painting — Blog — Chesapeake Arts Center

The color; the depth; the symbolism; the enormity. Your breath may skip as you enter the Hal Gomer Gallery at first glimpse of Seth Ellison’s work. Massive canvases almost completely cover the walls, every inch, saturated with vibrant color. Sketchy, yet quite detailed line work is reminiscent of early satirical cartoons. Each piece of work leaves your brain reeling in an attempt to capture and decipher the copious amounts of symbolism in his compositions. Each piece varies in subject matter, but are all tied together with a common thread of southern culture.

In the StudioNicole MogyorosiOctober 12, 2022Chesapeake Arts Centerpainting, illustration

In the Studio with Artist Jo Coyle

From contemporary portraits with with loose yet intentional strokes, to gritty, abstract mixed media pieces, to fine line inked or printed pieces, Jo Coyle’s body of work displays her unwillingness to stay in one place artistically. Driven by curiosity and enthusiasm to challenge her own creative boundaries, Jo’s newest collection of paintings is her Siren series. A visual commentary on the stigmas surrounding mental health issues for women (in the most inclusive definition of the word), and how it affects them and their lives. Jo hopes for the Siren exhibit to exist as a safe place to discuss these struggles in the open while assuring other women on their own mental health journey that “it’s okay to be in the dark, and they’re not alone”.

In the StudioNicole MogyorosiAugust 23, 2022Chesapeake Arts CenterMaryland, painting, mental illness

In the Studio with Artist and CAC Instructor Eric Birkin

Meet Eric Birkin, a CAC Visual Arts and MakerSpace instructor and new Gallery Coordinator. Originally from rural Utah, Eric’s exposure to the vast world of the arts was limited. Growing up in a remote location, far from suburbia or even neighbors, Birkin spent his youth in his own introspective worlds. He spent his time developing creatures and environments that he imagined, drawing for hours. It was not until he entered college that his arts education truly began, and all that independent development started coming together. Eric received his Bachelor’s in Fine Arts from the University of Utah in 2016 and continued his education here in Baltimore at the Hoffberger School of Painting, Maryland Institute College of Art where he attained his Master’s degree in Fine Arts. He has spent the last two years as an instructor at CAC and has recently taken on a new role as Gallery Coordinator. When he is not working at CAC, Eric is traveling the country with his fiancé and their new little helper, selling their artwork at conventions.

In the StudioNicole MogyorosiAugust 8, 2022Maryland, painting, teacher

In the Studio with Artist Lexi Arrietta

A collection of foraged and found, naturally occurring and manufactured. Lexi’s work relies heavily on her connection with nature and her ability to construct these delicately balanced sculptures that elicit curiosity and familiarity simultaneously. There is a graceful harmony in the pairing of elements she uses in each piece, transforming what they once were into a visual language she uses to process and understand her own innermost workings. Lexi grew up on the Eastern Shore of Maryland, laying the foundation for her connection with her natural surroundings.

In the StudioNicole MogyorosiJuly 14, 2022Maryland, painting, mixed media

In the Studio with Artist Colleen Harkins

Connecting the senses and giving form to that which has none. Colleen Harkins work is a record of lived experience, driven by process and ritual. Based on connecting the senses and her environment, her paintings as she describes them “are form given to the formless inner experience”. Abstract shapes and organic forms take shape on her canvas as visual markers, evidence of a lived moment in time and space. Colleen’s appreciation for the natural world and connecting with her environment took root growing up near Pennsylvania forests.

In the StudioNicole MogyorosiJuly 14, 2022Maryland, painting, nature

In the Studio with Artist Jiwoo Shin

Looking at Jiwoo Shin’s work is an experience. There is so much color, life and movement within each one. She utilizes bold brush strokes combined with intense color that create these individual abstract worlds. By layering, adding, removing, and blending her medium, you can see each paintings’ history, bringing you on a journey through her process.

In the StudioNicole MogyorosiApril 11, 2022Maryland, painting, abstract

In the Studio with Artist Stephanie Smith

Stephanie Smith’s portraits are filled with color and deliberate, expressive brush strokes resulting in highly emotional depictions of her subjects. Though her works are not realistic, there is a reality to them that you can feel in the way she paints them. There is movement in her strokes and depth from layering. Her use of natural light and highlighting gives her subjects an almost angelic appearance. Her work captures the essence of who she is painting.

In the StudioNicole MogyorosiApril 4, 2022Maryland, painting, portraits

In the Studio with Artist Caitlin Gill

Upon initial inspection, Caitlin’s work can catch you off guard; Chicken feet, cicadas, grubs, decaying birds. But you can’t stop looking. The subject matter and the manner in which she captures them is graceful. She utilizes a soft color palette and delicate materials to create a juxtaposition with the sometimes jarring nature of the subject. Her work represents the struggle between balancing the ideas of femininity in culture and in nature.

In the StudioNicole MogyorosiApril 4, 2022Maryland, painting, watercolor, nature

In the Studio with Artist Nia Parks

Nia Parks is an explorer. Exploring the nuances of her mediums as well as herself through the creation of her artwork. She seeks out the interaction of multiple materials and believes in the natural creation process. Her work is fluid and organic, utilizing color and line work to give it movement. Driven by her faith and inspired by her surroundings, Nia creates to foster hope.

In the StudioNicole MogyorosiMarch 28, 2022Maryland, painting, mix media, abstract, illustration

In the Studio with Artist Allyssa Yamaguchi-Juárez

Creative to the core, Allyssa Ray Yamaguchi-Juárez, lives and breathes art. Even in the way she describes her craft, her words are eloquent and beautifully well versed. Allyssa’s pieces air on the side of fantasy, creating a sort of surreal world in which ordinary objects reside. Her works range from intimate 5”x5” oil paintings to quite sizable 48” x 56” canvases. Though most of her work is oil, she also creates sculptures and monoprints.

In the StudioNicole MogyorosiMarch 21, 2022Maryland, painting, photography, fantasy

In the Studio with Artist Jo Coyle

Jo Coyle, graduate of Mount St. Mary’s University, uses what she learned as she obtained her BA in Fine Art, to create a wide variety of artistic pieces. Driven to constantly push the boundaries of what she already knows, her body of work consists of varying subject matter, styles and artistic mediums. Her use of light and shadow (chiaroscuro) in her paintings and the layering and texture use in her abstract mixed media pieces illustrates her vast knowledge of her craft and bold exploration.

In the StudioNicole MogyorosiMarch 21, 2022Maryland, painting, mix media, abstract, realism

In the Studio with Maryland Artist Jen Eidson

After studying fine art and art history at Indiana University, Jen Eidson spent much of her time focusing on her family and career in archives and libraries. Although she has always had a passion for art, she did not actively pursue her creativity until 2016. Once her children were of school age, she began an oil painting class, something she had not really focused on while in school. Though she had previous experience in acrylics, photography and graphic design, this was a new experience for her. With her new appreciation for oils, Jen creates stunning landscapes and botanicals. Her work varies from detailed realism to some pieces that are a little looser and airying on the side of impressionism. She has a strong sense of color throughout her body of work, especially when painting scenery and skies.

In the StudioNicole MogyorosiDecember 13, 2021Maryland, painting, nature

In the Studio with Artist Jen Sterling

Jen Sterling is an Annapolis-based artist who is an abstract expressionist, colorist, entrepreneur, wife and mother. She graduated from George Washington University earning a BA in Visual Communications with a minor in Psychology.

Check out the latest In the Studio blog about Jen talking about her artwork.

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