brannon, Jordan Scott, Gabe Lanza and Sue Lowenberg.

Friday, November 3rd, 2006
Cephalic Symbols 2
Chicago artists participate in a benefit for the Ed Paschke Foundation.

Human skulls, sculpt by Mark Mlodoch, enhanced by over 25 artists for sale by silent auction. Artists include: William Haefling, Ashley Lewis, Thomas Masters, Tom Mckee, Mace Mlodoch, Malcolm Mlodoch, Mark Mlodoch, Linda Nye, John Neville, Marc Paschke, Richard Paschke, Eric Semelroth, Bruce Thorn, Lisa Vogul.

September 8-October 14, 2006
Michel Nedjar, Gérard Cambon and James Stauber

July 21-September 2, 2006
Gallery Artists Show
Featuring Work by: Clyde Angel, Francois Burland, Edmond Engel, Matt Lamb, Nancy Paschke, Pam Pauly, Jason Rohlf, Christine Sefolosha, Gerard Sendrey, and artists from the Nathan and Kiyoko Lerner Foundation

July 14-16, 2006
Sensational Art Sale

June 2-July 8, 2006
The Summertime Show
A group exhibition of artwork in the theme of summer.

April 21 - May 27, 2006
Jason Rohlf: Positional

April 7 - April 15, 2006
Matt Lamb: New Works on Paper
Special one week exhibition
Artist's Reception: April 8th, 11-3 PM, Matt Lamb will be present

February 17 - April 1, 2006
Far Out 2006
Exhibition featuring European Art Brut masters whose works were selected by Jean Dubuffet to be a part of his own collection.

January 6-February 11, 2006
Fresh Faces: Five Contemporary Artists
The Portland Mercury says of contemporary painter Michael Brieger, “[His] intricate method of shading makes for incredibly elusive images up close, amplifying the mystery and creepiness of his subject matter. The gravity of Brieger's talent is disarming.”
Philip Stein makes photo and mixed media constructions using many different photographs of the same thing; mixing orientations and viewpoints of the objects creates dizzyingly exciting results.
Fort Guerin combines images and stream of consciousness text to create uniquely beautiful, sad and humorous drawings and paintings on wood.
Emmett Kerrigan will show a new body of work inspired by top-like forms that he makes by hand. After assembling groups of these “tops” he creates paintings from the designs they generate.
Blair Thornley is an award winning illustrator and painter. Her exquisite use of color and whimsical subject matter are the trademarks of her stylish new paintings.

Judy Saslow Gallery - Booth 26
January 26-29, 2006

October 21-December 30, 2005
Scene in Chicago 2005 with Furniture by CFDA Artisans:
An Exhibition of the Finest Emerging and Established Artists in Chicago
With Handmade Furniture by Chicago Furniture Designers Association Members

Thursday, October 20, 2005
CEPHALIC SYMBOLS:
Visions of the Chicago Skull

50 human skulls, sculpted by Mark Mlodoch, enhanced by 50 artists for sale by silent auction.

September 9-October 15
Outsider Folk Art with Dimension:
Sculptural Folk Art from the Collection of Ruth and Robert Vogele

September 30 - October 2, 2005

The Intuit Show of Folk and Outsider Art
September 30 - October 2, 2005

July 15-September 3, 2005
Cat Chow, Nancy Josephson and Christine Sefolosha

July 8 and 9, 2005
We’re 10 Years Old!
Judy A Saslow Gallery Celebrates Wonderful 10 Years with a Special Commemorative Exhibition and Sale. Join us to celebrate our 10th anniversary with a special two-day exhibition.

April 22- July 9; Matt Lamb: New Works

Completely self-taught, Matt Lamb's artwork is a reflection of his own strong philosophies and religious beliefs. Peace, Love and Understanding are among his strongest messages spread throughout the world via his installations and workshops. Also on view are Matt's collaborative works with Spanish sculptor, Marti Rom.

March 4-April 16: Far Out 2005

Featuring important works by six Outsider artists: François Burland (Switzerland), Paul Duhem (Belgium), Bill Traylor (USA), Stanislav Holas (Czech Republic), Giordano Gelli (Italy) and Johann Fischer (Austria).
Opening reception will be March 4th from 5-8 pm.

January 7 - February 26, 2005
Gallery Artists: A Rotating Exhibition

Ammannati, Ascenzi, Bero, Birts, Boni, Bucheck, Carlesi, Duhem, Engel, Fidilio, Garber, Gelli, Godie, Hall, Jaber, Kamlander, Kernbeis, Korec, Louden, Mr. Imagination, Nedjar, Paschke, Pastore, Seille, Sendrey, Settembrini, Ulivieri, Williams and Zinelli

Judy Saslow Gallery - Booth 26
January 28-30, 2005

Artist Group Show
November 19-December 30, 2004
Christine Isperian, Edward Ott, Trent Albert and David De Castro

Scene in Chicago: 10 September-13 November 2004
Juan Angel Chavez, Dolan Geiman, Don Guss, Jeanette Nyberg, Amy Woodbury and the Artists from the NataKiyoko Lerner Foundation

JASON ROHLF: PAINTINGS
10 September-13 November 2004

Clyde Angel - Albert Louden - Nancy Paschke
July 16 - September 4 2004

April 30-July 10
New Works by Michel Nedjar and Shane Guffogg.

Michel Nedjar trained as a master tailor, eventually receiving a diploma in fashion design. Following a bout with tuberculosis and at age 22, Nedjar traveled extensively in North Africa, India, Afghanistan, Iran, Asia, Europe and eventually Mexico. The mysticism of Day of the Dead festivals and magical fetish objects he encountered in these countries had a profound impact upon him. After returning home from his travels he began a long career in the visual arts working in film, sculpture and painting on paper. His distinctively sparse style appeals to collectors of outsider as well as contemporary art. Nedjar was recently included in the exhibition "Made in France, 1947-1997." In 2001, Halle St. Pierre in Paris mounted a retrospective of his work that included over 250 of his works.
Shane Guffogg is Los Angeles-based contemporary painter. Guffogg’s labor-intensive, intricately patterned paintings (50-60 layers of translucent colors) appear to be illuminated from within. Regarding his work, Guffogg states: “... the communication occurs in two-dimensional depth created through brush stroke, color, light, and movement, an attempt to indicate the conundrum between the physical and the spiritual, which is the infinity of perception.”

Pierre Silvin (Left) Gérard Sendrey (right)

March 19-April 24

Main Gallery: Gérard Sendrey and Pierre Silvin
Living Room Gallery: “Mediumistic” Artists from the Czech Republic Anna Haskel and Stanislav Holas

Gérard Sendrey worked as an administrative executive in the South of France until the age of 40, when he decided to devote the rest of his life to painting. He began drawing, employing a technique of finely meshed lines, obsessively covering the paper and creating a delicate graphic texture in which figures, mostly human, appear unexpectedly. His first exhibition took place in 1979 at the influential Galerie du Fleuve in Paris. As a result of this show and many others, Sendrey’s reputation, and demand for his artwork, grew. Sendrey’s art is included in many private and public collections, including the permanent collections of the Collection de L’Art Brut in Lausanne, L’Aracine in Villeneuve D’Ascq, the Fabuloserie in Dicy and Le Centre de Diffusion D’art en Marge in Brussels, the Museum de Stadshof in Zwolle and the American Museum of Folk art in New York.
As a child near Bordeaux, Pierre Silvin was inspired to paint by his Father, Gèrard Sendrey, who is a widely respected and internationally exhibited artist. At the age of 35, after having problems with his marriage, he once again plunged into his creative activities and began to consistently produce work. Silvin has received a great deal of attention for his primitive, colorful scenes of people and animals.
Opening reception will be March 19th from 5-8 PM.

Paul Duhem
February 20-March 13

Self-Taught Artists of Belgium: A Group Exhibition Featuring Work by Paul Duhem, Oscar Haus, Montet, Antoine Mvumbi, and Daniel Sterckx
Work by Chicago Artist James Hall in the Living Room Gallery
Paul Duhem, the most celebrated of these artists from Belgium had a long history of mental illness and worked most of his life as a gardener. He first began to draw after his retirement in 1990 at the age of 71. Paul Duhem’s oeuvre consists of about 5000 works, most of which are on one of two themes: portraits or doors. The portraits are stylistically striking, with robot-like heads and massive torsos. The images of doors are similarly geometric. Sadly, Duhem died at the age of 80 in September 1999. It has been reported that he was drawing in the last moments of his life. Paul Duhem’s artwork is part of numerous private and public collections, including the Collection De L’Art Brut in Lausanne, Switzerland. In 2003, Duhem’s art was featured in an exhibition at the Musee Dr. Guislain in Belgium.
Opening reception will be February 20th from 5-8 PM.

The Paintings of Matt Lamb
January 9- February 14, 2004

Before Chicagoan Matt Lamb achieved worldwide recognition and celebrity as a painter and sculptor, he had a successful business career overseeing a chain of funeral homes. At the age of 50, after surviving a life-threatening illness, he decided to devote himself to creating art. Completely self-taught, Lamb’s art conveys his strong philosophies and beliefs. Many of his paintings have figurative elements with a recurring cast of characters, while some recent works are abstract. Visually, Lamb’s art is a spectacular play of bold color and unusual texture.
Matt Lamb invented the painting technique he uses, which he calls “generational”: multiple paintings layered onto the same canvas. He primes his canvas or wood with a mixture of cement, gesso, and oil-based mediums, which takes months to dry. On to this course textured foundation he applies many layers of paint and often uses sandpaper and a blowtorch to blister and morph his images further. The resulting works are often described as primordial or volcanic.
In 2003 Lamb has had one-man shows in New York City as well as the European Union Parliament in Germany, and also Museum exhibitions in both Belgium and France. Most recently he had an exhibition at the Picasso Museum in Spain entitled “Lamb Encounters Picasso”.
Despite having a studio in many parts of the world (including Florida, Wisconsin, Ireland and Germany), Matt Lamb’s home based continues to be Chicago. His work has been exhibited throughout the world: from the Vatican to the Mall of America.
Matt Lamb is available for interviews in person and by phone. Please contact the Judy A Saslow Gallery for images of Matt Lamb’s artwork or for more information.
Opening reception will be on Friday January 9th, 2004 from 5-8 PM.

New York Outsider Art Fair
Booth #26
22-25 January 2004

November 21 2003 - Jan 2 2004: French artist Jaber, Chicagoan Lee Godie and Dewey Blocksma of Michigan.

The remarkable constructions of Dewey Blocksma can be traced directly to his background as a physician. Born in Amarillo, Texas, he attended medical school and found himself particularly intrigued by anatomy. This interest was a continuation of his lifelong curiosity about “how things worked.” Blocksma spent six years working as a doctor in hospital emergency rooms, which he describes as a horrifying experience. During this period, he began to construct figures, or “toys”, as he calls them, both as a form of amusement and as an emotional safety valve from the constant tensions of the life-and-death situations he encountered on a daily basis.
Lee Godie was born in Chicago in 1908. Very little can be verified about her family history, although it is believed that she married twice, was an alcoholic and suffered with mental illness. She had one child, a daughter from whom she was estranged for much of her life. Life became increasingly difficult for her both emotionally and economically, and during the early 1960’S and she became homeless. During this time she began to sell her paintings on the steps of the Art Institute of Chicago as a means of survival. Her first collectors were Art Institute students, staff and patrons. Posthumously, Godie is considered one of Chicago’s most important artists, and many collectors happily recall their encounters with her on the streets of Chicago.
Jaber was born in 1938 in M’Saken, Tunisia. Orphaned and raised by his sister, Jaber worked as a baker, boxer, street actor and singer before the age of 20, earning the title “Monarch of Beaubourg." Jaber creates images of extraordinary spirit. His vigorous drawings and vivid colors make them easily recognizable as “Jabers”. For twenty years he has been painting and exhibiting his works all over the world, including Spain, Canada, Tunisia, Switzerland, the United States and France. Jaber’s work is in many private and public collections, including La Fabuloserie, Dicy, France and Site de la Creation, Begle, France.
Opening reception will be November 21 from 5-8 PM.

10 October -15 November : Nancy Josephson’s “Articles of Faith and Desire” exhibit will be in the main gallery and “Scene in Chicago” featuring Cat Chow, James Stauber and Pam Pauly will be in the living room gallery.

Nancy Josephson uses beads, mirrors, rhinestones, sequins and glue to create art from everyday objects in a style evocative of the Haitian flags and bottles. In this exhibition she will have a dining room set in which each place setting represents a spirit from the pantheon of spirits used in the Vodou religion. Most recently, Nancy Josephson designed the set for the opera “Aida” in Delaware that will debut in the fall of 2003.

Our annual Scene in Chicago exhibit will feature Cat Chow, James Stauber and Pam Pauly. Cat Chow has been widely acclaimed for her eccentric fashion designs in which she uses unusual materials such as Astroturf to sandpaper to create elegant evening gowns and suits. James Stauber uses a single-haired paintbrush to create small, intensely beautiful and surreal paintings. Pam Pauly is a self-taught artist who draws and paints Chicago and New York cityscapes. Opening will be October 10 from 5-8 PM.

5 September - 4 October: Edmond Engel in the main gallery with Giordano Gelli and Guido Boni of La Tinaia in the living room gallery.

Edmond Engel, a native of Switzerland, began to draw early as a means to cope with the loss of his mother. Jean Dubuffet spoke of Engel’s art saying “[it has] a passion to which I am drawn very strongly.” He has written poetry and commentaries for some of his drawings, which were collected and published as two books titled We Could Go, But Where? and We Are Born From The Stars. Edmond Engel has displayed his art internationally in galleries since 1968. Several of his works have been included in major museum exhibitions such as The End Is Near! at Baltimore’s American Visionary Art Museum. Engel’s work is also included in Jean DuBuffet’s own Collection de l’Art Brut in Lausanne, Switzerland.
Giordano Gelli and Guido Boni are both members of the La Tinaia art workshop in Florence, Italy. Gelli was born in 1928 in Florence, Italy. During WWII he worked in a textile plant that was frequently bombed. As his trauma during the war marked the beginning of his struggles with mental illness. While unable to speak or move beyond a shuffle, Gelli continues to create his trademark “couples” and scenes with doves in the sky and soldiers on the ground. Gelli is probably the most famous member of this group, with works in most major collections of art brut, including Jean Dubuffet Collection de l’Art Brut in Lausanne, Switzerland.
Guido Boni was also born in Florence, Italy and has a lifelong history of mental illness. All of the figures that he depicts in his complicated imagery look to be stretched tall and thin as if they have been pulled from either end. His is a world as humorous as it is beautiful. Opening will be September 5 from 5-8 PM.







18 July - 30 August: 3 Contemporary Artists-Steve Barber,
Richard Lange and Dimitar Manev with Christine Isperian and Pascal Hecker in the living room gallery.

Steve Barber lives, paints and teaches in Michigan. Barber applies a mixture of oil paint and wax to a black board and then scratches away images and text. The result is an often humorous cacophony of information that depicts his “fears, hopes, conflicts and desires”.
Chicago-based artist Richard Lange uses unusual materials such as bondex and house-paint on canvas to create serene, minimalist abstract works. The critic Diane Seybert says of his work: “Lange’s approach is much closer to the eastern tradition of art (Zen Buddhist drawings, oriental calligraphy paintings) than to figurative, literal western traditions”.
Ditmar Manev was born in Macedonia but relocated to Chicago in recent years. Manev uses bold color, collage and abstraction of figurative subjects in a unique yet classic way. “In the field of painting, everything so far has been invented. I only watch and react by painting spontaneously…I have only intuition and this is the way I react”—Ditmar Manev
In the living room we will premier work by 2 contemporary European artists: Pascal Hecker from Paris uses ink and coffee to stain paper to create ethereal abstracts and Christine Isperian from Lausanne uses only one color, cobalt blue, in her obsessive, organic and haunting drawings. Opening will be June 6 from 5-8 PM.

6 June - 12 July: Artists of Gugging

Featuring works by artists from the legendary house of artists called “Gugging” which is located on the grounds of a psychiatric hospital in Austria. The Gugging house of artists is alive with frenetic creative energy and production, and has been for almost 40 years. Artists included in this show are Johann Fischer, Johann Garber, Franz Kamlander, Franz Kernbeis, Johann Korec, Heinrich Reisenbauer, Arnold Schmidt, Günter Schützenhöfer, Oswald Tschirtner and August Walla. Many of the artists featured in this exhibition are part of “ABCD: A Collection of Art Brut” at the Chicago Cultural Center, as well as an exhibition at Intuit focusing on the classic Gugging artists. Opening will be June 6 from 5-8 PM.

Far Out 2003

2 May - 31 May: Far Out 2003

Far out is our annual exhibit of European and American outsider masters. This show will include work by: Albert Louden (England), Benjamin Bonjour (France), Dwight Mackintosh (US), Marco Raugei (Italy), Madge Gill (England), Maria Wnek (Poland), Bill Traylor (US), Michel Nedjar (France), Scottie Wilson (England) and many others. Many of the artists featured in this exhibition are part of “ABCD: A Collection of Art Brut” showing at the Chicago Cultural Center. Opening will be May 2 from 5-8 PM.

California 10 Contemporary
21 March - 26 April

California 10 Contemporary: Chip Tom Curates Contemporary Exhibit in Chicago
Chicago-Los Angeles transplant and freelance curator Chip Tom has selected ten of the most interesting artists in California for this eclectic show. Participating artists are:

Dianna Cohen takes plastic shopping bags and cuts and sews them together to create “paintings” of considerable beauty.
Chris Finley uses both digital technology and enamel to create bizarre precisely disarrayed images reminiscent of computer-game scenes.
Shane Guffogg paints large-scale, highly-patterned,abstract oil paintings on canvas and colorful watercolors on paper.
Liam Jones creates hyper-realistic paintings of trailer homes and tract houses in acrylic on panel.
Seth Kaufman makes mixed-media sculptures such as eggshells encased in resin and flowers made from paint chips.
Megan McManus paints from the unique and intimate perspective of her own lap with oil on canvas.
Aaron Morse paints elongated and distorted subjects in muted hues with watercolors and oil.
Michael Norton taught himself the Renaissance technique of egg tempera to craft small, illuminated landscapes on panel.
Jaime Scholnick draws hello kitty figures with machine guns using graphite and colored pencils on paper.
Dunnieghe Slawson takes large-format photographs of remarkably organic looking models she creates with wax, beads and crystals.
Opening will be March 21 from 5-8 PM.

ANGELA FIDILIO, JOHANN GARBER, NANCY PASCHKE, AND HEINRICH REISENBAUER

February 14-March 15

Paintings and drawings by Angela Fidilio, Johann Garber and Heinrich Reisenbauer. Portraits and Still Life by Nancy Paschke.

Angela Fidilio, part of an art group in Italy called La Tinaia, has long been heralded as one of the groups most talented artists. Fidilio draws and paints colorful Florence landscapes and beautiful and humorous portraits of large-headed women. Both Johann Garber and Heinrich Reisenbauer are members of the legendary artist house “Gugging” in Austria. Garber is known for his densely populated landscapes and portraits of people and animals done simply with black ink on paper. Reisenbauer’s trademark is repeated images that he painstakingly drafts on paper using colored pencils. In the living room we will show recent works by Nancy Paschke. A graduate from the Art Institute of Chicago, she was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease in the late 70’s. Paschke uses bold color and mixed-media to paint objects in her room, images from magazines and from her imagination. Opening will be February 14 from 5-8 PM.

Winnifred Birts, Katara Mallory, Kenneth Williams and Luciano Ascenzi

10 January - 14 February

January 10-Febuary 8: Main Gallery: Kenneth Williams, Katara Mallory and Winnifred Birts. Living Room Gallery: Luciano Ascenzi.
The main gallery will feature three Chicago artists who are part of an art group sponsored by the Nathan and Kiyoko Lerner Foundation, housed in the Thresholds agency for disabled adults on Chicago's South-side. Kenneth Williams, a lifelong resident of Chicago, has a very specific artistic agenda. Using only colorful magic-markers and paint pens with no preparatory drawing, he will look at an existing empty lot (usually on Chicago's South Side) and draw it as he envisions its development. Sometimes the pictures have a newly built and vacant feeling, while other works show all the businesses, restaurants and activity that mark life in the city. Katara Mallory is inspired by his childhood exposure to popular culture. He has drawn every single character from Star Wars, the original Star Trek, Spiderman battling every villain in Marvel comics, and all of the Muppets. The scale and simplicity of his art is a direct hit that resonates with the kid in us all. Winnifred Birts uses markers and paint pens on a variety of surfaces such as paper, vinyl, and canvas board. Her subject matter is generally people and scenes that convey her experience of the contemporary African-American urban culture. Birts’ drawings capture the essence of Chicago neighborhood life.
In the living room gallery we will show the work of Luciano Ascenzi who works with an art program in Florence, Italy called La Tinaia. Ascenzi primarily paints remarkably emotional self-portraits in oil. Many artists will be present at the opening reception Friday January 10, 5-8 PM.

Clyde Angel, Dewey Blocksma, Gene Merritt, and Die Schlumper

16 November - 4 January

November 16-January 4 Main Gallery: Clyde Angel, Dewey Blocksma and Gene Merritt. Living Room Gallery: Art by Die Schlumper artists from Hamburg, Germany.
Living alone in the forests of Iowa, Clyde Angel welds scraps of metal, rusted tailpipes and flattened bottle caps he finds on the side of the highway to create haunting and beautiful works of art. It is believed that Angel struggles with mental illness. Fearful of people, he prefers for people to see him through his art. His work typically features animal and human forms that have an appeal and energy to which everyone can relate. Angel has shown worldwide in museums such as Halle St. Pierre, Paris and the American Visionary Art Museum, Baltimore.
The remarkable constructions of Michigan’s Dewey Blocksma can be traced to his previous career as an emergency room doctor. He began to construct figures as an emotional safety valve from the constant tensions of the life-and-death situations he was encountering. Blocksma assembles diverse objects such as shaving brushes, violins, wooden clogs and old coffee pots to create humorous and inventive sculptures.
Gene Merritt was born in 1936 in South Carolina. As an infant, he suffered permanent brain damage due to pneumonia and currently lives in an adult foster care program. Merritt's drawings are executed with ball-point pen on lined writing paper or drawing paper. His drawings are finely drafted, possessing a cubist-like perspective. They are usually profiles of famous personalities such as Elvis Presley, Bill Clinton or Clint Eastwood. His works have been shown extensively and are in major collections, including the Collection de L’Art Brut, Switzerland.

Die Schlumper is an art workshop in Hamburg, Germany. Our show of Die Schlumper artists runs parallel to exhibitions at the Chicago Cultural Center and presentations at the Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago.
Many artists will be present at the opening reception Friday November 16, 5-8 recognition and celebrity as a painter and sculptor; he had a successful business career overseeing a chain of funeral homes. At the age of 50, after surviving a life-threatening illness, he decided to devote himself to creating art. Completely self-taught, Lamb conveys his strong philosophies and beliefs through his art. Many of his paintings have figurative elements with a recurring cast of characters, while some recent works are abstract. Visually, Lamb’s work is a spectacular play of bold color and unusual texture.
Matt Lamb will be present for the opening reception September 13 from 5 to 8 p.m., and is available for interviews.

Scene In Chicago 2002
6 Local Contemporary Artists
11 October - 9 November

Our annual exhibition of local talent will feature: found object sculptures by self-taught artist David Deleanides; muscleman collage by John Fuller; comical abstract acrylic paintings by Jeanette Nyberg; collage postcard-art by Hugh Musick; expressionistic portraits and still life paintings by Nancy Paschke, and acrylic portraits and landscapes by choreographer turned painter Amy Woodbury.

Artists will be present for the opening reception October 11 from 5 to 8 p.m., and are available for interviews.

*Please note the Scene in Chicago exhibition will open in the living room gallery while Matt Lamb will run concurrently in the Main Gallery.

NEW WORKS BY CONTEMPORARY FOLK ARTIST LARRY BALLARD
and
LANDSCAPES: A GROUP EXHIBITION
MAY 3-JUNE 29

July 5-August 10 Larry Ballard, a contemporary folk artist from Northern Illinois, first discovered his artistic ability in the late 1980s when he began carving replacement parts for a 1920s weather vane he found at a flea market. From there he began to carve decoys and shorebirds, teaching himself through trial and error how to achieve the effects he wanted.
Ballard soon expanded his scope, carving and painting life-sized human figures and animals out of sumac branches and abandoned fence posts. He even adorned some of the humans with real clothing, wigs, and/or jewelry. Some of the figures depict public personalities; others are composites of interesting people he sees on the street. Most of his human sculptures are tall and somewhat gangly forms with attenuated limbs. The animals often have exaggerated facial features and are painted in primary colors that give them a playful quality. Ideas come to Ballard faster than he can implement them. He likes to take on novel challenges and experiment with new materials. Occasionally Ballard produces a two-dimensional painting or a tableau depicting his reactions to current news events.
Concurrently, Landscapes: A Group Exhibition will showcase paintings and drawings that take a refreshing look at our surroundings--from city to countryside. England’s Albert Louden, Italy’s Angela Fidilio and Giorgio Pagnini, Chicago’s Edward Ott, Pam Pauly and Kenneth Williams are included in this rotating exhibition.
Please note the opening reception is July 12 from 5 to 8 p.m., many of the artists will be present and available for interviews.

NEW WORKS BY TWO WORLD RENOWN CONTEMPORARY ARTISTS: MICHEL NEDJAR AND JASON ROHLF
May 3-June 29

French self-taught artist, Michel Nedjar, cited as one of France’s 50 most important artists of the 20th century by the Centres Georges Pompidou, is enjoying an upsurge in popularity among contemporary art collectors.
Born in Wisconsin, New York-based painter Jason Rohlf has devoted his career to exploring and conveying complex, visceral imagery through a striking use of color and texture.

Albert Louden

Kenneth Williams

Nancy Paschke

Self-Taught Surrealist Albert Louden and WIN/WIN:
A Group Show

Albert Louden, called Britain's greatest living Outsider artist, portrays a colorful and surreal inner world of people and landscapes. His artwork has been shown extensively for over 20 years in numerous exhibitions, museums and collections worldwide.WIN/WIN is a group show that highlights the unique expressions of several American artists who have disabilities, including several artists from the Nathan and Kiyoko Lerner Foundation.  Read More.

Show Dates: September 7 through October 27, 2001

Opening: Friday, September 7th from 5 to 8 p.m.

Jaber

Damian Le Bas

Psychedelic Patterns, Humor and Color-
Outsiders Create a Fascinating World of Characters

Damian LeBas of England, Paul Duhem of Belgium, and Jaber of France all portray people in an unusually busy, bright or humorous way. Read More.

Show Dates: July 6 through September 1, 2001

Opening: Friday, July 6th from 5 to 8 p.m.

François Burland

Carlo Zinelli

FAR OUT - Art From Near and Far

All around the world and in Chicago, self-taught artists create raw and unusual works from nontraditional materials. Chicago artist Nancy Josephson uses taxidermy molds and beads to design fantastic figurines; Switzerland's François Burland draws huge tribal-like scenes on the backs of brown shopping bags; and Mr. Imagination/Gregory Wannack, famous for his bottlecap creations, exhibits sandstone sculptures and collage works on paper.

Other international artists whose works will be in FAR OUT include Italy's Carlo Zinelli, Sava Sekulic of the former Yugoslavia, Italy's Marco Raugei, Austria's Johann Hauser and Ohio native Kevin Orth. The Judy A Saslow Gallery is open Tuesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. For more infor, call 312/943-0530.

Show Dates: April 27 through June 30, 2001

Opening: Friday, April 27th from 5 to 8 p.m.

Edmond Engel
Internationally exhibited and collected, Switzerland's Engel creates swirling paintings of people, animals and objects in beautiful color palettes, some bright, others in earth tones. Figures outlined in black or scratched-out white move across the paintings, causing constant movement.

Pierre Silvin
French artist with works of graphite or gouache and colored pencils.

David Deleanides
Chicagoan Deleanides is an exciting new artist who creates fascinating insects and creatures from gears, springs and wires.

Show Dates: March 23 through April 21, 2001

Opening: Friday, March 23rd from 5 to 8 p.m.


press release
Edmond Engel Exhibits Works in Chicago





Christine Sefolosha
Internationally exhibited and collected, artist Sefolosha is known for her mystical paintings of animal and human forms using innovative combinations of tar, oil, gouache and watercolor. Her newest works are ink on billowing Japanese rice paper, creating large-scale portraits she describes as spirits.

Clyde Angel
Rough tin and metal collage sculptures are Angel's trademark. The artist from Iowa collects "souvenirs" he finds on walks and then welds them together into delightful human or animal shapes.

Show Dates: February 16 - March 17, 2001

Opening: Friday, February 16th from 5 - 8 p.m.


press release
Tar and Tin - Versatile Media for Artists Sefolosha and Angel



   

Larry Ballard
Sculpture & Two Dimensional Artworks
A longtime collector of folk art, Ballard found his own artistic voice in the 1980s when he tried carving replacement parts for a 1920s weathervane. Today he creates a world of dynamic, playful characters from a variety of materials including tree branches, fence posts and even plastic milk bottles!

Tom Garcia
Sculpture & Drawings
An alumnus of the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, Tom Garcia's Giacometti-like wooden sculptures were exhibited at the prestigious Gillman Gallery in the 1960s. Despite the onset of Parkinson's disease, Garcia still creates art. His drawings will accompany examples of his prior work. Read More

Pam Pauly
Drawings

Show Dates: January 5 - February 10, 2001

Opening: Friday, January 12th from 5 - 8 p.m.

      

Gary Dobry | Eileen Doman | John Fuller

Musclemen paintings by Fuller blend with the explosive and powerful works of artist/boxer Dobry. A former beautician and telephone operator, Doman transforms photographs of family members, people she sees on the streets and pop culture icons into realistic, often melancholy portraits. She has been featured in The New Yorker magazine and "Eye to Eye" with Connie Chung, and will have a piece in an upcoming Smithsonian exhibition.

Show Dates: November 17 - December 28, 2000

Opening: Friday, November 17th from 5 - 8 p.m.



   

Jason Rohlf: Pilots New Work
Poan Mita: Outsider Art From Japan

Show Dates: September 8 - November 11, 2000

Opening: Friday, September 8th from 5 - 8 p.m.




Scene in Chicago

Show Dates: August 4 - September 2, 2000

Opening: Friday, August 4th from 5 - 8 p.m.

Works by select Chicago artists including self-taught artist Kevin Hall - paintings on windows, Marilyn Propp - bas relief paintings, Pam Pauly - miniatures and an awesome 4 ft. x 7 ft. work by Trent Albert with photographic images of landmark buildings and vistas of Chicago.





Louis Monza
Paintings 1950-1969

Show Dates: June 16 - July 29, 2000

Opening: Friday, June 16th from 5 - 8 p.m.

Intense and vividly colored oil paintings from this Italian-born artist who inspired many contemporary artists in New York in the mid-1900s. Monza was obsessed with political and social issues and used raw imagery and line to created art with a surrealistic quality. Held in conjunction with Luise Ross Gallery of New York. More...

also featuring:
Kevin Orth
June 16 - July 8, 2000
Nancy Paschke
July 11 - 29, 2000
Opening: July 14th from 5-8 p.m.



Far Out 2000

Show Dates: April 28 - June 10, 2000

Opening: Friday, April 28th from 5 - 8 p.m.

This annual show features several outsider artists from all walks of life. Among them are Carlo (Italy), Michel Nedjar (France), Albert Louden (England) and Claudia Garcia (Columbia, South America). Works continually rotate for the duration of the show.