New Art Exhibit - Form, Figure & Firework - Opens at The Mill Yard April 14

 

Form, Figure & Firework

Opening Reception Sunday, April 14, 4:00 - 6:00PM

Stonebridge Lofts, 1120 S 2nd Street

Join the The Mill Yard opening reception to meet the featured artists and engage with beautiful art. Wine, beverages and snacks are served.

The Mill City. Residents celebrate our area’s industrial heritage of the mighty Mississippi River and the mills. Today, what we see are the most recognizable Minneapolis landmarks. However, this is only part of the story. Rail lines were key to Minneapolis’ growth, and were particularly integral to the Mill District, bringing in wheat and timber and shipping out flour and lumber. We also honor the history of the mills, the reason for the rail yard’s existence. The Mill Yard aims to be both a gathering place for art and artists and a conduit by which art can be shared with and disseminated into the wider community.

Artists featured at this show:

Bob Dylan by Kristi AbbottKristi Abbott, collage

Kristi Abbott is a collage artist. “I am fascinated with the use of color, pattern and texture and try to combine these elements in my work in an innovative and exciting way. My technique is still evolving and employs an exploratory and playful process that can incorporate photography, graphic manipulation, collage and painting.

I also hide images within my paper collages, creating a second level of interest beyond the initial image.” 

50 Marbles by Julie AllenJulie Allen, watercolor

Julie Allen has over 30 years of experience working in the medium of transparent watercolor. Her inspiration frequently comes from observing how subjects capture reflective light, strong values and color. From her experience, watercolor allows an artist to glaze on many layers of color to paper and still retain the beautiful reflective light. Her style of painting would be classified as contemporary realism. Julie teaches workshops at the Minnetonka Center for the Arts as well as offering private lessons in her home. Her award-winning work has been published and exhibited in numerous exhibitions regionally and internationally.

Epipelagic by Alexandria Mooney JonesAlexandria Mooney Jones, firework

Firework artist Alexandria Mooney Jones has always been drawn toward experimental mediums. Thanks in large part to a mother who was an art teacher, Alex learned to see artistic potential in everything. During the summer of 2007 a simple suggestion to deal with a difficult project was the spark that has ignited her body of work experimenting with pyrotechnics, a.k.a. fireworks, as an artistic medium. Her work is at the mercy of explosives and fire. Fireworks, as a medium, represent the tension between celebration and trauma. Every mark, every color is created with a lit firework. Artwork that proves there is beauty in the experimental, beauty in the uncontrollable, and sometimes even beauty in trauma.

Bleeding Hearts in the Wind by Solvei StohlSolvei Stohl, photography and linocut prints

In the mid 1970s Solvei Stohl studied painting and design as well as black and white photography. In the early 1980s she developed her own style of art photography. She and her husband worked in eastern Europe for over 20 years, returning to the Twin Cities in 2013. While living in Lithuania she was inspired by her surroundings and did a lot of street photography, which she came to love. She is drawn to the lighting and design of a scene and is truly satisfied when her finished print could be mistaken for a painting. In 2019 Solvei began doing Linocut printmaking, rekindling her love of drawing.

House on Laurel by Peter StohlPeter Stohl, ink and watercolor

Peter Stohl favors realism and prefers to work on paper employing a technique he developed of combining watercolor and ink hatching. He likes the texture of the ink hatching, he can achieve rich, dark tones that he cannot create with watercolor alone. He portrays everyday life and often sees his scenes as still lifes. He is drawn to the design, color, light and shadows of a particular scene, and finds it refreshing to recreate this atmosphere or mood on paper.

Donna Ray, ceramics

Donna Ray is a differently abled ceramic/potter/sculpture artist. She has been a ceramic artist for over 20 years and is a resident studio artist at Northern Clay Center. Donna has been exhibiting since 2010. She has curated solo shows, been awarded numerous grants, and held artist residencies. Her recent second solo show was at the Minnesota African American Heritage Museum. Donna enjoys hand building and wheel throwing to create useful sculptural art.

Donna is a talented artist from Art for All, the Stephanie Evelo Program for Art Inclusion at the University of Minnesota’s Institute for Community Integration, which supports the work of emerging and professional artists with disabilities.