2023 Shows
Aubrey Thompke-Damron, John Walton, Maureen Reed & Vee Kalnins
Marshall Style
August 9 - September 9
Artists’ Reception: September 7, 5:30-7:30pm
Marshall Style features the work of local artists featuring sculpture, watercolor, acrylics, and pencil. Each of the four artists have varying styles and perspectives and showcase the talented artists that reside in Eastend's hometown. Join us through September 9 and enjoy what is 'Marshall Style'.
Prism of Life
Meagan Wildt & Michelle Miller
June 22 - August 2, 2023
Donald W. VanAuken
From (Down) East to (Mid) West
April 4 - May 13, 2023
Professor Don VanAuken graduated from Kendall College of Art and Design with a B.F.A. in Illustration in 1997, he later received his M.F.A. in painting from The Ohio University in 2007. He has worked in secondary public arts education, in the museum field and as an instructor of art with Kellogg Community College, Kalamazoo Community College and most recently at Olivet College beginning in 2015 to the present. He has exhibited in regional, national, and international exhibitions. His work is included in more than 45 public and private collections.
VanAuken’s work focuses on location and his surrounding environment which has played a crucial role in his creative process. The use of visual references of local wild life and fauna within this setting are allegorical, used as a means to explore situations, quandaries, and everyday experiences, contributing to the larger narrative that is constantly evolving in his prints and paintings.
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Location and my surrounding environment have always played a crucial role in my creative process. The Field Notes and sketches that I create are from the onsite investigations of my surroundings are an essential component of my larger studies that comprise these works. Be it in our own small, wooded property here in Marshall, or on a longer trip such as when I had the opportunity to travel to Harrington, Maine for a two- week artist residency with the Golden Apple Artist Residency Program in July 0f 2021.
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Some of these works are of the local environment and some are a reflection of a new space. Being from the Midwest, my reaction to a new environment such as Down East Maine introduced my process to a vastly different landscape and aided in the development of this body of work. Through these paintings and prints, I continue to explore this concept of “location” used to explore situations, quandaries, and everyday experiences, contributing to the larger narrative that is constantly evolving in my artwork.
Mari Pruks
A Surrealist Lens
January 31 - March 31, 2023
Past Shows
Home for the Holidays
The new works gallery was converted into a cozy home for the holidays. Featuring winter or holiday themed items by our regular artists as well as gift ideas for shoppers.
Color Journey, a lifetime of learning
Impression/Abstraction
This two-person exhibition includes Jeff Bohl’s sculptural work and Coco Sweezy’s mixed media paintings. Impression / Abstraction juxtaposes two artists approaches to rendering life in their own unique styles.Jeff Bohl completely abstracts the human form and the result is a Picasso-esque interpretation with enlarged facial elements and skewed body parts. Coco Sweezy works from life. Her work parallels that of the impressionists. Her subject matter includes birds, fruit, and a variety of domestic settings with impressionistic qualities.
Linda Thompson: Hello Sunshine
Linda Thompson is an artist from Battle Creek who specializes in oil paintings. Her style is reminiscent of post-impressionism, especially Van Gogh, with a dash of Matisse. Linda is primarily known for her vibrant still life compositions with fruit, flowers, and other traditional objects. This body of work, however, is inspired by her time in Naples, Florida, where she spends most of the winter months. Hello Sunshine depicts the serenity of Florida’s coastline. Bold colors appear in umbrellas and the multitude of hues that border the shoreline. Linda juxtaposes rigid, colorful shapes with soft forms in one complete composition.
Salina Kalnins: Prudent Mariner
Salina Kalnins uses nautical charts as the base for her landscapes and seascapes. The map shows through the painting like it’s been superimposed with software. Salina strives to allow the viewer to find familiarity and connection by showing specific locations in her paintings, both in the nautical chart and in the scene itself. Her focus is conveying a sense of peace and tranquility. It’s okay to sit, relax, and do nothing but stare out over the water.
Prudent Mariner is titled after a saying in the nautical world that states, “The prudent mariner will not rely solely on any single aid to navigation”. In other words, you may know your destination, but getting there takes a whole lot more than just a map.
Rich Bayes: Mostley Michigan
Mostly Michigan is aptly named, as the majority of Rich’s work capture Michigan scenes and subject matter. The show is composed of lakeshore, barns, and landscapes that depict the seasonal diversity experienced in the Midwest. Rich excels at capturing the light in teh moment. Light is a crucial feature of art. We use it to create focal points and draw attention. While you view Rich’s paintings, pay close attention to what is “lit up” within the composition. Look for the objects or areas that have been given more detail. Even though light is used to emphasize, Rich enjoys the challenge of working with dreary Michigan weather. Some days there is no light to help an artist highlight a social point. In this case, Rich must give extra care to a painting, creating focal points with texture and detail rather than utilizing natural light. It’s an act of love and a total embrace of the Midwest, the place Rich Bayes calls home.
Joan Larson:The Color of Winter
Joan Larsen’s solo exhibition, housed in the New Works Gallery, includes a collection of colorful and floral work. The exhibition's title, The Color of Winter, references the bold colors in Larsen’s work that she looks to for inspiration during dreary months of Michigan’s winter that would normally affect her mood and motivation for the worse. Larsen creates monotype prints. Each print is first applied onto a piece of plexiglass using a brush. Any painting medium can be used in this process. Once a composition has been applied to the glass, heavy paper is pressed into the design, resulting in an original monotype. Join us for a reception for our current exhibitions on January 20th, 5-7pm. Refreshments will be provided by the gallery.