art gallery round-up

Friday night was a great night to learn about and experience works by the latest up and coming artists (and to score free wine/cocktails). I started out at Kasia Kay for the opening reception for Kim Curtis's Disruption in the main gallery. I really enjoyed her pieces. You can tell how the natural environment around her influences the work on her panels. One of my favorites was Long Fall III which quite literally is long because the triptych runs 11.5' x 9". It's like a view of a very empty and expansive landscape with a few bursts of colors, very representative of the season. Her pieces emulate natural landscape almost in the abstract - but still with order and sense. She had about 14 works on view, and I took my precious time trying to figure each one out while taking sips of my white wine. In the project room, Andrea Loefke's installation Folding an Orange Fish out of Newspaper was on view. I have to admit, I didn't really understand it. What I took for the center focal piece was a bright orange umbrella with colorful pillows on the ground underneath it. There were bowls of candy (that I was very tempted to just grab and eat) placed around the floor and on the wall were post its with notes written on them. I felt like I was in a scene from a Dr.Seuss book.

A few doors down, I hit up Function + Art. Artist Jill Henry's Surroundings is on view. Her works are the complete opposite of Curtis's but I liked the change. Every inch of Henry's canvases are covered in color. Each work is the artist's "virtual, imagined surrounding" that like natural spaces, "evoke sublime virtual experiences." The variation of color scheme on each canvas really seems to capture the emotion of that scene. For example in Lagoon, Henry uses the deepest of blues to the lightest with the smallest specks of algae green. My favorite was Twilight. For some reason, it reminded me of Van gogh's The Starry Night. As if she captured the image of one star, blew it up, and this is what she came up with. Very nice. Next door at sister gallery Prism, beautiful glass works were on display for Singular Forms: Trans-minimalist Sculpture. In the middle of the gallery sat a large arched piece by Brian Usher. My favorite was Alex Fekete's Smoke. It's amazing how these artists can form such beautiful sculptures with glass.

Carson Fox's Inflorescence was on view at the Linda Warren Gallery. The gallery was packed with a younger crowd compared to the other Fulton Street galleries. The wine and special punch was flowing and they even had a table with interesting snacks. In the main gallery, Fox's works covered large sections of the white walls. Individual colorful flowers constructed by cast resin stuck into the walls with pins were the objects he used to form a much larger abstract piece. I like Rothko For Mother which mimicks the block color scheme of one of Rothko's paintings. In a way, she's challenging the way that art on canvas can come to life by the use of flowers, or any other object for that matter. In the project room, Janet Bloch's Power Play was on view. Her painted canvases are very whimsical yet dark -- Murakami with a mix of Dali. A modern fantastical take on industrialisation juxtaposed against nature. Very thought provoking works. Ironically, I couldn't stay in the room long enough because I could smell the cigarette smoke creeping into the room through the back door that was propped open.

Next door I went to Morlen Sinoway, Atelier. I downed my latest glass of The shop had some beautiful furniture, housewares, jewelry, and other accessories by mostly European artists. It was a warm and inviting space with subdued lighting. I overheard a guy telling his friend that "this is like a very expensive Ikea." I couldn't help but laugh. Indeed, there's some similarity, but Sinoway's pieces are much more luxurious and are thoughtfully handcrafted. Think Design Within Reach meets personality and warmth.

Finally, my last stop was eco-friendly shop Pivot. Very hip, fashion conscious crowd (including men with narrow hips and murses). For some reason, when I hear about eco-friendly clothing I think hemp, rough fabric, and bland colors; but owner Jessa Brinkmeyer did a great job of selecting a broad range of eco-friendly clothing of all colors and materials. My favorite pieces were the black knit sweaters by Lara Miller. They're made of bamboo and feel very soft. The sweaters that come in two different styles start at $198. Another clothing line to watch is Frei Designs. The line is made of organic cotton and surplus materials. The designs, very delicate and sophisticated. Vera Wang's flow-y material meets Cynthia Steffe's cropped jackets and short lines. For premium denim fans like myself, Pivot carries organic, fair-trade denim by Sling + Stones that were marked down from $290 to $125 and adorable shoes by Beyond Skin. For the men out there, there's a rack of menswear that carries the basics. Organic cotton tees, button ups, khakis and jeans. Not as design forward as the women's wear, but still eco-friendly! Even the clothing racks are environmentally conscious. Each rack is a little different and were designed by Joshua Height of Brickermade. They're made with reclaimed steel and wood. The steel was recycled from pallets in a machinery gear factory in Aurora. Jessa has found away to make green very chic.

Walking back to my condo, there was a couple in front of me traveling the same direction. They were still drinking their wine from plastic cups and I couldn't help to smile. At the Lake Street intersection while waiting for some cars to pass, we looked at each other, said our hellos and made small talk about the galleries. This is what the West Loop is all about. Art, wine and community.