Featured Artists

Ceramic Artist Denise Greenwood Loveless speaks purposefully through her art. See more of her amazing work by visiting her website.

I have always been in love with self-expression through art. I was number ten of twelve children. Our mother would work with the five “little girls”, teaching us to make paper dolls & design clothes for them. We had shoeboxes full of paper doll “haute couture”. In my first year of college, our family home burned down. Those paper doll shoe boxes, that’s the the stuff you really miss. You can never get it back.

After college, I sort of “ran away” from art. I still can’t say why. I suspect losing everything I had created, in my short lifetime manifested itself in that way. It felt like fear. It wasn’t until eight years later I realized I was tired of working in an office environment. I was teaching myself metalsmithing from a book I’d found. I just up & quit my job to try making jewelry for a living. About the same time I sort of stumbled into art directing film & video (another story altogether). Film is what paid the bills back then. Then, about eight years in, a friend had me sit down with a lump of clay. I made seven little heads. I was completely smitten.

My work is a bit whimsical, but I work at being dark, edgy. (A couple of years ago, a friend said ‘You are one of the happiest people I know. Why are you always saying you’re trying to work darker & edgier?’ All I know is it’s what works for me. It’s right where I feel I belong. Maybe it’s the balance thing.) I try to avoid ever hearing “cute”, though I sometimes still do. My work is sculptural, with emphasis on faces & figures.  I have come to resent the image, or idea, that Hollywood has tried to sell us, that “normal” equates to beautiful, to ‘perfect’. I grew up with a brother who has cerebral palsy, a learning disability, & he is deaf. He has taught me invaluable life lessons, as a big brother should. I do believe “normal” is different for those of us who grew up with a handicapped sibling or other disabled family member. Who gets to decide?

I will sometimes create figures with missing limbs, holes in the heart or belly. To me, these “deformities”  speak more to the emotional than to the physical. I also like to think there’s a spiritual element to my work.

I am always exploring the line where dark & light meet, trying to form sentences about human frailty, & imperfection. Not attempting to make any sense out of life, or arguing for any particular point of view, rather, to probe the act of seeing, & of being. To look inside, past the physical, to see what there is to see, & to feed the curiosity of viewers of my work, but mostly my own. Getting a feel for life, & dancing just beyond the demarcation of what is often the dark side of who we are.

There’s a real purpose & longing in my need to write this specific story, as there is to continue reading what I have managed, thus far,  to get down: the characters, the setting, the plot & the conflict. I am learning volumes about myself as I continue to make art for a living. What could be better really? If I’m only going to be here on this planet for a short time, I might as well get a feel for what it means to be here.

Featured Artist Jane M. Robinson embraces abstract work with a colorful enthusiasm. Enjoy more of her portfolio by visiting her website.

Michigan native Jane Robinson is an innovative contemporary emerging artist who works in acrylic paint and mixed media.  Complex textures, created through layering various mediums, encourage curiosity about what lies beneath.   Most viewers are attracted to particular pieces not only for the colors and composition but for the sculptural qualities as well.  Her work has been purchased by many private collectors and businesses, as well as the local colleges, DePaul University and the University of Michigan.

Artist Statement

My style is best described as intuitive, abstract painting. Creating through the act of mixing, brushing, and texturing- liberating the process of making art as I weave color and balance, creating a deep connection to each of the abstract works on canvas. When you look at my work please know that I was exploring another place.  Some of you will recognize this place.

What are your goals? 

My goals are to inspire others to explore their own creativity.  I do this by offering workshops for “non-artists”, give presentations and reach others through my blog.  I work to sell my work through various venues including galleries, art licensing, open studio and art fairs.  Like most artists I strive to make art my “day job”.

What are you working on now?

I am working on a series of large abstract works inspired by the movement and energy of early jazz pioneers.  I have just signed a contract with an art licensing company and am creating a series of work for the fine art licensing market.

What inspires you?

Living an Art Epicurean lifestyle.  The definition of an Art Epicurean is one who strives to find balance while enjoying life’s luxuries. Someone who shares their passions and creativity with the world…without the barriers of geography, culture, color or faith. With a world filled with interesting people, places, experiences, cultures and endless possibilities to stimulating our five senses, we have an incredible journey to travel. Epicureans grasp that sensuous pleasure is an important constituent of human happiness, but only when it is integrated with spiritual and ethical aspects, since all human experiences are essentially holistic spiritual-physical experiences. Although the modern terms “epicure” and “epicurean” imply self-indulgent.

In a world filled with excess, this philosophy and wisdom of Epicurus should be heeded. If we look simply at our lives as a beautiful work of art, enjoying life’s pleasures with simple abundance we will see the beauty of this amazing world. Forget the clichés, the politicians, the bureaucrats, the commercialized side of life telling us what we “need” or the whos, whats or wheres of life.