The World Around Us

Suliman Abdullah · Gary Anthes · Lisa Battle · Cheryl Ann Bearss · Gordon Binder · Judy Bonderman · Bob Burgess · Kimberley Bursic · Kathryn Camicia · Jennifer Duncan ·Suzanne Goldberg · Sabiha Iqbal · Carolee Jakes · Lois Kampinsky · Leslie Kiefer · Micheline Klagsbrun · Andrea Rowe Kraus · Jo Levine · Al Lipton · Beverly Logan · Joan Mayfield · Wayne Paige · Irene Pantelis · Iza Thomas · Eleanor Kotlarik Wang · Cristy West ·

Curated by Lois Kampinsky and Sabiha Iqbal
Coordinated by Lynda Andrews-Barry

Wednesday, November 27th 2024 through Saturday, December 21st, 2024

The World Around Us exhibition at Studio Gallery brings together artworks inspired by the familiar spaces and environments we live in every day. This show invites visitors to see our world with fresh eyes, highlighting aspects of nature, urban life, and community. This exhibition is an opportunity to connect with local artists and their  reflections on the world we all share.

“THE WORLD AROUND US IS OF SONDER

My works explore the concept of sonder—the awareness that every person we encounter has a life as intricate as our own. Through collages and group photos, I illustrate how we share experiences while leading distinct lives. These pieces invite reflection on the beauty of human connection, revealing the diverse narratives that make up our interactions.

I use vivid colors and abstract forms to highlight these relationships, each artwork serving as a portal for empathy, encouraging viewers to consider the stories behind each passerby. Like a mosaic, our lives come together to create a larger picture, where every individual contributes uniquely.” - Suliman Abdullah

“It speaks for itself.” - Gary Anthes

“The world around us is full of intricacies, complexities, and turmoil. Yet the delicate blossoming of a flower, majestic rivers carving their way through rugged canyons, and the amazing vastness of the Milky Way in a starlit sky, reflect a profound beauty that transcends the chaos. My ceramic sculptures celebrate the journey of existence and the profound beauty and resilience of our world.” - Lisa Battle

“I spend three or four days a week plein air painting. While painting, I am surrounded by visual information, as well as sounds, smells and feelings of the setting. I seek to share these sensations with my viewer.” - Cheryl Bearss

“When I think about the world we live in, the world around us, I marvel at the incredible variety and diversity of what we see, the colors, shapes, textures, the take-aways whether in urban areas or out in nature. We may differ on what and how we see these scenes as our experiences draw on our background, our education, our outlook on life, and much more. Since I started my artistic endeavors 30+ years ago, urban streets and skylines and nature in its glory have made the world a special place for me and inspired my drawings and paintings.” - Gordon Binder

“ ‘Blooming Improvisations’
I chose the most conventional of subjects for this show, searching for my own vision. By reworking the look of common flowers and creating unexpected versions of them, I seek a portal into a fresher and more lighthearted world.” - Judy Bonderman

“Photography is the process by which I choose to explore the people, things, and world around me.” - Bob Burgess

“The combination prints are about submersion and resurfacing” - Kimberly Bursic

“What's Going On?” - Kathryn Camicia

“The tumbleweed (Russian Thistle) was first identified in South Dakota in 1870. It had been brought to this country form Russia by accident in a sack of flax seed. It took just 30 years to tumble and spread seeds from coast to coast, taking hold and becoming invasive all across the country. I first noticed tumbleweeds on the banks of the Potomac in Southern Maryland several years ago, and I began to draw their captivating shape. Since then, I have drawn and painted the intriguing skeletal shrub dozens of times using a variety of techniques and materials. Repetition of selected forms has long been the foundation of my artist practice. Layering the silhouette of the plants and utilizing the intertwining branches to provide pattern and visual texture, has helped provided me with a framework for exploration and improvisation.” - Jennifer Duncan

“I tried to capture the exhilaration I felt as I walked along the beaches and watched the waves upon the rocks.” - Suzanne Goldberg

“My work focuses on the beaty as well as the formidable forces of nature interpreting it in an abstract form with color and movement.” - Sabiha Iqbal

“This is hand-carved, selectively inked woodblock print” - Carolee Jakes

“A look at a quirky place from a new perspective” - Lois Kampinsky

“As the world seems more frightening, lets stop to think.” - Leslie Kiefer

“Caladiums and Butterfly Orchid are part of a series of paintings of flowers and plants in my back yard or home, inspired by stories from Ovid's 'Metamorphoses' of transformation between gods, humans and plants.” - Micheline Klagsbrun

“Having travelled extensively I started looking at the beautiful flowers all around me!” - Andrea Rowe Kraus

“These fossilized corals, are remnants of an ancient natural world, yet they remind me of our modern world. Circuitry resembles the complex wiring or computer components that are so essential to our society; Skyscraper seems to outline the innumerable tall buildings that our civilization has spawned.” - Jo Levine

“The world around us shows the destruction of climate change on our environment.” - Beverly Logan

“The digital age has brought upon us a binary kaleidoscope, blanketing, both perception, and reality with device driven technology that has gone well beyond its original purpose of improving lives. I would like to think that my drawings describe a world beyond the curtain of technology, closer to the woods and fields and further from the trappings of civilization. Nonetheless, binary skies are included, portending a different outcome.” - Wayne Paige

“My work in this show is part of my series of drawing-paintings inspired by lawns and weeds, like those found in my suburban neighborhood, as well as around the country and world. The works seek to unearth things that are visible and not visible, that connect or disconnect. It also bears in mind the increasing scarcity of underground water that all grasses need to thrive, the proliferation of toxins in our soil, the threat of wildfires and extreme weather events, and the promise of the simple grass as a viable tool for capturing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. In my clumps of grass, water undergoes many changes, like a mirror, taking on all manner of tones and viscosities from its surroundings, even evaporating into thin air.” - Irene Pantelis

“I love classical music and opera. I was inspired by Puccini's "Madame Butterfly" and Leoncavallo's Pagliacci operas when I painted the two small paintings that I would like to submit for the All Member Winter Show.” - Iza Thomas

“The memory of a favorite visit to Meteora, Greece led to these expressive interpretations of the mysterious and isolated monasteries perched atop the rugged mountains and boulders.” - Eleanor Kotlarik Wang