March & April Artist: Brenda Backman
Brenda Backman
March & April Community Artist on Display
We welcome our very own Wheaty, Brenda Backman, to the community art space for the months of March and April! You will have to see her series “Gut Punch” in person to truly appreciate the details in Backman’s work.
“I’ve been making art and stitching since I was twelve and started making my own needlepoint designs. I’ve been hooked ever since. In 2000 I graduated from Iowa State University with a BFA and began my professional art career. I’ve shown my work all over the US and internationally as well. My work is characterized by a lively use of color and a heavily detailed surface which gives an intimate quality to the pieces.” – Brenda
January & February Artist: Kyle Renell
January & February Artist
Artist Statement
Kyle Renell
My work is my ticket to the exploration of the world around me. This group of drawings was completed in 2019, when life was simpler and without COVID. It includes studies for A Journey of Life, a major work; character development studies; and water studies. The media used varies, and includes graphite powder and pencils, colored pencils, and pastel. The techniques I developed in this grouping has aided me in my current in-progress series on Mass Shootings. Completed work from that series is on display at Morning Bell Coffee Roasters in downtown Ames.
Each framed drawing is $100 (tax included)
[email protected]
www.kylerenell.com
November & December Artist: Robert Sunderman
Robert Sunderman
November – December 2022 Community Artist
Fine Art Statement:
The sketches and paintings in this exhibition are studies that I have worked on over the past eleven years that reflect personal experiences but also capture the beautiful structure of the skeletal nature of trunks and branches of trees. In landscapes and specifically trees I see personalities that show the wear and tear of life. Each tree/landscape has its own story to tell and I try to bring that out through contrasts, elimination of color and textures. The tree subjects become gestural in form, shape and composition. I am asking the viewer what human feelings and emotions can you see in this work? How can you relate to them on an emotional personal level?
Renewal, fleeting moments and human effects on our environment are issues that I continually address in my work. Presently I am creating my ideas and reflections through a series of paintings, assemblage sculpture, photography and soon installations. Not limiting myself to specific materials is so important in my work so I use any and all materials that can best convey the subject or story. I see things as ever changing and evolving.
Phone photography is area I have been experimenting with recently. Life in our contemporary society moves so fast that we rarely take time to notice or capture a single beautiful moment. Moving my phone camera quickly under certain types of light quality and contrast conditions creates a sense of movement and change. The true feeling and meaning of the moment is brought out through the use of photoshop. I want to preserve the pure quick glimpse of time on the move. The viewer should ask the question… Where is it? Why did it happen and want took place there?
The assemblage sculpture is an ongoing experiment creating new stories and life by finding what different objects want to say when placed together. I use found materials, natural materials and various paint mediums to tell stories that are personal or contemporary to our society. Usually they are environment statements. The materials are manipulated and changed to work as a cohesive statement and usually take on an aged distressed look. The intent is to create a feel of something of the past “a relic” that is transformative. The most recent series I am working on is called shattered glass reconstruction. The reflective question I am asking is…. What can we do with the pieces to reconstruct a struggling new beautiful world?
The overall goal I am trying to achieve with my work is trying to let people see things in a way they might not have thought about before. I want to increase their awareness of how important our environment is and how we fit into the cycle of life. The reflective questions I would like people to ask themselves when viewing the work is…How can we transform to be better participants in the cycle of life on this earth? How can I better understand and appreciation this special world we live in and not take it for granted?
Robert Sunderman
Fine Artist
Display Your Artwork at the Co-op!
If you are interested in displaying your artwork please contact Melissa Lanphere, Marketing Manager, by email, phone or stopping into the Co-op. Please fill out the form linked below to have your artwork considered for display.