NEWS

Next Guild Show

Deadline to submit, May 23rd

Show opens, June 7th

UPCOMING SHOW

Feb 25 - Mar 8, 2019

Convergence/Divergence

This work portrays a joining together of apparently unconnected perspectives so that the viewers are startled out of their complacency and forced to think through the disparate styles.   I present a dissimilar combination of similar images to create an emotional as well as thoughtful response. 

In art, there is often a conflict between expressionism and realism. Is the visual description of one approach outside the reach of the other? Are they revealing very different truths about the subject? What does one show that the other does not? By expressing this contradictory split of contrasting styles and presenting "the same" in two ways, different dimensions are allowed to be seen.  Can we see "the other" when "the same" is altered?  Can we explore a new dimension that takes us out of our comfort zone and expresses what the soul sees?  Is it possible to go two directions or more at the same time?  

In mathematics, the word orthogonal relates to two functions that are perpendicular to one another. Perpendicular lines can emanate in any direction coming out of the point where they intersect. We experience our human space as three dimensional, that is it has three orthogonal directions, however since there are potentially an infinite number of dimensions, there are an infinite number of orthogonal relationships that can be explored to solve problems. In math and in art we can explore  these infinite dimensions in order to solve problems and explore the nature of reality without the constraint of our physical reality.  In like manner, many forms of expression can emanate from a single source to solve a problem or present an idea. So it is in math and in art.

Greenville Artist Martha Iler To Exhibit Artwork at Kaskaskia College Dr. Dee and Sue Boswell Art Gallery

August 20, 2018

Artist Martha Iler.

The Kaskaskia College Dr. Dee and Sue Boswell Art Gallery is currently hosting the works of Martha Iler in a new display from August 20 to December 4. 

Iler is primarily a self-taught realist painter who enjoys doing portraiture, figurative work and still life.  She lives in Greenville and is involved in exposing her community to art through The Greenville Artist Guild, as well as participating in shows in St. Louis and Springfield, IL. She has won several awards of excellence, and a juror's choice award. While living in Virginia, she worked as a graphic designer for a small PBS station, and won "Best of Show" during the National PBS convention. 

The show, "Martha Iler:  Collected Works" incorporates a series of paintings and work that encompass the last 10 years of the art’s career.  Iler says, “You will find a variety of styles and mediums because I continue to grow in my search for what I want to say and I enjoy trying new techniques”.

Iler started out working with acrylic on paper and then moved to acrylic on canvas, doing still life and portraits.  She adds, “I used bright colors with light and shadow to emphasize the color and beauty that exists under surfaces.  I have dabbled in abstract, in expressionism, and sculpture. Most recently I have been learning to use oil paints, moving back towards realism.  I enjoy it all.  I do not expect to stay in one place, I prefer to keep moving”.

Ms. Iler is pictured with her piece "Invitation".  She says, “Bowls are intrinsically open, they cannot help but invite us in, the flame represents spirit, creativity, renewal. The question is: are these bowls open? What is in them? What happens when things unexpectedly shift and allow space that wasn't there before? Is it good or bad? For me, being shifted creates discomfort, but ultimately flares into renewal, creativity, a change in worldview.”

Hours for the Kaskaskia College Dee and Sue Boswell Art Gallery are:  Monday through Thursday from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. The gallery is also open for special events and by appointment.  For an appointment or for more information, please call Kellie Henegar, Dean of Arts and Sciences, at 618-545-3025.