Following are pieces from The Fine Art Collection of The Illinois Institute of Art-Chicago.
Additional works are included in the collection and will be added to the site in the near future.
Paul Adams, "The Grand Mosque, Casablanca, Morocco" archival ink transfer, 28"x32"
Caroline Anderson, "Another Nap in the Back Seat" acrylic mixed media on panel, 24 x 24"
Nancy Bechtol, "Inter-Species" digital imagery
Richard Benoit "Earth Writing" acrylic on wood, 24x24"
Jamie Zatloukal Best, "Morning Splendor" acrylic, 24"x24"
Christine Boos, "Pete's Prodigy" mixed media, 1997, 21"x18"
Image to come
Dianne Corbeau, "Internal Refuge", oil, 40"x30"
My intent in painting life is to convey emotion through a visual metaphor.
I believe that one transposes oneself through feeling the core of intense emotion. Painting the nude is a very complicated and intense act. For me it is filled with moments of give and take through connection and alienation. I look to certain Masters before me, not to copy, but for inspiration and character throughout their lifetime.
In the current times we live in it is not as accepting of the human figure as something beautiful but more so as something feared. My purpose is to bring forth beauty as well as reality of life itself. I am working with deep personal conviction to go beyond just technical elements to a place of timelessness and universality. I paint to reach these moments of profound truth. Painting is not an end in itself but a means of trying to reach a fundamental Human Truth.
Frances Cox, "Black Apricot Tree", oil, 34 x 40"
Claudia Craemer, "The Path was Chosen for You" oil, 40x40"
Janet Doroba, "Family Circles" oil, 28"x22"
Stan Edwards, "Untitled" [3] acrylic on paper, 2002, 13"x7"
Images to come
Sheila Ganch, "Intervening Faces" dyed and sealed lead on carved styrophome, 70"x60"
Gary Gordon, Donated to the Collection
Charles Gniech
"Abundance" acrylic on canvas, 1997, 36"x60" [left]
"Carnac Alignment" acrylic on canvas, 1996, 48"x60" [right]
Donated to the Collection
Tom Graham, "Ravello" pastel, 2007, 13.3"x20.5"
Sarah Hadley, "Loss" photograph, 13" x 19"
David Hannon, "Summer Drought" oil on canvas, 48"x70"
My paintings are about the modern world. I am inspired to paint the landscapes we inhabit, create, maintain, and overlook every day. However, I do not want to only imitate this world but to alter it to fulfill my desire to tell meaningful stories and bring to light different serious human and social circumstances in our lives.
I identify my paintings as part of the narrative realist tradition. My direction in painting is derived from personal memories of places and events, the desire to build a theatrical sense of space, and knowledge of historical and contemporary narrative painters. These inspirations help me to discover new ways to tell stories, use different compositional devises, and insert meaning into my work. As a result, the world created inside each of my paintings should be a unique experience that might not always comply with the rules of the real world.
Each painting is created through the careful layering of sources including invention, observation, and reference drawings and photographs. During this process the content, theme, and psychological aspects of the image are in a state of flux. I instinctively combine all these elements into each painting to focus and define the theme and improve the image. During this lengthy transformation period each work becomes imbedded with personal nuances, symbolism, and only in a finished state do the characters’ actions and the overall narrative become fully realized.
In the early stages of the painting Summer Drought I became interested in the exposed surface of a lake bed as a setting; an area that would normally be under water and not typically thought of as beautiful. This exposed landscape metaphor became important to the development of the overall significance of this painting. The main narrative in Summer Drought is centered on the idea of being exposed by natural forces such as drought and how people deal with environmental change through the spaces they inhabit. The main character has been stripped of every modern convince left only with the ability to create fire, but he is enjoying nature. In the cliff house above the unseen people are locked away in the safety of a completely artificial world probably annoyed at the lack of water in the lake. I wanted the lower lakebed area to be dominated by the spaces above. The steep banks of the lake allow the modern cliff house with metal poles to contrast against the exposed wooden dock, which hints at a simple theme of old versus new. In these new times of economic downturn I wonder if we as a society can once again experience the world in a purely natural way without the use of high definition television.
From mystery to beauty each painting is a way for me to ask questions and find answers, and in the end make apparent some internal and external conflicts present in our world.
Andrea Harris, "Autumn Mosaic" oil and bees wax on canvas, 54"x54"
My life has been inspired by the strength of nature. As a child, I played outdoors– explored and built forts in the woods. Every possible waking hour was spent outside. I never walked– I ran and bicycled everywhere. Endless hours were spent hiking with my father in the forests of upper Pennsylvania.
As an adult, my time has been spent in the northern forests of New Mexico and the forests of Colorado, Illinois and Michigan. My paintings capture mental snapshots of those memories, and the boldness of each brushstroke is my connection to strength. Nature has left a thumbprint on my soul, and I pass that moment in time to the viewer.
Jennifer Jackson
"Window Shade: New Orleans", color photograph, 2008, 20"x20" [left]
"Fuller Lane" Archival Print from Film, edition of 125, 16"x20" 2010 [right]
Michael Jankowski
"Letting Go", charcoal on paper, 1997, 25.25"x19.25" [left]
"Untitled: He's Number 8", charcoal on paper, 2000, 24"x18" [right]
Suzanne Keith Loechl "111 S. Michigan" oil on panel, 18"x24"
Joe Killiea
"Watercolor 2" color photograph, 16"x24" [left]
"Door" color photograph, 16"x24" [right]
Yelena Klairmont, "Untitled" oil, 18"x24"
Young Suk James Kim, "Expulsion" oil, 56" x 66"
Paula Kloczkowski Luberda
"From the Top Looking Down" mixed media on wood, 48"x48" [left]
"Inner Recesses" mixed media, 1994, 24"x48" [right]
Roberta Kozuch "Red Organization" - 2-panels, mixed media, 36 x 24 each
Donated to the Collection
Aviva Kramer, "Soul Whirling" oil on canvas, 1999, 36"x52"
Donated to the Collection
Roland Kulla
"Field II" acrylic on canvas, 1997, 46"x60" [left]
"Lakeview IV" acrylic on canvas, 1997, 48"x62" [center]
"Tallview West" oil on canvas, 2005, 24"x50"[right]
"Kinzie" lithograph, 20"x20" [second row]
Diane Kunzler, "Blue Leaf on Stream" oil on canvas, 24"x24"
Richard Laurent, "Dream of Swimming" oil on canvas, 2008, 24"x24"
Technically, I strive for a luminous surface which translates to a combination of visible brush strokes and layered color. This layering is accomplished in the manner of the Classical painters. Thin transparent glazes of color are applied with brushed-on pigment in order to achieve a rich textural quality. In this way, the chemically stable colors of the underpainting are glazed into a surface having more vibrant color.
The oil painting process dates back over five centuries, and this rich history of painting provides the technical grounding for my work. My painting is informed by the work of many artists, including Van Eyck, Courbet, Chardin, Sir Anthony van Dyck, Sargent, and even Balthus. The idea of direct painting, characterized by a visible brush stroke (a tactile surface shaped by the artist?s hand), is as relevant for me as it is for many abstract painters. However, I strive for a balance between draftsmanship and expression.
Sara Larson, "Concorlin II" acrylic, 50"x50"
Carol Luc, "Sonsisa Del Sol" oil on canvas, 20 x 24"
Maggie Meiners
"Flow" Silver Gelatin Print, 2004, 15"x15" [left]
"Slick" digital c-print, 2008, 40"x40"[right]
Julia DelNagro Oehmke, "Back View" oil, 24"x18"
Deb Paulson, "Steel" photograph, 20"x24"
Joyce Polance, "Time" oil, 48"x60"
Using my friends, family and myself as the subjects, I explore intimate themes with my art. My canvases are large - often seven feet tall, and the figures are usually nude. My current series of paintings is about women's personal transformations and healing. I depict subjects who are in various states of emergence from patterns that have had a negative impact on their lives. My intent is to convey them breaking out of limitations and embracing awareness, strength and freedom. In the most recent pieces, I also explore the complexities that ensue as women engage in relationships that speak to both their biological and (newly) created families. By exploring a range of dynamics - sexual tension, jealousy, sadness, anger, and tenderness - my art suggests that even in a transformed world, life is messy. Both the large size of the women and the thick, layered application of paint are meant to create an arresting visual presence echoing the internal strength of the figures. I paint the women naked to suggest their willingness to change and be vulnerable, while simultaneously embracing their sexuality and bodies. The women take ownership of both their femininity and their power. My objective is to challenge the viewers to question their own assumptions about strength and beauty.
Mary Porterfield, "In the Valley of Me" pastel on paper, 2006, 39"x31"
Ted Preuss
"Ariadne" Platinum/Palladium on Cotton Paper, 7 x 9" framed 16 x 20" [left]
"Virtue" Silver Gelatin Print, edition of 10, 20"x14", 2006 [center]
"Acadia" Silver Gelatin Print, edition of 10, 15"x20", 2009 [right]
Art and photography have always played a large part in my life. The subject matter in which I photograph is not unique. It is what captures my mind's eye and imagination. Through my lens I seek to capture the elegance and grace of the female spirit, yet secretly wishing to leave traces of their identity forever. My images are studies in light and form, which blend formal and sensual qualities, radiating the individuality of my subjects through their emotion-laced gestures.
I use traditional techniques, including a large format view camera with century old lenses. The process of making prints is as important to me as the practice of creating photographs. I chose platinum-palladium as a medium for its distinct vintage quality and archival properties. Platinum images reveal shadows and dark values beautifully.
Lorraine Sack
"Sea Captain" oil on linen, 18"x24" [left]
"Impressions" oil on linen, 25"x21" [center]
"Blue Bird of Happiness" oil on linen, 16"x12 [right]
not shown: "Black Bird Singing in the Dead of Night" oil on linen, 15x30
I am a painter because I can't imagine otherwise.
The process of designing and painting the figure or still life is what makes me eager to work in the studio everyday. I work only with natural light and from life, no photographs, allowing me to capture the subtle shifts of light and subject. For me the process and the physical space is almost intoxicating.
I developed a method of painting in oils on linen without turpentine or mediums. The result I find is a much more pure and vibrant painting. I apply the paint in layers weaving together colors and values, using line and shape as visual guides through the work.
Jacalin Subrinsky "Change When" acrylic/mixed, 2001, 5"x5", set of 4
Donated to the Collection
Jill Sutton, "Green Line" oil, 42"x42"
Vlasta Smola, "Persian Fashion" Acrylic on Canvas, 30 x 40"
Gifted by the school to the collection of Jan Bryant
Tom Torluemke, "Love At Sea", 2008, oil on canvas 40" x 30"
Purchased from Torluemke's 2011 exhibition at Gallery 180 of The Illinois Institute of Art-Chicago. The exhibition—titled "Precious and Few"—ran from July 26 through August 31.
"My works are motivated or inspired by the desire to combine ideas, thoughts, emotions and feelings for the creation of a painting so that those thoughts and emotions, etc. are turned expressively into a material form. Life's complicated. Its range is vast. I don't understand it, I only sense there's some rhythm to it. Much of which is near invisible, or at least I can't describe it with words. So I choose to use images, color and shapes to come as close as I can to the mystery of life. Once I think I'm close to it, it's like it was a mirage, I rub my eyes to see if it's real and it's gone again."
RK Williams, "Fog and Light" platinum-palladium print, 4"x5"