John Bell's "always hungry" art exhibit opens Friday, June 8th @ Kortman Gallery

                                                                                                     

                          John Bell exhibits figurative 

   abstract art at Kortman Gallery

Rockford native and artist John Bell returns home on Friday, June 8th to present his latest body of abstract, yet figurative work at the Kortman Gallery.  The exhibition titled “always hungry” features paintings and small sculpture that are motion-filled images that take on a life of their own through muted colors and textured forms and shapes.
“I want my pictures to operate in the realm of potential—in imagining and bringing to life the near-limitless variety of form that life can take on to make itself unique and still survive,” says Bell. Even though Bell’s work at first glance looks abstract, as you look deeper into his art you can see, through imagination, movement and figurative images. As Bell writes in his artist’s statement, “I think of myself as a figurative artist who strives to depict animals as verbs rather than as nouns.”
Bell is a graduate of Boylan High School, with a B.A. from Grinnell College, and MFA from the Minneapolis School of Art and Design.
“John comes from a very artistic and creative family,” said Doc Slafkosky, Kortman Gallery director. “His twin sister Katie has a piece in Rockford Art Museum’s current Midwestern juried art exhibit, his mother, Sarah, is a former art teacher and artist in her own right, and father Kurt is one of the area’s leading craftsmen in historic preservation.”
The opening reception for “always hungry” exhibition by John Bell will be Friday, June 8th from 5:30 to 9pm and will be on display through July 21, 2012.  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: “always hungry” an exhibition of paintings and sculpture by 
             Rockford native John Bell 
When: Opening reception: Friday, June 8th, 5:30 to 9pm. The exhibition runs through                     
             July 21st. Gallery & Store open Monday to Saturday, 10am – 6pm.
Where: Kortman Gallery, upstairs at J. R. Kortman Center for Design, 
             107 North Main St.
Admission: Free 

First Friday @ J. R. Kortman: Kristy Luck's "Intimation(s)" & Michael LaLoggia tending the Gallery Bar

 This First Friday @ J. R. Kortman Center for Design...you can shop 'til 9pm and relax upstairs in the Kortman Gallery where Michael LaLoggia will be tending bar and keeping the evening going with music from his very own iPod played through the fantastic sound system by hear.more.music. This is going to be a grand First Friday as we welcome Cheap Trick to the BMO and the opening of the new District Bar & Grill. Plus, this is the season opener for City Market! The Kortman Gallery is a great place to meet up with friends before or after any of these exciting events in Downtown Rockford. Kristy Luck's art exhibit, "Intimation(s)" ends on June 2nd. This may be your last chance to see her compelling art. Hope everyone enjoys a fun evening Downtown.

 

 

Kortman Gallery installs exhibit of Rockford art @ District Bar & Grill

The management of the District Bar & Grill invited Kortman
Gallery to install a small exhibit of Rockford art. The new downtown
urban/sports/entertainment bar & restaurant on West State, just
around the corner from the Kortman Gallery, opens Friday, June 1st.
"We really appreciate the opportunity to expand the visual arts
downtown Rockford. The urban art selected for District is a great fit
for this exciting new venue. District owners Andy Roiniotis and Denny Trakas are really reaching out to the neighborhood and feeling the downtown vibe, " says Doc Slafkosky, Kortman Gallery director. 

The exhibit includes paintings, prints, mixed media, and
photography. The art has an urban theme featuring works by Corey
Hagberg, Mario Martinez, Joseph Stanley Goral,
Jesus Correa, Frank DiGiovanni, and Ryan Davis.

Remember Mom this Mother's Day with a special gift from J. R. Kortman.

Mother's Day arrives this Sunday, May 13th. Take Mom to dinner downtown Saturday evening or Sunday brunch and present her with a lasting treasure from J. R. Kortman Center for Design...a beautiful necklace of pearls and crystals, or an elegantly designed functional piece from Alessi, or a sweet art glass heart from Robert Eickolt or Robert Held or Robert Birch, or even a bag of pewter hearts from Vilmain. Give her a gift certificate from J. R. Kortman so she can experience shopping at J. R. Kortman for herself! (photo: Lucy Slafkosky with daughter, Geri, 1945)

Dennis Horton rules the Kortman Gallery Bar, First Friday, May 4 @ 6pm 'til ?

 

 A fun First Friday is on it's way at the Kortman Gallery, May 4th. The Store will close at 6pm....just as the Kortman Gallery Bar opens upstairs featuring the works of Kristy Luck in an exhibit titled, "Intimation(s)." See this cool exhibit while you enjoy a drink served up by Dennis Horton from the Kortman Gallery Bar. Hear what's on Dennis' ipod...we're featuring music from Mr. Horton's unedited iPod playlist brought to you through the great sound system provided by hear.more.music. Meet friends and have a great relaxing evening, First Friday, @ Kortman Gallery and all over Downtown.

Pearls, Turquoise, and other colorful jewelry...new this Spring @ J.R. Kortman

With Spring in full swing and Mother's Day just around the corner on Sunday, May 13th, J. R. Kortman Center for Design presents beautiful new arrivals from the Beijing Pearl Market featuring chic and elegant designs from Joe Yuan Pearls...also...fun and colorful, casual jewelry distinctively from J. R. Kortman. As the wedding season approaches J. R. Kortman has bridal registration and gifts of extraordinary design from Alessi of Italy.

 

 

Kristy Luck's "Intimation(s)" exhibit opens Friday, April 13 @ Kortman Gallery

 

          Kristy Luck exhibits introspective multi-media works @ Kortman Gallery

Kristy Luck uses multi-media techniques in her art to explore her inner feelings toward personal relationships in an exhibition titled, “Intimation(s)” opening Friday, April 13th in the Kortman Gallery.
Her images are created using several techniques from collage to layering pigment on canvas to painted photographic images. There is more to her soft, sometimes highly impressionistic works than meets the eye.
“My goal is to create a mood that hints at thoughts unspoken just below the surface, “ writes Luck in her artist’s statement. “My work is highly personal, but the feelings conveyed by my images are universal.”
According to Doc Slafkosky, gallery director, even though Luck’s work is emotionally charged it still has a mellow, relaxing quality. “Her art does speak to you emotionally with colorful, subdued imagery that is quite refreshing. You could say they are impressionistic abstracts,” said Slafkosky.
Kristy Luck is a Rockford native presently living and working in Chicago. She received her BFA at Rockford College and is currently pursuing her MFA in painting at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago.
The opening reception for “Intimation(s)” exhibition by Kristy Luck will be Friday, April 13th from 5:00 to 9pm and Saturday, April 14th 3:00 to 9pm. The Luck exhibition is part of the 2012 Spring Rockford  ArtScene and will be on display through May 31, 2012.  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: “Intimation(s)” an exhibition of new works by Rockford artist Kristy Luck.
When: Opening reception: Friday, April 13th, 5:00 to 9pm. and Saturday, April 14th, 3:00 to 9pm.The exhibition runs through May 31st. Gallery & Store open Monday to Saturday, 10am – 6pm.
Where: Kortman Gallery, upstairs at J. R. Kortman Center for Design, 
             107 North Main St.
Admission: Free 

Colorlab custom cosmetics brings it's creative magic to Kortman Gallery, First Friday, April 6th

        Colorlab, the internationally known cosmetic company founded in Rockford, will present a complimentary tester bar in the Kortman Gallery on First Friday, April 6th from 5 to 9pm. This is a great opportunity to try customizing your cosmetics with the help of the expert make-up artists from Colorlab...all while enjoying a glass of wine from the Kortman Gallery Bar and listening to cool music from Carrie Johnson Breitbach's iPod through a great sound system from hear.more.music. 
"The Colorlab tester bar is kind of like a 'play station' for women," says Colorlab representative Annalise Berman. "This will be a fun and glamorous evening for everyone...even guys, who can enjoy watching women at play. The make-up bar will be set up right in the middle of the gallery, so you will be surrounded by the colorful and alluring art of Shannon Blosser-Salisbury."

      Shop at J. R. Kortman Center for Design until 9pm. The Kortman Gallery Bar, hosted by Dennis Horton, will be open even later.  Carrie Johnson Breitbach, education director at the Rockford Art Museum, was lead singer with the Carriers. Hear her unedited iPod playlist all evening in the Kortman Gallery. "What's on your ipod?"™