Works by two area artists with their easels pointing towards Indiana’s natural surroundings are slated to close out the year at the Area Artists’ Association Gallery at Michigan City’s Lubeznik Center for the Arts.
“Anywhere – Drawings from America’s Roadsides” from Porter artist Lynn Retson is opening today and running through Nov. 30 at the gallery and will be followed by “Hues And Views” from Beverly Shores artist Julie Kasniunas, which is on tap to run at the Association Gallery Dec. 7 through Dec. 30.
Retson, who received a master’s degree in fine arts from the University of Chicago, is a member of both the Area Artists Association and Southern Shore Arts Association. Her works have been shown in exhibits over the course of the last near-decade at galleries and museums throughout the region as well as in Indianapolis and Lexington, Kentucky.
“Anywhere” is made up of approximately a dozen graphite on pastel drawings of Indiana roadsides. A majority of the pieces that make up the show, Retson said, were created this year.
“I Hope that they get a greater appreciation of what they don’t pay attention to,” Retson said of “Anywhere.” “I hope they get a greater appreciation of what they may see as ordinary.”
Kasniunas‘ “Hues” will consist of 16 oil and watercolor paintings of floral arrangements and landscapes. The works that make up her show are plein air paintings.
“I paint things that fill me with joy and appreciation for nature,” Kasniunas said. “I’ve been told by people who have bought my paintings or have come into my studio that they feel the same way.”
Luneznik Center executive director Carolyn Saxton is a fan of both artists and their works.
“When looking at Lynn Retson’s work, the viewer can almost feel the moving car as it speeds along the open plains on a gray early winter day,” Saxton said. “As juxtaposition, Julie Kasnunias’ plein air paintings gets the viewer out of the car and into the woods to traipse along the paths among the colorful trees and waterways.”
A reception for Retson’s exhibit is scheduled for 5 p.m. today. The reception for Kasnunias’ “Views” is slated for 5 p.m. Dec. 7.
Lubeznik Center for the Arts is open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Wednesday and Friday, 2 p.m. to 7 p.m. Thursday and 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.
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