Arts at Richland Community College

Classes begin August 17
richland.edu/registration or call
(217) 875-7211, Ext.6267

CLOSING RECEPTION THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 27, 2020 / 1:30 PM

Oil paintings by Decatur, Illinois artist Lyle J. Salmi is the current exhibition at the David Erlanson Gallery of Richland Community College. “Abstract Impressions” will be on display beginning Monday, January 27 and ending on Thursday, February 27, 2020

Salmi’s paintings invoke a style that can be characterized as “Abstract Impressionism”, as they explore the reality somewhere between the physicality of a painterly surface and the suggestion of light and space somewhere beyond…

Salmi grew up enjoying the bountiful lakes, streams, and wilderness areas of northeastern Minnesota. It was the lasting impressions of this environment, along with living in the desert southwest, that were to later be infused with his understanding of contemporary abstract painting in order to lay the foundations for his abstract impressions of light and form. The artist enjoys part of the summer at his cabin on Bear Island Lake, a place that his family has owned since 1962. Salmi has also been inspired by visits to coastal Maine, and takes inspiration from the beauty of the natural settings.

Salmi’s paintings reveal his influences by artists such as Claude Monet, Vincent Van Gogh, Mark Rothko, Joan Mitchell, Wolf Kahn, and Susan Rothenberg.

Salmi’s paintings have been exhibited throughout the United States and his work is in both private and public collections including J.L. Hubbard, LL. Bean, and Anheuser Busch, Kennebunk State Bank, Rochester Institute of Technology, Illinois State University, and The Quincy Art Center.

He is currently Professor of Painting/ Drawing/Printmaking at Millikin University. Salmi received his Master of Fine Arts degree in Painting from Arizona State University in 1988. His Bachelor of Fine Arts degree was received from the University of Minnesota-Duluth in 1983. Active professionally both in and out of the classroom, Salmi has spoken at regional arts symposiums, served as juror for numerous regional art exhibitions, and has written for The Dictionary of Modern Philosophers, and Fiberarts magazine. Mr. Salmi has also been recognized for outstanding teaching in the 1996 Edition of Who’s Who Among America’s Teachers. Salmi has exhibited his paintings nationally and continues to work both as an artist and teacher.

A 1:30 PM closing reception is planned for the artist on Thursday, February 27, 2020 the public is invited.

Gallery hours are Monday and Wednesday 9:00 AM – 12:00 PM and can also be open upon special request by contacting Gil Rocha, Professor of Art at 217.875.7211 ext. 6391 / [email protected]

This exhibit is sponsored in part by the David Erlanson Art Gallery Endowment Fund established through the Richland Foundation and the Richland Community College Department of Fine Art.

Eleven Watercolor and Mix-Media paintings by Beth Shadur are on display in the David Erlansson Gallery of Richland Community College. Her exhibition "The National Park Project" will be available for viewing until Tuesday December 3, 2019.

"My newest project, The National Park Project, looks at the impact of man and climate change on our glorious National Parks. I have just received a 2019 Illinois Arts Council Agency Grant to support this project.
I wish my work to address this alarming circumstance by expressing the wondrous beauty of the natural environment, while reminding us of its fragility. I think this work will be of interest to a wide public; all can relate to issues of fragility, whether personal, political, environmental, or spiritual."

As an educator, Shadur has lectured widely on community arts and taught in both the United States and abroad at the university level. She has curated numerous national exhibitions, including the ongoing ‘The Poetic Dialogue Project’, which has traveled throughout the United States. She currently serves as Gallery Director at Prairie State College, curating five exhibitions a year. Shadur has been awarded numerous Ragdale Fellowships and is a Thomas Watson Fellow from Brown University. In 2008, Shadur was Artist-in-Residence at the Burren College of Art in Ireland through a Governor’s Award for International Arts Exchange from the Illinois Arts Council. In 2013, Shadur was a fellow at the Leighton Artist Colony at the Banff Centre for the Arts in Banff, Alberta, Canada. In 2016, she was awarded a residency at the Harfnarborg Art Center in Harfnarjardur, Iceland. In 2016, she was appointed to the Board of Trustees of the Illinois State Museum. Her work is owned in many private and public collections.

Gallery Hours are Monday and Wednesday from 9:00 AM – 12:00 PM
The gallery can be open at special request by contacting:
Gil Rocha, Professor of Art at 217.875.7211 ext. 391 or
[email protected]

A closing reception will take place at 1:30 PM on Tuesday, December 3 the public is invited to attend.

“The National Park Project” is sponsored in part by the David Erlanson Art Gallery Endowment Fund established through the Richland Foundation the Richland Community College Department of Fine Art
and The Illinois Arts Council Agency