Art on the Fox Fine Art Show

Artist Statement: My art focuses on landscapes, seascapes, cityscapes, sports and religious themes. I like to use color in ways that are warm and invigorating. Capturing these elements in a sometimes realistic and occasionally impressionistic manner is what I aim for. The true beauty of art and its exquisite history enthralls my senses and this is where I derive my creative energy from. Music is another way that I find to express myself, and together, their harmony defines the place where my inspirational and spiritual being is sometimes found. I mostly use oils and hand paint everything. All prints are hand made by me, the artist.

Artist Statement: This pastel was done on sanded paper with soft pastels

Artist Statement: My daughter and I create small wooden sculptures out of various hardwoods. This naturally amplifies, the sounds from smart phones from the shape and density of the hardwood.

Artist Statement: We hand craft silver and gold jewelry made with only the highest quality semi precious/rare gemstones and minerals. We use only hand made findings and a technique known as wire wrapping, which utilizes strands of sterling/argentium silver and gold wire to build up dimensions, layers,patterns,and accents.

Artist Statement: “Anything is a Photograph.” This is a motto developed from my aspiring career that turned into a feasible, potential business. My work is all over the board, including the living and inanimate, animal and portrait, urban and natural. I specialize in candid aspects, as well as in-the-moment captures. Wherever I am, I end up with a composition worth visualizing behind the lens of my Nikon D200. My artistic mind conjures up ideas that conform to the situation at hand, such as angle, framing, and potential post-processing outcomes. All I carry with my Nikon are two lenses, a tripod, an external flash, and also a four-feature lens attachment for my smartphone. My work is mostly printed as archival inkjet, otherwise it is in stretched canvas form, in a metallic panel form, or another form due to the interest of my client. I post-process my work with Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Photoshop Lightroom, and photo-editing smartphone apps. I wanted to take my own modernized spin on this classic story, so I changed the look of the main character herself. This was a candid pose as well, which is what makes this a one-of-a-kind image. With the dull background of snow and trees, I wanted to show contrast by including red clothing within the frame in order to follow through with my intention.

Artist Statement: In each image which I create, I strive to capture the feeling and the presence that I've seen and experienced. Each image is digitally captured and worked to recreate the vision of what I'd experienced with the goal of sharing that experience with my patrons. I use multiple software tools to create each final image. Images are printed on Fine Art fiber, archival canvas based substrate or directly onto aluminum, then carefully prepared for presentation. All fiber images are mounted or mounted and framed to museum standards for sale. Frames are wooden and are created for me by local crafters. Canvas images are coated with an archival protectorate (water based and eco-friendly) and stretched for presentation and sale. Aluminum based images are laminated and prepared for presentation. Images range in size from 11x14" to 16' (multi-panel) in size.

Artist Statement: My photography has been the pursuit of images that are my view of the world. I look for the unique view of a particular subject or the simplicity of a natural object like a single flower. I also like to capture the passage of time from a long exposure that will be displayed in the frozen image of a photographic print. I have photographed the character of the farm that would disappear into history, days, weeks or months after the shutter has done its work. Be it for the camera the history can be preserved. Working in black and white in the darkroom or digital color the image must take me in with the eye as music reaches my ear to bring me back to remember that moment in time.

Artist Statement: This cuff is made from sheet copper and sterling silver. The Sun Flower is cut from the sterling silver that is then "sweat soldered" onto the copper. Then it is put in a solution of Liver of Sulfur to blacken the copper. Then is brushed and cleaned to get this unique finish.

Artist Statement: Jim and Debbie Rauschert have been working as a team to design and create each unique jewelry piece since 2007. Every one of a kind statement necklace, pair of earrings or bracelet is handmade from sterling, copper, brass ad beautiful unique stones. Onyx, jasper, jade, carnelian, agate, amazonite, turquoise, coral, Leland blue, opal, amethyst, chalcedony are a sampling of the natural stones in LyleLynn pieces.

Artist Statement: The reason I choose to express myself visually: All my life I have bathed in the physical beauty of the world, the universe, the life created around me, the progressive changes of life, the growth of organic nature. I love to try to portray even a small part of the complexity of the beautiful universe the Supreme Creator has given us. We all look at life differently. I choose to see it that way and convey it through my art

Artist Statement: I shoot with a Canon EOS 70D camera. I like to capture nature and landscape mostly. I have a series of tree images and also a series of leaves. I am also interested in old buildings and various other subjects. I have been experimenting with in-camera special effects and find it very fascinating. I post-process my images using Lightroom and Photoshop. There are many techniques to learn using these products. It is interesting to see the types of techniques that are used in a darkroom with film development being used in today’s modern digital environment. It is a lot of fun learning different techniques, especially when you have that “ah-ha” moment and a “Oh yeah, I like how that one looks”! I print my images using an Epson Stylus-Pro printer. I have learned how to print on various papers, canvas and silk. I am limited to 24 inches wide; there is no limit on length. Since I do print on canvas, I also have learned how to stretch the canvas to make gallery wrapped pieces. I also print banners for the church I attend. I print on a material called satin cloth. Since I am limited to the 24 inches wide, I make 3 panels to incorporate the theme of the banner. They are 6 feet long. Total size of the banner is 6 feet by 6 feet. I have also made single panels and smaller pieces. I am part of the core team for Nancy Merklings 4th Friday event at the Starline in Harvard, IL. I help with before the event tasks such as installing, curating the art, and setting up. I also help the night of the event. The Team is a lot of fun to work with. And what is really great, I am learning a lot about how an Art Event comes together. They host an Art Exhibit and a Photo contest. There are several awards. It is always exciting to see what is awarded The People’s Choice award. I am a member of the Crystal Lake Camera Club. It is a wonderful organization filled with helpful people. They have informative guest speakers, go on photo outings, there are competitions every couple of months and a critique after the awards are presented. It is a great place to meet other photographers. The pieces I am submitting with my application are all framed photography. Each is matted with a white matt. All are in 11 x 14 black frames.

Artist Statement: What shapes my art is a combination of craftsmanship and simple concepts. Deep in my being I know that I am more of an artisan than a true artist, but I make the best of it. I try to bring my keen eye for objective beauty into my works, so that they can stand both a piece of fine art without being bogged down in the conceptual nature of some fine art.

Artist Statement: Our Destiny began on a cold and rainy night in 1984 when we first met. Not only did our names rhyme (Dale and Gail) but we also found out after a very short time that we had a lot in common, including our love of photography. We were married one year later. Dale has had his own business, Dale Horn Photography (www.dalehornphoto.com) since 1988, photographing H.S. Seniors, families and children. Gail had always wanted to be a photographer, but was never been able to actually pursue this until 2012 when this amazing adventure began. There lies the name, "Destiny Photographic Art", because it was Destiny that we met! The name Destiny Photographic Art also stands for destinations, because our photography revolves around destinations that we have traveled to, including our own city of Chicago, The Morton Arboretum and The Chicago Botanic Garden. Other photographed locations are Italy, Ireland, France, Quebec, Maui, Oregon, St. Maartin, San Francisco, Michigan, Wisconsin, Utah, Nevada and Florida. Whether it be capturing images of waves crashing in the endless ocean, spectacular city skylines, ruins of Italy, cafe's in Paris, towering waterfalls, or a maze of lily pads, the possibilities are endless, and it's truly something we enjoy doing together.

Artist Statement: My work is a reflection of my philosophy that not everything old and worn should be cast aside in favor of the new; art doesn't necessarily have to be crafted of virgin materials. Old things can have new life breathed into them and be reborn as fine art; something completely different from their original purpose. My work is born from a love of all that is old and timeworn; rust, dents, holes, peeling paint, tears and creases. Each reborn piece has a story behind it and I attempt to share that story; a new story for a new generation. In turn, that generation should embrace the understanding that beauty and art can often be found in places where you would be least likely to expect it; it's not what you see, but how you see it.

Artist Statement: I have been doing wildlife and general nature photography for 48 years. 35 years of that time from my electric wheelchair. Through my photography and my story, I hope to share with others some of what the Lord has shared with me.

Artist Statement: The constantly evolving ceramic carving process focuses primarily upon free flowing organic movement and is influenced by improvisational music. The improvised music fuels the expressive nature of the carving as I hold the tools, feel the rhythm, and shift my body to the groove. Subject matter present within the carved surface of the work becomes a point for the viewer to interpret and dwell upon. Being very process driven, I’ve learned to pay close attention to the moments in the process of making when the pottery forms will accommodate my carved alterations. Craftsmanship plays a huge role in the intimacy that develops with the making process of each piece. Personally, this work is about my own translation of a particular moment in space and time directly into the clay.

Artist Statement: My vocation is fine portrait photography and portrait painting. My advocation is nature and landscape photography. My collection of photographic art has grown quite large and I am excited to share some of my images and hope you find them inspiring. I've been a working photographer and portrait artist in Barrington for the past twenty-seven years. My work graces the homes of several hundred families in the Barrington area and beyond. Most of my images are printed on artist's canvas or metallic paper. I use multiple layers and effects to achieve my montages. With a background in digital artistry I end up painting many of my images then printing them on artist's canvas. My prints are mostly larger for wall decor and can go up to 40X80".

Artist Statement: Beth Markko is an Illinois native, who has lived in McHenry County for 31 years. Art has always been a part of her life, and has recently become her central focus. After discovering and admiring the encaustic works of other artists, she became interested in this unique art form. Beth finds the fusing of each layer of pigmented beeswax to be incredibly enjoyable. This process has afforded her the opportunity to create pieces that change so much from start to finish. She especially appreciates the ability to introduce other mediums to her work. Currently Beth is exploring embedding paper and adding texture.

Artist Statement: I work with metal wire, mostly copper and silver and gemstones making unique items. Necklaces made from raw minerals dug out of the earth as well as pearls and faceted semiprecious stones will be found at my booth. My jewelry is a fun statement to make - a feeling you get while wearing certain pieces. Inspiration is from ancient times. Love what I do and how it connects with the people who enjoy it!

Artist Statement: I create many types of photo art in Photoshop using only my own images. You will find surrealistic landscapes, abstract compositions, fantasy structures from architectural photos and travel photography that has been creatively modified. I sell framed, matted and unmatted prints, and gift items like notecards and bookmarks.