Artists are ‘Seeing Red’ at Blue Moon Gallery

GRAYSLAKE – “Seeing Red” is the theme of the Blue Moon Gallery’s second juried competition.

Red is a powerful color around the world. It signifies energy, action, anger, desire and passion. It is stimulating, exciting, motivating, attention-getting and assertive. Red is one of the top two favorite colors of people, and red is the most popular color used on flags in the world. Red also is the international color for “stop.”

More than 100 pieces of art created by 48 local artists were submitted for consideration for this exhibition. The exhibition’s juror, Ann Rintz, selected 38 pieces of fine art as finalists in the competition. Rintz has a master’s degree in visual art, is a professor of fine art at the College of Lake County in Grayslake and is the founder of Cyan Design + Communications. She also is the curator of the Robert T. Wright Gallery of Art at the College of Lake County.

In addition to selecting the art for this exhibition, Rintz will present first-, second- and third-place awards, plus honorable mentions.

“Seeing Red” features fine art created in almost 20 mediums, attesting to the immense talent and diversity of visual expression in northern Illinois’ thriving art community. Patrons can see works in oil, acrylic, graphite, collage, photography, linocuts, encaustic, alcohol ink, colored pencil, pastel, gouache and more.

Artists from Grayslake, Mundelein and Lindenhurst are represented in the exhibition.

Many of the works visually express thoughts and responses to current events both personal and societal. Abstract artist Susan Bennett of Northfield said her acrylic and pastel painting, “Contained Desire,” represents how the COVID-19 pandemic has restricted the ability to act and respond to what hearts are yearning for during this time of physical and mental social isolation.

“It also shows that the walls containing our desires can be breached,” Bennett said in a news release.

Just in time for the exploration on Mars, Grayslake painter Ashi Tara’s “Mars Rising” – created with spray paint on a canvas panel – has a monochromatic theme that refers to the dusty redness of the planet while the composition is a reminder of the vastness all around us.

In “Ideas and Systems Were Offered,” painter and art teacher Frank Korb of Burlington, Wisconsin, created his work as a symbolic look at the interconnected relationships within our lives, cultures and world through the use of organic shapes, moving lines and closely related colors.

“It offers balance and unity through a carefully planned division of space and use of color. It also contains a very purposeful use of tension and contrast through the closeness of the lines to one another,” Korb said in the release.

“Seeing Red” artists include Amy Robillard, Bob Guthridge, Charles Keller, Clarese Ornstein, Cristina Chopalli, Darlene Bock, Dean Habegger, Debra Zare, Ernest Schweit, Ginny Krueger, Irina Kipervaser, Jeff Wozniak, Catherine Uttich, Kathleen Gallo, Kelly Swayne, Kelly Witte, Kenny Bellinder, Kim Rahal, Laura LaRue, Laura Lynne, Lois Guthridge, Marilyn Weisberg, Mary Neely, Mary Norvell, Missy Isley-Poltrock, Naomi Zagt, Oliver Steven Merriam, Phillip Ross, Rebecca Stahr, Sally Wille, Sandie Bacon, Scott Marr, Sean Bishop, Sue Turayhi, Tom Biegalski, Bennett, Korb and Tara.

In addition to the “Seeing Red” exhibition, works from the gallery’s 2021 Collective Artists – John Kirkpatrick, Leisa Corbett, Bob Nonnemacher, and Michael Litewski – will be on view.

The gallery is open to the public from 1 to 4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday through March 14. Masks and social distancing are required. Group size may not exceed 10.

Online galleries are available for viewing at www.thebluemoongallery.com.

The Blue Moon Gallery is at 18620 Belvidere Road in Grayslake.

For information, call Kendra Kett, the director at Blue Moon Gallery, at 224-388-7948.