Living the Arts

From encouraging creative thinking to reducing stress, we believe there’s a big place in our lives for art. That’s why we display the artwork of local and regional artists from Greater Peoria in our gallery. We are very proud to support their work and encourage other artists. If you or an artist you know would like to be featured, call (309) 689-1406.

John Heintzman

ON EASEL: March 1 - April 30, 2023

It is the genius of materials that ensnares the artist into complex attractions which typically result in artworks. Fold, tear, press… material gestures that shape the artist’s technique over time, seeding and reseeding the conditions of mark making that precedes language, but never form. Form, and with it, pull—a physical action that resonates throughout this work—allows my abstract language to come alive.

Thought and creativity are the manipulation of marks and lines. They do not exist apart from the results that they express. This capacity of active mark making opens the way for an infinite system of interpretation. The impulses that create the action sometimes precede the constraints of an abstract language; but they are emotional, effective, and limitless none the less. As these marks “bind,” “unbind,” and “rebind,” symbols that become the space for interpretation.

The ability to interpret language is not born out of a dual relationship between a symbol and an object: it is to interpret it. There is a need to organize what is not part of the relationship as it relates to thought. More importantly, it recognizes the distance and reflection between the definition of the line and that which assimilates language to the mind.

What stands between the unrepresentative content of an inner space and the representation of realities through perception, is a space we can learn to relate to.

In this series "Collected Thoughts," I have incorporated my torn paper monotypes with gestures that express my thoughts at one specific moment. Through a somewhat random selection, I have combined them to vary my message and present balanced and imbalanced drawings. I hope the viewer will interpret each gesture as personal insight that conveys a more personal message they can appreciate and contemplate its meaning.

Bennett Johnson

ON EASEL: January 2 - February 24, 2023

Morgan Elser

ON EASEL: November 4 - December 30, 2022

The purpose behind my art is to evoke emotion from the viewer.

Barb Hoffman

ON EASEL: September 1 - October 28, 2022

My works are monotype prints or takeoffs on them. They are one-of-a-kind prints, so no editions exist.

Hattie Lee

ON EASEL: May 2 - July 29, 2022

My studio is a flux of mediums and objects in constant conversation with each other.

See more at hattieleeart.com

Buket Avery

ON EASEL: March 1 - April 29, 2022

My inspiration comes from the beautiful nature all around us.

See more at buketavery.com

Tyler Bielawski

ON EASEL: January 12 - February 25, 2022

Lori Reed

ON EASEL: November 9 - December 29, 2021

With my mixed media work, I'm moving from a photographic documentation of something to a fluid impression or memory of a place that is timeless.

See more at lorireedart.com

Cathy Engberg

ON EASEL: September 1 - October 31, 2021

Cathy Engberg is a figurative oil painter known for her playful compositions which are filled with light and color and celebrate life's simple moments. She was raised in the Chicago suburbs and is now living and working in Peoria, IL. You can find her most days in her studio which is located at North Art Studios.

See more at cathyengberg.com