Exhibit: Conklin, Oh, and Paulsen

Andrew Conklin, Square Still Life Green (Ikea Pitcher), 2009

Helen and Andrew, one of the Academy's most remarkable couples ever, are mostly about the joy of seeing the real world - an enthusiasm not very fashionable since 17th Century Holland.

Andrew is also about a peculiar sense of color.  I would call it ultra-Yin - right there at the edge of  becoming too sweet and annoying.

 

Square Still Life Red (With Dogtown Skateboard), 2013

Way too much RED in this painting.  I love it.

Helen Oh

Helen brought  several of her small still-lifes -- all of which  featured a strong color in the background.

In the age-old battle between delicious,  significant detail and overall design, both Helen and Andrew are a little too fond of detail.

But not by much.

A rather spectacular figurative drawing.  Does it portray the same person - as both a performer and as a woman?

 

(detail)

Helen's large acrylic still-lifes were quite interesting - though not satisfying except close up.

Larry Paulsen

 

When I first saw this image reduced down to fit on the exhibition postcard, I was sure it was a painting by Andy Conklin.  I had never seen Larry paint like this.  And he doesn't. This is a photograph he has printed.

I don't go to exhibits of photography.

Like the Palette and Chisel Academy, my interests center around how the figure can be drawn, painted, or sculpted.

But, to my naïve eye, these are remarkably good photographs - that do indeed feel like good paintings until you move up close.

If the Palette and Chisel had 10,000 extra square feet of gallery space, I'd love to have it dedicated to beautiful portraits like this -- documentary photographs of all the hard working people who have modeled for us over the centuries.

Exhibit: Sculpture and Drawing 2016

Andrew Conklin  

There's much more drawing than sculpture in this iteration of the Sculpture/Drawing show.

Above is Andy's  tribute to "Torrit Grey" -- the pigment made annually from the dust collected at a paint factory.

It's wonderfully weird -- like a costume in one of my favorite films "Black Orpheus"

 James Burrell

A fine companion piece for the armed cowboy drawn by a Palette and Chisel member a hundred years ago.

 James  Eastwood

This is the remarkable Palette and Chisel debut of the tattoo artist voted "Best in Chicago" by the Chicago Reader this year.

It reminds me of 19th C. Japanese prints.

Margaret Small

Another tribute to the beloved Mary Qian

 

Rich Morrow

Rich has refurbished his humorous tableau created in honor of the 1994 Palette and Chisel elections.

Remember back when we actually had elections with more than one candidate for each position?

Remember back when we actually had membership meetings where people debated the choices facing the institution?

Politics, at any level,  makes people act funny and say outrageous things.

It's annoying and time consuming.

But it's also the consequence of people actually trying to accomplish things.

After the intensely disputed 1994 election, the Academy remodeled the basement, creating a new public studio space and restroom.   On the second floor, a private studio was converted to that public studio which is now in constant use by workshops and classes.

At the next disputed election (was it 1998?), the Academy re-affirmed its commitment to offering a wider program of classes.  (in 1990, there was only one). Opponents wanted the organization to return to being more like a private club.

The next disputed election arose when a  group a women wanted to become actively involved in our "old boys club".  They refurbished the two gallery rooms (which used to be a real dump). The loser in that election, Jane Ellen Murray, totally refurbished our kitchen out of her own pocket.

Our last disputed election, about ten years ago,  seemed to turn on the issue of whether we really wanted to have all these disputed elections.

The good news is that peace and quiet has prevailed ever since.

The bad news is that there have been no major improvements in programs or facilities.

Thanks to a multi-million dollar windfall, the organization now has the funds to make some major changes.

Will we finally begin an endowment?

Will we create a public studio in the coach house that is large enough to handle the special workshops  that have been cancelling so many open workshops on the third floor?

Will we begin a program of special exhibits that invites the participation of representational artists from the entire Chicago area?

We have a great opportunity now to make important improvements -- but none of it can happen without someone making waves.

Otherwise events, like water, will follow the path of least resistance, and our unique opportunity will be lost.

Nancie King Mertz

Love those blue dumpsters - a nice contrast with Tim Leeming's monochrome alleys.

Roger Akers

A sculptural tribute to Madame X, and the Academy's favorite historical painter.

Stuart Fullerton

Two of the best drawings ever hung on our walls.

Stuart has surpassed his teacher.