Six Chicks & A Rooster–Collaborative Exhibit to Open at Inspiration Studios

From impressionistic and romantic portriature to nature-inspired objects and landscapes and finely crafted miniature books, Inspiration Studios offers a mixed media exhibit by seven Milwaukee Riverwest residents entitled “Six Chicks and a Rooster.”  This colorful exhibit will adorn the gallery walls from March 31 through April 30. An Opening Reception with the artists, free and open to the public, is scheduled for Sunday, April 2, from 2:00 to 5:00pm. Refreshments will be served.

This collaborative exhibit includes new works by Lisa Luz (acrylics, watercolor), Madeline Glaspey (oils), Carol Liesenfelder (acrylics, watercolor, pastels), Bonita Bruch (pastels), Susan Leopold (watercolor), Kathleen Kelly (handmade book structures), and Stuart Leopold (watercolor, pastels).  All works will be available for purchase.

“There is nothing in the world like painting,” says Lisa Luz, who gathered this group of artists for this exhibit. “It can be life changing and offers a definite kind of solace. I became an artist when my kindergarten teacher proclaimed I had created an impressive rendering of a tree! I paint then and I paint now. It simply brings me joy!”

Bonita Bruch will include in this exhibit painterly stylistic portraits of people, caught unaware, in a specific moment of time. Working with conte crayons, Bruch shows her mastery of smudging and smearing people into their story.

Adding 3-D objects to this exhibit is Kathleen Kelly who enjoys designing and creating unique books. Her unique miniatures are made utilize a variety of acid-free papers along with eco-dying, printmaking, and paper marbelling processes. Refridgerator magnets by Lisa Luz and decorative pins by Carol Liesenfelder will also be featured.

Seeking to express not only the beauty of the outer shell, but also the complexity of the individual’s inner experience, Madeline Glaspey’s paintings typically depict the human figure, primarily the face. Drawn to concepts that explore identity as well as the masks worn in daily living, the results are realistically rendered portraits that allude to a timelessness of the human experience.

The natural world in all its majesty, variety, and color is what intrigues and fascinates husband and wife team, Susan and Stuart Leopold. The medium of choice for both is watercolor, but Stuart also works with pastel, graphite, and acrylic. In Stuart’s words, “Landscapes, wild spaces, and gardens form my usual focus as they seem to connect me to that wonder which is Creation.”

The quirky title of the exhibit came about during a planning meeting held by the seven artists. Tossed into the ring as a joke, it took on a different form as these artists realized that their body of work might appeal to a broader artistic community, given the nature of their relationship to one another and the fact that chicks and a rooster would be part of the exhibit.

“Six Chicks and a Rooster” will be available for viewing on Wednesdays in April, 4- 6pm, for those who can not attend the Opening Reception on Sunday, April 2, 2-5pm. A closing reception will also be held on Sunday, April 30, 2-5pm. Inspiration Studios is located at 1500 S. 73^rd Street in West Allis.  More information is available at www.inspirationstudiosgallery.com.

Inspiration Studios opened its doors to the West Allis community on March 1, 2014, with the intention of providing varied styles of art and theatre to the broader community, focusing particularly on the emergence of new artists and their works.

NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. It has not been verified for its accuracy or completeness.