Quad City Arts holds free artist reception
Quad City Arts in downtown Rock Island (1715 2nd Ave.) will host a free reception for its new exhibit Friday, Feb. 2.
From February 2 to March 15, 2024, Quad City Arts presents oil paintings by Nick Bridge of Oak Park, Ill., and John Carlson of Burlington, Iowa. The public is invited to attend the opening reception on Friday from 6-8 p.m., where the artists will be present, and refreshments will be served.
Nick Bridge’s work begins with collage. Layers of photographic imagery, colored paper, and paint form a study, which Bridge then uses as a reference for his oil paintings, according to Quad City Arts. These compositions often pair scraps of urban and natural landscapes within the same piece. Bridge says, “The intersection of the built environment and the natural world is a primary driver in the conception of my artwork.”
His artist statement says:
“The urban environment is a collage of varied textures, unlikely juxtapositions, monumentality and often surprising beauty, always in the process of self-reclamation. And that has led me to incorporate collage into my own painting practice.
“As a painter, I’ve enjoyed looking at Chicago and many other cities from different angles, including bird’s eye views, the moody turns of Chicago’s Lower Wacker Drive and areas of natural habitat surviving in the city. Initially, I used collage to stitch together visual elements taken from the built urban environment, partly as a response to the ever-changing view through the windshields of our cars. It was faster than sketching.
“Collage enables me to incorporate multiple views, abstract shapes, pattern, and distortion. An added bonus for me is the opportunity to work with a variety of media including printed materials, ink, paint and colored paper. This is a process I have come to enjoy because it brings into play mixed media and visual elements from a limitless supply of sources.”
John Carlson is an abstract painter utilizing colorful, expressionistic forms and figurative references. He begins with a spontaneous sketch, which then turns into a bold composition with a sense of rhythm and movement. Each piece is a personal exploration for Carlson, and he says that his pieces are an “opportunity to be physically silent and shout at the same time.”
His artist statement says:
“The paintings that I have selected for this exhibit display the expansion of my inner being. In each painting I find the starting point for the next one and the ability to grow my ideas. Starting with spontaneous thumbnail drawings, I enlarge the roughs and add a liberal dose of color.
These paintings for me, are a snapshot of my life at the inception of the works.
“They are a voice I use to communicate. They are my opportunity to be physically silent and shout at the same time.”
The artists’ works can be viewed and purchased online HERE. Quad City Arts Gallery is located at 1715 2nd Avenue, Rock Island. Gallery hours are Monday-Friday 10 a.m.-5 p.m. and Saturday 11 a.m.–5 p.m.
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