Blue Moon announces new exhibit with nature theme

GRAYSLAKE – Blue Moon Gallery will present a new art exhibition, “The Spirit of Nature,” featuring three award-winning northern Illinois artists who use nature as their muse.

From 6 to 9 p.m. Aug. 24, the gallery will host a free opening reception for the public to meet the artists and see the new exhibition.

Kristin Ashley of Lake Bluff is presenting delicate paintings on found turkey feathers depicting landscapes and animals. Each painted feather is mounted in a piece of antler and beautifully displayed in a unique custom-made frame fashioned from salvaged barn wood and verdigris copper.

Inspired by her love of nature, Ashley creates art in a variety of media, including photo montage, drawing and painting. Weaving natural images into an ethereal tapestry that represents her dreams and visions, her artwork takes on a timeless, otherworldly appearance, rich in color and symbolism.

By drawing from her lifelong interest in symbols, mythology and archetypes, Ashley creates a mystical world that melds the reality of nature with the magic of the unseen world.

“Symbols make us feel many emotions. They broaden our perspective and take us to realms beyond words,” Ashley said in a news release.

Joan Bredendick of DeKalb is showing an exquisite collection of watercolor paintings and colored pencil drawings featuring strong feminine figures surrounded by nature, as well as visuals of koi fish and cats. Bredendick relies on the transparent nature of watercolor paint by layering it in thin glazes to create a surface “glow.”

She emphasizes contrast and develops drama by loading her brush with pure pigments that saturate the paper and create a deep depth of color and richness in her compositions. She finds colored pencils similar in that colors are built up with many layers before the final burnishing.

Bredendick’s female figures show wonderfully expressive moods. In her cat imagery she creates visually textured work combining abstraction and repetitive designs.

“Every line must be beautiful,” Bredendick said.

Gary Bredendick of DeKalb is showing a series of oil paintings on canvas featuring majestic Midwest landscapes, particularly those where open skies and cloud formations are prominent. He developed a love of the outdoors as a boy growing up in Wisconsin. He moved to northern Illinois for graduate school and became fascinated by the vast skies juxtaposed against the horizon of corn and soybean fields.

Over the years, he explored using pastels plus wet-on-wet and air-brushed watercolor to convey the soft, atmospheric light of Midwestern skies. After retirement, he returned to oil paint on canvas, rekindling his love of the medium from many years ago. Texture, tonal hues and value create depth and aerial perspective in his work. His paintings are intended to capture the magic found in nature.

“My paintings are a vignette of the special places we often pass by without notice going about our busy lives,” Gary Bredendick said in the release.

“The Spirit of Nature” will be on view at the gallery during weekend hours of 1 to 4 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays through Oct. 23. The gallery is closed Labor Day weekend.

Blue Moon Gallery also welcomes Marcia Biasiello of Lincolnshire and her new collection of acrylic paintings called “Summer of 24″ that feature poolside couples. Biasiello’s “visual love poems” depict pivotal “him and her” moments where what happens before, after and even during is open with possibility. She doesn’t know what each figure in her paintings will do next and therefore invites the viewer to imagine. This mesmerizing show, featuring a rich, luxe color palette, is on view in the gallery weekends through Sept. 22.

“We are very excited about this month’s lineup of talented artists,” gallery director Kendra Kett said in the release. “In addition to ‘The Spirit of Nature’ and ‘Summer of 24′ exhibitions, we’re hosting pop-up artist David Belle of Lincolnshire, who’s showing a series of photographs inspired by the Paul Simon songbook. Our Collective Artist Matthew Padilla of Grayslake will be doing some live painting out on the patio and favorite musical guest Clark Hardin of Bartlett returns with ambient guitar. And our outstanding collective artists (John Kirkpatrick, Ginny Krueger, Matthew Padilla and Juli Janovicz) are showing new artworks, too.

“Everyone is welcome to come meet our artists, engage with interesting art and listen to fun music. Wine will be served and guests are welcome to bring lawn chairs and stay awhile to socialize.”

The gallery is located at 18620 Belvidere Road in Grayslake.

For more information, visit www.thebluemoongallery.com.