December 28, 2017 By

NCCA-Artsplace Exhibit: Painting of Madelon Gorsky February 1 through 26

Madelon Gorsky – February 1 through 26

Public Reception February 24, 12:00 – 2:00 p.m.
Jansma Gallery at NCCA-Artsplace,
13 E. Main St., Fremont.

Born in Ohio, Madelon was raised and spent her adult years moving around the Midwest, Northeast and the South; from Chicago, St.Louis, Portland Maine, Indianapolis and cities in between. She now resides in Newaygo County. Many educational opportunities plus a successful career in retail visual merchandising designing and creating displays gave her the foundation and opportunity to learn the basics of composition, color, textures, movement, and light. Madelon now has focused her creative energy with colorful acrylic paint with a hint of mixed media on canvas. This modernist is willing in her compositions to bend, reshape and even distort her subjects in an on going effort to create depth and perspective without sacrificing the purity and brightness of her colors. Her goal is to always bring a smile and a little thought to the viewer. Madelon’s work has been viewed in galleries and seasoned shows and in many private and corporate collections from coast to coast throughout the United States and Canada.

“I have a passion for all forms of art. I enjoy bringing ease and comfort to my surroundings. I have been a people watcher as long as I can remember. Everyday people of all shapes and sizes inspire me, from the curves of the figure to the expressive eyes and lips of the face. My work expresses my fascination of people not controversy, chaos or hidden meaning. I try to generate something positive with my work and leave the negatives behind. For me it’s simply about putting the paint on the canvas, I enjoy doing just that. I then share it and try to bring a little joy in this complicated uncertain world,” states Gorsky.

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August 28, 2017 By

NCCA-Artsplace Exhibit: Brenda Beerhorst – Order and Chaos

October 18 through November 11
Brenda Beerhorst – Order and Chaos
Reception October 26, 5:30-7:00 p.m.

Jansma Gallery at NCCA-Artsplace, 13 E. Main St., Fremont. 231-924-4022.

“Over several years Brenda Beerhorst has developed an intuitive process of creating free form shapes in overlapping colorful layers of acrylic, gouache, and ink on wooden panels. With each successive layer, shapes and color blocks are created, rearranged or even covered completely. Between layers, delicate and timeworn textures are made through reductive sanding. She works on multiple panels simultaneously, though the colors and patterns can vary significantly from one piece to the next as the works take on distinct personalities.” -Michael DeMaagd Rodriguez

As the wife of well-known Grand Rapids painter, Rick Beerhorst, and the mother of six artist children, Brenda has long been a familiar fixture in the West Michigan arts community. Raising a household of eight is no light task, and when her family was younger it was understandably difficult to find time and space to cultivate a consistent studio practice.

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June 23, 2017 By

NCCA-Artsplace Exhibit: A Frugal Fugue Lisa Medendorp and Amy Wilkinson

August 2 through September 2
A Frugal Fugue
Lisa Medendorp and Amy Wilkinson
Reception August 17, 5:30-7:00 p.m.
Jansma Gallery at NCCA-Artsplace,
13 E. Main St., Fremont, 231-924-4022.

Last Garden Dress by Amy Wilkinson

An energetic synergy is released when Lisa Medendorp’s abstract paintings and the surrealistic sculptures of Amy Wilkinson get together. The dancing, twisting painted forms on canvas create a fitting surround to the restrained tension held in sculptural suspension.

Sentinel by Lisa Medendorp

The totemic, somewhat figurative forms in Medendorp’s paintings evoke mythological styles, The Lake Marcher’s series can be interpreted as being mythological defenders of the environment who march across Lake Michigan with the ever changing weather fronts.

Wilkinson utilizes wrapped wire and other fibers to create an eclectic weaving of reclaimed materials. Her themes involve strength, beauty, and perseverance lightly veiled in nostalgia, and encourage frugality when considering our resource allocations.

The two artists share a respect for the environment that is evident by the re-purposing of discarded materials in Wilkinson’s rustic assemblages that are in harmony with the themes that underlie Medendorp’s paintings. The use of interwoven shapes and materials in the works by both artists echo the interconnected web of nature.

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June 27, 2016 By

Dogwood Gallery Exhibit: Shanny Brooke and Jesse Jason

Shanny Brooke and Jesse Jason
Abstract Paintings
Dogwood Center Lobby Gallery
August 2 through October 1
Lobby Gallery at Dogwood Center for
Performing Arts, 4734 South Campus Ct.,
Fremont, 231-924-8885.

About Shanny Brooke: I began painting out of necessity. Starting late in life, and as a way to cope with the loss of a relationship and a business, painting served as my creative outlet and my life vest. Being a self-taught artist, I have been free to explore all types of mediums, styles and painting implements on my own. Over the years I have felt my work push towards the realm of abstract expressionism. I find it deeply satisfying to express an emotion or a point of view in a less literal way, inviting the viewer to create their own intention behind a particular painting.
Currently I paint primarily using oils, mixed with unconventional mediums, and utilize pallet knives or household implements, such as spatulas or spoons. I work on each piece to create something that looks weathered, has something floating beneath the surface or coming up out of the depths. I enjoy what can be seen between the cracks and layers. I find myself exploring what is often not said with words, and translate this into a painting. I enjoy finding what people try to keep hidden, and try to convey this with my paintings. Just like when I first began painting to serve as a way to release my emotions, the same is true today. Whether it’s a deeper feeling regarding helplessness in this world, or something which is just trivial but is weighing on me, it always gets worked out on the canvas.

About Jesse Jason: Growing up in Northern Michigan, I often spent the endless days of my childhood exploring
the vast varieties of textures, sights, and sounds found within the woods and lakes just beyond my backyard.
There was a great sense of freedom and adventure in those early journeys, and it’s that youthful curiosity that
I try to retain in painting. The infinite combinations of color and form, whether imagined or living in the flesh
will always await our curiosity. It is only our internal desire to explore that fluctuates. It is our self-constructed
ideologies and illusions of stability and logic that keep us from reaching beyond the tame scope of routine. Keeping this in mind, I attempt to start each painting with a clean slate. I may have a sketch or a vague idea as a starting point, but
it is essential that the painting resides apart from any history. The life force of the painting must come from within the work itself. It is only then that the work is able to cut through its surroundings and speak as its own entity.

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