Artist Mindy Joy Nutter Young is a Rockford College graduate who has made a name for herself in Rockford printmaking circles for elaborate and provocative monochromatic works. On Friday, February 1st, she will present a new body of work, but this time, presenting elaborate and visually challenging colorful mixed media drawings.
The exhibit titled “The Bathroom Diaries” is, according to the artist, “a collection of intensive drawings, which act as an interpretation and honest evaluation of ideas relating to mortality, isolation, and the pursuit of life and love.”
Young’s reference to the bathroom in her title is a metaphor for a small space withdrawn and confined where we prepare ourselves for the day. “The bathroom is not only the place for literal cleansing, but is simultaneously a place for me to cleanse, purge, and prepare matters of the heart and mind,” says Young.
Some of Young’s printmaking imagery of skeletal forms, nudes, and wild birds and animals appear in her eccentric drawings with much more elaborate, colorful, and eye-dazzling detail.
“There is so much going on in her drawings that you really need to spend some time looking them over and thinking about each one them,” said Doc Slafkosky, Kortman Gallery director. “Mindy has a lot to say in her art, and she does, in these powerful works of alluring and seductive fantasy.”
Young earned her spot in the Kortman Gallery by winning a series of juried art competition exhibits during 2012 in the upstairs galley at Kryptonite in Downtown Rockford.
When she’s not drawing or printmaking, Young, the artist with two middle names, is also pursuing a career in wedding and family photography. She is committed to a lifestyle of creativity and working with people.
An opening reception for “The Bathroom Diaries,” drawings by Mindy Joy Nutter Young will be Friday, February 1st, from 5:30 to 9pm. The opening coincides with First Fridays Downtown. The art will be on display through March 30th.. The gallery is located upstairs at J. R. Kortman Center for Design, 107 North Main Street. For further information call 815/968-0123 or visit www.jrkortman.com.
What: “The Bathroom Diaries” an exhibition of drawings by Mindy Joy Nutter Young
When: Opening reception: Friday, February 1st, 5:30 to 9pm. The exhibition runs through March 30th. Gallery & Store open Monday to Saturday, 10am – 6pm.
Where: Kortman Gallery, upstairs at J. R. Kortman Center for Design,
107 North Main Street, Downtown Rockford
Admission: Free
