2022 Artist-in-Residence

2022 Artist-in-Residence, Angela Gelasi

2022 Artist-in-Residence, Angela Gelasi

Observation, creativity and art has been part of me since a child. One memory comes to mind: on a fall day I was in the car with my father, driving through the mountains of Virginia. One leaf fell from the trees toward our windshield. I must have described the moment to him, and he said, “Angie, you see that leaf and the world in a beautiful way.” Art to me is to showcase the beauty of something or someone.

The midwestern landscape is one of subtle beauty and enduring charm. My paintings showcase this simple, natural beauty that many might overlook. My paintings are usually inspired by the calm...a moment of fleeting light and color. God has laid such beauty at our feet, and as an artist, I find this beauty irresistible.

My husband and I used to live in the Michiana area and owned an art gallery. Much to our surprise and joy we found Chesterton and the Dunes. We climbed Mt. Baldy from the back side to the top. What a wondrous sight! Golden sand and waves of blue water and drifts of playful grasses. The city of Chicago peeking in blue hues across the water, seemingly a million miles away. Where did this treasure come from... and here in the Midwest? We were hooked from that moment on.

For many years, I have wanted to be part of the Artists in Residence program. It was such a privilege painting and studying the landscape with a set time only for that reason. I would hope to create art worthy of its beauty and significance.

 

2022 Artist-in-Residence, Ann Geise

2022 Artist-in-Residence, Ann Geise

Southern Ohio native Ann Geise was born and raised in the Cincinnati area. Much of her artwork represents the local nature and landscapes — from backyard birds, native plants and animals, to rural farm scenes. Different seasons and changing light keep familiar subjects fresh and new. Her passion for travel provides additional art inspiration from novel locations and subjects.

Ann been drawing and studying nature her entire life — learning about the local flora and fauna and how everything in nature is interconnected, and sharing that knowledge with others. After earning a biology degree from Northern Kentucky University Ann worked in pharmaceutical research for several years. Eventually her nature and art interests converged at Cincinnati Nature Center in Milford, Ohio where she worked as Artist & Exhibits Manager for 19 years, designing and illustrating the Center's publications and interpretive exhibits.

Ann works in both watercolors and oils. Watercolors (and with color pencil) are used for rendering the fine details of nature illustrations. Oils are her choice for landscapes and subjects best portrayed in an impressionistic style. In recent years Ann has collaborated with numerous nature and conservation organizations to create art pieces that educate people about the importance of biodiversity in nature. She is a signature member of the Society of Animal Artists and works from her home studio in Batavia, Ohio.

 

2022 Artist-in-Residence Catherine Trezek

2022 Artist-in-Residence Catherine Trezek

Born in Chicago, Catherine now lives in the far south suburbs. Her art career began with a Bachelor of Arts from Saint Xavier University. She was awarded study scholarships to the Art Institute of Chicago and Oxbow School of Art in Michigan. Her favorite studies were of artists such as Rembrandt, Renoir and Cassatt. Today, Catherine paints portraits of loved ones and Midwest nature. Her paintings are in private collections all over the United States. She actively participates in artist groups, sharing and developing ideas by teaching and being an active member in various art groups, including the American Impressionist Society, and the Tall Grass and Frankfort Arts Associations.

Catherine says about her art, “I sense a spiritual connection between love and nature and am compelled to share those feelings in my art. In my oil paintings, I use imagery that evokes thoughts of love, wonderment, and peaceful moments. My painterly technique includes the use of soft brush strokes and colors of light to invoke emotions of a loving or peaceful spirit.”

 

2022 Artist-in-Residence, Chris Arnold

2022 Artist-in-Residence, Chris Arnold

Chris Arnold is a Chicago based contemporary artist and illustrator. Currently, his work is focused on environmental expressionism with notable collections featuring botanicals and landscapes. This includes recent works with the US National Park Service and the Department of the Interior as well as his service as an Artist-in-Residence (AiR) with the Indiana Dunes National Park (IDNP).

As an AiR at IDNP, Chris was able to immerse himself in the field, spending his days hiking the trails and his nights exploring the community. His objective was to make deeper connections between his artwork in the studio, curriculum in his classroom and the environment.

He has earned a B.F.A. in Studio Art from the University of Missouri, Columbia, and an M.F.A. in Illustration from the Savannah College of Art and Design. Additionally, he is a tenured member of the Art and Design Department at Columbia College Chicago as an Associate Professor of Illustration. Chris has also served the academic community in Illinois teaching at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago.

Over the last two decades of Arnold’s professional art and illustration career, he has had work featured around the world in more than a dozen one-man exhibitions, included in over fifty juried group shows and has been part of countless illustration and design campaigns.

Selected notable clients, collections and exhibitions include: GE North America, TechNexus, Powerade, Make-A-Wish, Marvel, the Creative Action Network, Earthjustice, Agate Publishing, Workman Publishing, Moot Gallery (Hong Kong), Castle Fitzjohns Gallery (NYC), Virgil Catherine Gallery (Chicago).

 

2022 Artist-in-Residence, Nancy Hershberger

2022 Artist-in-Residence Nancy Hershberger

I am a fiber artist. My journey began after a major life-altering event. Concerned about my welfare, a close friend suggested I take a quilting class. I started making traditional quilts but the desire to create my own original designs soon took hold. During an ongoing fiber art class, I learned that it was possible to interpret life in fabric and thread. I rediscovered my love of the natural environment, and my journey began.

My current body of work consists mostly of landscapes. Like the paintings they resemble, my art quilts contain ink and paint in addition to fabric, but they are, first and foremost quilts. Using commercial and hand dyed fabric as well as fabric paint, I layer the landscape quilt top onto batting and backing and then stitch the layers together much as our grandmothers did with their quilts. To showcase the structure of plants on a riverbank or leaves floating in still water, I developed a new technique that depicts reflection and transparency. After much study and experimentation, I found my voice and was able to realize my vision of interpreting the natural environment.

Inspiration at Indiana Dunes National Park is everywhere and has something for everyone. Architectural elements from farm to industry provide an interesting narrative as they play second fiddle to forest, wildflowers, bogs and beaches. It is a beautiful place.

 

2022 Artist-in-Residence, Robert Robbins

2022 Artist-in-Residence, Robert Robbins

Robert Robbins is an internationally exhibited visual artist who explores issues of social, political and environmental conflict through landscape as subject. His art, which takes the form of large scale paintings, on the surface appears straight-forward, but on closer inspection leaves the viewer to contemplate their position in the world.

Robbins received his MFA in Painting/Printmaking from Yale University and his BFA in Fine Arts from the Columbus College of Art and Design. His work has been awarded fellowships from the Macdowell Colony, the Ohio Arts Council and the Greater Columbus Arts Council. Robbin's work has been exhibited at the Butler Institute, The Chateau Museum (Rochefort-En-Terre), Springfield Museum of Art (OH), Sears / Peyton Gallery (NY), Carnegie Center for the Visual Arts (KY), Morehead University, Florida State University, Cleveland State University and the Maryland Institute of Art, among others. His work is included in the collections of the Nord Family Foundation, the Columbus Metropolitan Library and the Ohio State University.

Robbins is a Professor of Art and Chair of the Art Department at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio.