Blue Moon Gallery in Grayslake has announced its 2022 Collective Artists — Tony Armendariz, Michael Bellefeuille, Leisa Corbett, Juli Janovicz, and John Kirkpatrick Jr. — who will be showing their artwork year-round in the gallery this year.
All are professional fine artists from northern Illinois and southeastern Wisconsin with distinctive careers in the visual arts.
The gallery will continue to host monthly artist receptions from 6-9 p.m. on fourth Saturdays, where visitors can see the latest offering of contemporary art from these artists.
Starting in March, Blue Moon will also launch its 2022 calendar of local and regional guest artists who will exhibit their art through December this year.
New to the Blue Moon Collective this year, Tony Armendariz is an award-winning painter specializing in contemporary realism. He was born and raised in Chicago to a graphic arts family, where he learned to create with textile, photography, drawing, and painting.
Graduating from the American Academy of Art in Chicago, he studied under renowned watercolor instructor Irving Shapiro. While still attending the academy, he began his employment in the corporate world for more than 20 years as a graphic artist, illustrator, and web designer. His work has been published, most notably in Fine Art Connoisseur, American Art Collector and Watercolor Artist magazines.
“My paintings concentrate on portraits and figurative work, sometimes combined
with architectural elements ... It is my intent to display their soul/authentic self which, at times, may not reveal itself to me immediately. Many times, the ‘window’ opens and shows itself not only through the eyes, but also through the many other features which are used to emote the ranges of expression, including the mouth, hands and body language,” Armendariz said. The artist currently resides in Palatine.
Returning Collective artist Michael Bellefeuille has an artistic vision that, when coupled with his technical skills as a metal sculptor, transforms found objects and repurposed metals into exciting, colorful art that is representational, abstract or functional.
Bellefeuille selects materials based on shape, but also on color, which is sometimes altered by heat, sanding, or creating various patinas.
Bellefeuille, who lives in Beach Park, said, “I am drawn to the natural state of metal, which I believe creates a more interesting finished product and which sometimes suggests to the viewer the original object it once was.”
The artist uses old tool boxes, gas cans, oil tanks, shelving, shed doors, file cabinets, and more to make his unique pieces.
Leisa Corbett of Waukegan is also a returning Collective artist and is an award-winning painter who has an MFA from the Vermont College of the Fine Arts. She specializes in landscapes and florals in oil and acrylic.
For seven years, she taught art history, art appreciation, drawing, and painting at community colleges in Dallas/Fort Worth. She has exhibited her work in commercial and university galleries and juried exhibitions in Europe and the United States.
Corbett had a terrific year at the Blue Moon last year, particularly with her bold, colorful, and dramatic amaryllis series of paintings, and her “rainy day driving” paintings, all of which were top sellers in the gallery.
New to the Blue Moon Collective, Juli Janovicz arrived at painting from other art forms with a Bachelor of Arts in English and a master’s degree in library and information science. She immersed herself in cottage gardening for more than 25 years, studying garden design, color theory, antique flowers, and historic gardens.
She took classes in the studio art program in Expressive Botanical Arts at the Chicago Botanic Garden in Glencoe. She specializes in floral watercolors.
“I search for the poetry between what is seen and what can’t be explained. I draw and paint the flowers and the colors as they feel. Though the flowers are removed from the garden, the garden remains,” said Janovicz, who lives in Kenosha, Wisconsin.
“It is this tension and movement that I try to portray on a flat piece of watercolor paper. The essence of the individual blooms and the nuances of the vase capture my imagination. As I draw and paint, the colors of the flowers and the memory of the garden vibrate in their container.”
John Kirkpatrick Jr., also returning as a Blue Moon Collective Artist, is an award-winning painter specializing in figurative expressionism. He has a Bachelor of Arts in painting from Northeastern Illinois University.
Influenced by Peter Max, Leroy Neimann and Ed Paschke, Kirkpatrick is drawn to a strong use of color, thick and dramatic brush strokes, and texture to create visual and emotional stories in the human face and body.
His preferred medium is acrylic paint applied to large canvases, which allows him to work fast and fearlessly, creating vastly expressive moods via fresh, spontaneous creativity.
Kirkpatrick is one of the most prolific and highly sought after artists in the region. Gallery patrons enjoy examining his textural work, studying his technique, and learning about his universal subject matter. He lives in Libertyville.
“We are very excited about this new collective of artists who will be showing their diverse and top tier work at the Blue Moon this year,” Blue Moon Gallery Director Kendra Kett said.
“In addition to creating outstanding art in a variety of styles, these individuals are also outstanding people to learn about in our community. Our events are designed to facilitate getting to know our artists, discover their inspirations and techniques, and share thoughts and perspectives about art with them.
“We hope everyone will come out for a wonderful evening of camaraderie, socialization, and beauty. We have lots of parking, and the fire pit will be going, too.”
The public is invited to experience the latest works from the new 2022 Collective Artists at the gallery’s first artist reception of the year from 6-9 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 26. Blue Moon Gallery is at 18620 Belvidere Road in Grayslake. Patrons are encouraged to bring their own favorite winter beverages to enjoy.
Regular gallery hours are 1-4 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays, and will commence on Sunday, Feb. 27.
For more information, visitwww.thebluemoongallery.comor call (224) 388-7948.