Review of the Foss Gallery in Edina, Minnesota

The Foss Gallery in the Edina Art Center is located in Edina, Minnesota. From February 28th through March 31st they were having the faculty exhibit. The show was a compilation of work done by faculty from area art centers. 30 different artists represent the work. The exhibit highlighted all media; from pottery to watercolor to doll makers. The artwork varied from traditional to contemporary.

The exhibit was hung well. The Foss Gallery is designed for exhibits like this. The walls have black carpeting and there are individual lights directed on each item displayed. Pottery pieces are displayed on tables and shelves specifically designed for height with the lights shining on them at the right angles.

Walking into the gallery and seeing the exhibits is overwhelming. There were over 30 different pieces of art displayed by 30 different artists. Each artist has a different style and communicates in there own unique way. Walking into the exhibit and seeing all this blended together was very powerful.
There were paintings of landscapes, people, houses and cities. Also included were photographs of nature and people. There was also pottery and collages. Even one artist, Gene Anderson, painted " Flower Fruit and Flowers" on canvas and placed it on the floor, encouraging people to walk on it.

The items vary from traditional to contemporary. Some portraits are vibrant with color as in Louis Gillis's "Mucha Flowers", while others such as William Dietrichson's oil on canvas "Roadway", are very dark and muted. Every kind of texture can be found. In the quiet and tranquil paintings like Carol Gray's pastel "December Thaw" the textures are smooth and soft while the strong and bold paintings like "Back Dive #2", an oil on canvas by Kenneth Wenzel, have thick and heavy textures. Given the variety of work and the vast differences in the items the exhibit will have something that will be enjoyed and remembered.
There was one painting that I liked the most and felt the artist communicated well. It was a pastel, "A Steady Gaze" by Judy Lieber. The painting, "Steady Gaze represented an individual whose character is strong, sure and steady. A person that is reliable and dependable and yet calm in the face of adversity.

Judy Lieber conveyed this message by the way she painted this individual. This is a painting of an older man over 60 gazing ahead. This represents someone who has seen much in life and has wisdom to share. The man is pictured from the bottom of his shoulders to the top of his head. His shoulders fill the bottom of the picture and rise up to the neck. This is the base of the picture and represents a solid base. Someone who is responsible and can be depended on. The face is at the top third of the painting. There is nothing else in the picture just the portrait of the man. The man is painted so that the viewer is drawn toward his eyes. The shoulders fill the bottom of the painting and positioned as a diagonal to the face. Judy Lieber used the shoulders as a line to draw attention to the eyes of the man. A hat sits just right on his head so that it draws the viewers down to the eyes. It is the way the man's gaze that is important. It is strong and steady.

The artist was able to communicate this not only through the portrait of the man but also through the use of colors and textures. The man is wearing a green suit with a green hat. The background is tan. There is nothing in the picture that draws the attention away from the man's face and eyes.

The portrait of the man is placed so it is asymmetrical on the picture. The strength of the shoulders on the bottom left and the face in the upper right of the picture. This also helps to draw the line toward the man's eyes. The muted yellow green implies the calm and tranquil part of the man. The green suit is soft wool also adding to the calming feeling.

Another piece of art that I enjoyed was an oil painting on canvas by Kenneth Wenzel called "Back Dive #2". This was a painting of a man doing a back dive. The background was blue with white clouds. The clouds were painted thick and heavy. There was nothing else in the picture besides the man in the air, diving. The painting was symmetrical with the diver in the center his body a straight line. The sky blended into the water so that it was difficult to tell where the sky ended and the water began. The artist simulated the smooth muscled texture of the diver and used the lines to imply the motion of the man diving. The curve of the arms and back conveyed the downward fall of the man. The skin colored diver contrasted with blue background. The painting conveyed a unity or oneness of the man diving.

The exhibit work was skillfully done. The color schemes of the work supported the moods the artists were trying to convey. The artists also simulated texture through there use of media.