The Art of Human Rights - Save the Date

On February 25, 2011 the Junior Board of Heartland Alliance, will host "The Art of Human Rights" (formerly Art Against AIDS), at the Gruen Galleries, located in the heart of Chicago's River North gallery district at 226 West Superior. The event will feature live and silent fine art auctions. This after-work cocktail party boasts a variety of mediums by artists from all over the country. Above is the piece I donated this year. It is a mixed media piece titled "Monument 2" from 1992. It measures 5.5 inches square and is framed roughly 16 x 22.

Proceeds from the event will help Heartland Alliance provide housing, healthcare, economic security, and legal protections services to more than 200,000 people whose lives are threatened by poverty and danger, including those living with HIV/AIDS.

You can find more information on the event at: heartlandalliance.org
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Zia Gallery February 4 - March 19

Earlier, this fall, I was asked to join the Zia Gallery in Winnetka. The gallery—located at 548 Chestnut—is managed by Anne Hughes. Last week, Hughes organized a photo-shoot with local press for our upcoming three-person exhibition with the working titled, "Meditative Reflection" or simply, "Reflection". A segment from the press release follows.

From February 4 - March 19, 2011, ZIA Gallery will be featuring a three-person exhibition of works by Charles Gniech, Deanna Krueger, and Maggie Meiners. Each artist employs a different process and medium to develop bodies of work which involve reflection. Meiners' photographs depict direct, symbolic constructs of self, while Gniech uses both the process of painting and his abstracted interpretations of previously human-interpreted natural forms to evoke meditation. Deanna Krueger combines a high-tech, medical diagnostic film with a hands-on, seemingly crude manipulation of materials to arrive at a sophisticated, shimmering reconstruction.

Opening Reception: Friday, February 4, 5-7:30pm.

ZIA Gallery is located at 548 Chestnut Street in Winnetka, Illinois. Additional information regarding this and other upcoming exhibitions can be found at: ziagallery.net The gallery is open Monday through Saturday from 10-5.

"Ripple..." comes to a close

A few weeks back, I was contacted by Philip Hartigan, artist and faculty member at Columbia College in Chicago. Hartigan—born in the UK and now living in Chicago—asked me if I would consider meeting to conduct an interview related to my work and the three-person exhibition currently on view at The Art Center in Highland Park. Well... the interview was posted this morning on Hartigan's blog and it's worth a read.

As a reminder, "Ripple ~ Cause and Effect" at The Art Center in Highland Park will close on July 22nd. The exhibition—and the exhibition space— is wonderful. The three-person show includes sculpture by Paula Kloczkowski Luberda, and paintings by Yelena Klairmont and myself. The work flows together seamlessly. If you're in the area, take a quick trip to the Center... it will be worth the visit.

Opening Reception: Friday, July 2nd ...6:30-9pm

I spent most of the day—yesterday—transporting my pieces and installing the "Ripple~cause and effect" exhibition, which opens this Friday evening at The Art Center in Highland Park. The exhibition combines the work of Paula Kloczkowski Luberda, Yelena Klairmont and myself, to present a seamless presentation of the calm and chaos of nature. The work ranges from abstract to literal with both painting and sculpture. The Art Center is an amazing venue for this beautiful and thought provoking exhibition.

The Art Center in Highland Park is located at 1957 Sheridan Road. For additional information, contact The Art Center at 847.432.1888. I hope that you have an opportunity to experience this amazing collection of work.

The Art Center - Highland Park, Illinois

Some twenty years ago—after I graduated from school—I was trying to find ways of feeding myself as well as feeding my soul. I was working as a print designer yet wanted to continue painting and teaching. I ended up working a number of part time teaching positions, including one for The Suburban Fine Art Center in Highland Park. Well, over the years, the Center constructed a new space a few block from the original space, and they shortened their name to "The Art Center".

Earlier this week, I took a drive up to Highland Park. I hadn't been there in years. I wanted to check out the new space, since I—along with Paula Kloczkowski Luberda and Yelena Klairmont—have landed a show in the center's amazing main gallery. The three person show is titled "Ripple – cause and effect". It's a powerfully inspirational exhibition of painting and sculpture, presenting imagery focused of the meditative surface patterns found within nature. The works of Yelena Klairmont, Paula Kloczkowski Luberda, and myself have been compiled to create this peacefully, compelling exhibition.

The oil paintings of Yelena Klairmont are the most literal of the group. Klairmont captures the result of a compromised pool of water—portraying the ripple effect as a beautiful thought-provoking moment in time.

Paula Kloczkowski Luberda creates powerful stoneware rock forms with intriguing surface features. The wonderfully glaze-washed forms are manipulated and organized to create intriguing compositions in space.

Influenced—for more then a decade—by the hundreds of the pre-historic stone circles throughout Great Britain, my work uses the surface patterns of the Megaliths to create meditative imagery on which to ponder.

“Ripple – cause and effect” will be presented at The Art Center of Highland Park from July 2 through the 23th. An Opening Reception will be held on July 2 beginning at 6:30pm. The Art Center in Highland Park is located at 1957 Sheridan Road. For additional information, contact The Art Center at: 847.432.1888 or check the web site at: www.theartcenterhp.org

Ripple – Cause and Effect

Save the date for "Ripple: Cause and Effect" ...Friday, July 2nd 6:30-9pm

This is a powerfully inspirational exhibition of painting and sculpture, presenting imagery focused of the meditative surface patterns found within nature. The works of Yelena Klairmont, Paula Kloczkowski Luberda, and and myself have been compiled to create this peacefully, compelling exhibition.

The oil paintings of Yelena Klairmont are the most literal of the group. Klairmont captures the result of a compromised pool of water—portraying the ripple effect as a beautiful thought-provoking moment in time.

Paula Kloczkowski Luberda creates powerful stoneware rock forms with intriguing surface features. The wonderfully glaze-washed forms are manipulated and organized to create intriguing compositions in space.

Influenced—for more then a decade—by the hundreds of the pre-historic stone circles throughout Great Britain, my work uses the surface patterns of the Megaliths to create meditative imagery on which to ponder.

“Ripple – cause and effect” will be presented at The Art Center of Highland Park from July 2 through the 22nd. An Opening Reception will be held on July 2 beginning at 6:30pm. The Art Center in Highland Park is located at 1957 Sheridan Road and is open Monday through Thursday from 9-4:30, Friday 9-3 and Saturday 9-4:30. For additional information, contact the center at 847.432.1888.

Image: Charles Gniech "Quiet Wisdom" 40 x 40"

Textural Monument

Yesterday, I took a short trip down to St. John, Indiana to drop off a few paintings at the Steeple Gallery. The gallery began handling my work a couple of years ago. It’s a hidden gem… the four thousand square foot space is devoted specifically to original fine art and prints.

A few months back, the owner of the Steeple Gallery stopped by my studio to select some pieces. During that visit, she noticed a painting, which was the genesis of my current work. It was a piece that I never had intended to show or sell… but a number of people—who have visited my studio—have expressed interest. Well, in a recent telephone conversation, Sam asked if it was available and if I were willing to part with it. I agreed.


If you are in the area, check out the Steeple Gallery located at: 11107 Thiel Street, St. John, Indiana 46373 or contact Sam at: 219.365.1014

Above: “Textural Monument”, acrylic on canvas, 36 x 36”, $2,000

The Cape

In the late eighties, I was working on a series of paintings that were truly abstract portraits. They were inspired by the people in my life at that time. I had just begun Graduate School and was sharing an off-campus apartment with an actor. I got to know many of the people working in the theater department and was invited to attend numerous events and performances. One of the performances was a show that included a spanish-influenced dance with a cape. It clearly made some sort of impression on me for the image ended up as a lithographic print as well as a canvas. The subject of the painting ended up with a very public career in the Chicago news media.

Additional work from this series—and more recent works—can be found at gniech.com

Above: "The Cape", oil on canvas, 72 x 50", 1989

Bitch...

Last week, I was contacted by one of my dealers who happens to be interested in pieces which I created during the late 1980's. She was looking for some new works—similar to pieces already in her possession. This request pushed me to explore the layers of paintings leaning against the walls of my studio. I spent hours going through the inventory of work, finding that I have kept many pieces, which reflect the various periods of my creative life. It's intriguing to look back at the progression of work. And it's funny that pulling them out of storage should have such an intense emotional affect. Revisiting them is like seeing old friends that you haven't seen in awhile.

The Image above—titled "Bitch"—is from a body of work called "Uniforms". This series was a symbolic exploration of abstract portraiture. As mentioned in earlier posts... the Uniform series explores the idea that we are constantly trying to evoke the illusion that our insecurities are non-existent. We create protective barriers—or uniforms—to deter invaders from the space within ourselves. The images use structural abstraction to symbolize these uniforms, which are observed in the attitudes, personalities and relationships people develop as a source of protection. Additional work from this series can be found at gniech.com.

Above: "Bitch" Oil on Canvas, 72" x 50" 1989

Save the Date... Friday, February 19

The Art of Human Rights
Benefiting Heartland Alliance
Friday, February 19th at the River East Art Center in Chicago

I've been working with Heartland Alliance—for the past few years—on their annual "Art Against AIDS" benefit—now "The Art of Human Rights". I act as one of the jurors for the live auction, donate one of my pieces in support of Heartland's efforts, and host the Preview Exhibition at Gallery 180 of The Illinois Institute of Art-Chicago. The 180 show is a small selection of the works donated to the event by some very generous Fine Artists from around the country.

This year, I have donated a copy of "Attorney" [shown above], a two-color hand pulled lithograph that I created in the late 80's. It is one of an edition of fifteen, each valued at $550. From the abstract series titled "Uniforms", the work explores the idea that we are constantly trying to evoke the illusion that our insecurities are non-existent. We create protective barriers—or uniforms—to deter invaders from the space within ourselves. The images use structural abstraction to symbolize these uniforms, which are observed in the attitudes, personalities and relationships people develop as a source of protection. Additional work from this series can be found at gniech.com.

I hope you will join me at the Heartland event. All proceeds from the purchase of work at "The Art of Human Rights" event will go directly to Heartland Alliance to fund their HIV/AIDS programs and services, which include: primary care, referrals, assistance with transportation and lab costs, housing, alternative therapies such as chiropractic treatment and massage therapy, HIV prevention education, and oral health care. "The Art of Human Rights" benefit will take place on February 19th at the River East Art Center in Chicago. Additional information on the event can be found at: artofhumanrights.com.

Image: Charles Gniech, Attorney, hand-pulled, two-color lithograph, 1989, ed of 15, 12x17 framed to 18x24