Beverly Adams’ acrylic piece “Coneflowers with Globe Thistles” is on display in the current invitational gallery at ArtVentures Center for the Visual Arts, 107 E. Superior St., in Alma. Sun Photograph by ASHLEY MILLER
It’s been a busy New Year so far for central Michigan’s newest art gallery –and it’s going to get busier in coming months.Guests are enjoying the variety of mediums on display at Artventures Wassenaar Art Gallery’s debut juried exhibit, “Ventures in Art,” that opened earlier this month at the new gallery in downtown Alma. The positive reception by visitors to Artventures’ first juried show bodes well for the future of the artsy adventure, which is a collaborative effort of the Creative Arts Guild of Mid Michigan, Pine River Arts Council, Alma College and area public schools.“We have been very, very pleased by the number of people who have visited the gallery and their response to this particular exhibit – it’s fantastic,” says Sandy Lopez-Isnardi, director of the Wassenaar Gallery at Artventures who is also an art faculty member at Alma College.The imagery in “Ventures in Art” includes classic portraits and landscapes as well as some non-traditional and whimsical imagery. The variety of work, techniques, media, and styles is impressive yet still exhibits as a cohesive whole, Lopez-Isnardi says.“The work flows well in this exhibit, which is always a challenge to install with such a variety of techniques and imagery.”The exhibit includes 49 works ranging from paintings created with watercolor, oil and acrylic; drawings created with charcoal, pastels and ink; intaglio prints; traditional and multiple image photography; mixed media; ceramics – and an interesting technique, purography.“Purography – writing with fire – is a process that involves the transfer of a photographic image onto wood via fire burning,” Lopez-Isnardi says about the pieces exhibited by Steven Hawkes of Elwell.Works on display include work by artists from Gratiot, Isabella and Montcalm counties who are also well known for their talents in specific media. The artwork includes acrylics and watercolors by Carole Howard of Mt. Pleasant; acrylics by Bev Adams of Crystal; oils by LaVerne Adamson of Vestaburg; watercolors and mixed media by Sue Jastifer of Stanton; and photography by Sydney Buitweg of Alma.Other artists whose work was selected for “Ventures in Art” are Barbara Lang, Luverne Adamson, Deb Rutkowski, Diane Clise, Tami Maisel, Josh Gove, Sydney Buiteweg, Laurie Lehman, Lyle Vore, Hannah Rutledge, Julie Helm, Kathy Wilk, Diane Zakala, Julie Anderson, Robert Penner and Cynthia Judge.“Some of the artists create art as a hobby; some are Alma College art students; and others are professional artists who earn their livelihood by creating art,” the gallery director says. Continued…
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