New Exhibit Features Best In Show Winners At ArtFusion

Attached: mconceptions.jpg. logo image for the show
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Pottstown, PA – ArtFusion’s latest show MythConceptions will open on November 7 and run through November 21.  This show will feature artwork from the winners of the Best in Show contest from ArtFusion’s 2015 Winter Member Show. Visitors to the show voted for their favorite artists and the two artists who received the most votes won their own show. Artists Dora Siemel and Gwendolyn Lanier-Gardner will present an amazing collection of 3D and 2D artwork. Gwendolyn and Dora invite the community to a meet the artists reception on Friday, November 13 from 6-8pm.

Dora Siemel was born in Matto Grosso, Brazil. In addition to being a sculptor, she is a poet, a computer consultant, a martial artist and a yoga instructor.  Dora has had her own studio in Green Lane, Pennsylvania since 1992. Her sculpture medium is clay. The colors come from any combination of glazes, oxides, paints and waxes. Dora says, “When it feels appropriate, I incorporate found objects into my sculptures. These can be metal, fiber, bone or anything else that seems to fit with the rest of the sculpture.”

Her work has been included in various juried shows including the Pottstown Area Artists Guild’s “Art on the Hill” show, the Lansdale Festival of the Arts, the Norristown Art League, the Meadowood Art Show, the Woodmere Art Museum Show, the Phillips Mill Art Show, the New Hope Art League Show, the Bucks Byers Fever Show, the Bucks County Sculpture Show, the FODC Show and the GoggleWorks Annual Show. Her pieces have won numerous local prizes, including three “Best of Show” awards.

Born in Boston, Massachusetts, Gwendolyn Lanier- Gardner began making art in 2000 at the Essex Art Center in Lawrence, Massachusetts. In 2009 Gwendolyn received her Bachelors of Fine Arts in Studio Arts degree at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston MA.  Her primary focus as an undergraduate was Ceramics Figurative Sculpture. In 2012 she received her Post Baccalaureate in Graduate Studies at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts in Philadelphia PA, where her exploration of drawing led her to her current body of work.

Gwendolyn’s art has been featured in the Philadelphia Inquirer, Lawrence Eagle Tribune, and at the Pittsburgh Center for the Arts during the 2008 NCECA Confluence Conference. She has shown her work at the Woman Made Gallery in Chicago, Katherine Weems Gallery in Boston, and other galleries across the East Coast. Gwendolyn is currently a Working Artist Member and instructor at ArtFusion.

ArtFusion 19464 is a 501(c)3 non-profit community art center located at 254 E. High St. in downtown Pottstown. The school offers day, evening and weekend classes to all ages. The goal of these classes is to help students develop their creative skills through self-expression and independence. ArtFusion’s gallery hosts rotating shows featuring local artists. The gallery also sells handcrafted, one-of-a-kind gift items.  The gallery is open Tuesday through Friday from 10am-5pm and Saturday 10am-3pm. The gallery is closed Sunday and Monday.

ArtFusion Show Highlights 5 Local Artists

“Modern Woman” by Bob Hakun

“It Happened One Evening” by Jeanne Petrosky and Dennis Guzenski

untitled piece by Dora Siemel

untitled piece by Kristen VonHohen

Pottstown, PA – ArtFusion 19464’s latest show titled “5” is a showcase for five talented local artists: Kristen VonHohen, Bob Hakun, Dora Siemel, Jeanne Petrosky and Dennis Guzenski. Each artist creates unique three-dimensional art pieces in different mediums from clay and glass to handmade paper and rusted metal. The show opens November 4 and runs through November 15.

ArtFusion will host a reception on Friday November 7 from 6-8pm where guests can meet and talk with each of the artists. Light refreshments will be served, and the event is free and open to the public. RSVPs to 610-326-2506 are appreciated.

Kristen VonHohen is a local artist residing in Gilbertsville.  Her passion in ceramics was formed in Boyertown High School’s art program in the early 2000s.  She went on to attend University of the Arts in Philadelphia, earning a BFA in Ceramics.  Kristen focuses on hand built structures and enjoys experimenting with forms and shape.  In this show Kristen’s latest work incorporate fusible glass in the finished pieces, creatively combining two completely different elements to create new works of art.

Dora Siemel’s sculpture medium is clay. She has her own studio in Green Lane, Pennsylvania. All her pieces are hand built and fired to between cone 4 and cone 6.  The colors come from any combination of glazes, oxides, paints and waxes. Since each piece is made individually, no two are exactly alike. She does, however, make “families” that have the same general characteristics.  Some of her pieces incorporate “found” objects and others marry her love of fiber and crochet with her clay sculptures

Bob Hakun says of his work:  “I collect old discarded common items: some natural, some man-made. I look for old pieces that show the graphic effects of aging: the beauty and harshness of the breaking-down over time of all things into what they came from. I look for pieces that are burnt, broken, rusty, crushed, bent, stained and cracked (and sometimes smell bad). Sometimes the final art piece will seem to tell a story or convey a message about something, but it will not be clear as to what that message really is. It is open to interpretation by the viewer.”

Jeanne Petrosky has always loved creating. She studied painting, drawing, sculpture, etching, graphic arts, and pottery. In 1987, Jeanne met a woman at a party who made paper. Having always loved paper and fiber, the first thing out of her mouth was “I’d like to try that.” The connection to making paper was immediate.

Dennis Guzenski has always loved drawing. Dennis’ fine art career evolved from the world of decorative arts. He came to painting by way of many different careers including painting the exteriors of Victorian homes.  His growing interest in learning many new decorative painting and designer wall finishes eventually turned into a business.

Jeanne and Dennis met in 2002, beginning a journey of partnership, and collaborations in the studio. The fine art of Jeanne Petrosky and Dennis Guzenski is now a completely collaborative effort. Their bold approach to papermaking has won them numerous awards. They are published in multiple books, and their work can be seen at the country’s most acclaimed shows. At first glance, Jeanne and Dennis’s art is color. Upon a closer look the viewer starts appreciating the nuances, the subtlety and the expansiveness in the simplicity, seeing the interplay of color and texture within the form.

ArtFusion 19464 is a 501(c)3 non-profit community art center located at 254 E. High St. in downtown Pottstown. The school offers day, evening and weekend classes to all ages. The goal of these classes is to help students develop their creative skills through self-expression and independence. ArtFusion’s gallery hosts rotating shows featuring local artists. The gallery also sells handcrafted, one-of-a-kind gift items.  The gallery is open Tuesday through Friday from 10am-5pm and Saturday 10am-3pm. The gallery is closed Sunday and Monday.

Dora Siemel Wins Best in Show Honors At Gallery On High’s “Re-Creative” Art Show

Pottstown, PA  –  Local Artist Wins Best In Show

Artist Dora Siemel received Best in Show honors for her piece, Buy More Stuff!, at a reception at the Gallery on High, Saturday, April 14.  Dora and 19 other local artists participated in Re-Creative, a recycled art show.  Entries in this show had to be created from recycled, upcycled or salvaged materials.

The $100 prize was sponsored by the National Association of Remodelers-Building Industries Exchange (NARI-BIE) Green Team.  Green Team member Christine Elliott awarded the prize.  The Green Team judges had the following to say about the winning entry:

Buy New Stuff!. . . stood out to the judges as a lively piece of art, steeped in the nostalgia of quality American manufacturing, while poking fun at our current culture which thrives on poorly made goods and constant consumerism.  While strong social messages are observed within this piece, it also stands alone as an artistic historic tribute.  The artful arrangement of materials from consumer products is delightful and the reclaimed nature of the materials strictly followed the theme of the show.  The reverse form inherent in the newspaper type elements used added an intriguing, reflective symbolism to this piece.  The piece takes us on a journey into our past, as it prods us to seriously consider our future.

Re-Creative runs through April 21.  Guests can view the exhibit during regular gallery hours: Tuesday through Friday from 10am to 4:30pm and Saturday 10am to 3pm.  The Gallery is closed Sunday and Monday.

The Gallery School of Pottstown is a 501c3 non-profit community art school and gallery.  The School offers day, evening and weekend classes to all ages.  The goal of these classes is to help students develop their creative skills through self-expression and independence.  The Gallery on High hosts rotating shows featuring local artists.  The Gallery also sells handcrafted, one-of-a-kind gift items.

The Gallery School of Pottstown

@Gallery on High

254 E. High Street

Pottstown, PA  19464

610-326-2506

www.galleryonhigh.org

Warm Soup and Cool Art At Pottstown’s Gallery On High

POTTSTOWN, PA – The non-profit Gallery School of Pottstown will be holding a delicious, beat-the-winter-chill fundraiser on Saturday, February 18th from noon until 3:00pm.  Guests can choose a handcrafted ceramic bowl and then fill it with their favorite soup.  Bread, beverages and homemade desserts will complete the meal.  They will have a nice variety of soups to sample, made by Gallery School members and volunteers, and donated by local restaurants. Vegetarian soups will be included in the selection.  Guests can have some culinary fun sampling every option, or fill up on their favorite!

Tickets are only $15 and all proceeds benefit the non-profit Gallery School of Pottstown.  Tickets can be purchase online at their website www.galleryonhigh.org, or in person at 254 E. High St.

When guests finish their soup, they will be able view the Gallery’s Winter Member Show: “Baby, it’s cold outside!”.  This fun show is all about contrasts: warm and cold, tropical paradise and winter wonderland.  Visitors can take a virtual vacation to a sunny beach or a snow capped mountain.

Participating artists include: Robyn Burckhardt, Joe Hoover, Joni Peters, Dora Siemel, Cari Myford, Tina Madonia, Sue Ploppert, Peter Ehlinger, Mary Chisak, Geoffrey Meyers, Donna Meyers, Arline Christ, Molly Light, Kristy Bell, Millie Lea, Charles McCann, Jackie Pierson, and Carol Ross Noyes.

The Gallery School of Pottstown is a 501c3 non-profit community art school and gallery.  The School offers day, evening and weekend classes to all ages.  The goal of these classes is to help students develop their creative skills through self-expression and independence.  The Gallery on High hosts rotating shows featuring local artists.  The Gallery also sells handcrafted, one-of-a-kind gift items.  The Gallery on High is open Tuesday through Friday from 10am-4:30pm and Saturday 10am-3pm. The Gallery is closed Sunday and Monday.

The Gallery School of Pottstown
@Gallery on High
254 E. High St.
Pottstown, PA 19464
610-326-2506
www.galleryonhigh.org