The youngest children making the simplest creation will involve a process–in thought and use of media. So do animals. Elephants, chimpanzees, and gorillas have been known to “choose” a
- brush size
- color into which to dip it
- place-in-space to apply the brush to paper
- direction to move the brush
- moment when the artwork is “done.”
Beginning at 6:30 p.m., at The Loft on Main, 112 E. Main Street, Morrison, IL, three human, adult, Illinois artists spoke on Thursday, June 20, 2019. Each discussed his/her philosophy, process, and products (glass works and photographs.) Time was allowed for questions and examining the art pieces up close.
Left-to right are Rick Prestley, Sterling, Valerie Butcher, Rock Falls, and Rick Brant, Lake Carroll.
Rick Prestley is a graduate of Morrison High School. His photographs favors black and white images.
“Personally, photography serves as a vehicle for exploring. Perhaps more importantly, photography allows for the reflection on relationships between the human, cultural, environmental, and visual elements of a particular place and how they interact at a specific moment in time,” stated Rick.
He has enjoyed the art of photography for 55 years.
Val Butcher “grew up in Rock Island, IL, between the Rock and Mississippi Rivers; I was part of the Rock Island art community. Art has always been a part of my life. I moved to Rock Falls 20 years ago; it has become my favorite place to live.” She is the first woman to earn an Associate Degree in Automotive Mechanics from Lake Land College, Mattoon, IL. Butcher owned a shop, working as an auto mechanic until retirement.
She began her career as a painter in oils and for “ten or 15 years” attended shows selling her work. Eye problems caused her to give up detailed painting, so she turned to the medium of clay. ( until a muscle problem made that difficult. )
creates glass works, from clocks to wine stoppers.
Four years ago, she began to lose her eyesight. Not wanting to give up on art, she returned to her love of clay sculpting. However, while working on one of her pieces, she needed a piece of glass. This was the beginning of Val and her husband, Clarence, using their pottery kiln to make fused and slumped (folded) glass.
After taking classes in Missouri, they began to sell their glass works, in a variety of Illinois locales: Dixon, Morrison, Sterling, and the Quad Cities. They opened Val’s Studio. Making art has become something Val and Clarence create as a team.
Rick Brant stated, “I am a 1973 graduate of Morrison Institute of Technology. I worked in the design and engineering field of wood buildings until retirement. I studied photography under Roger Kyler at Kishwaukee College along with multiple workshops and seminars.
“My wife Cheryl and I relocated to Carroll County, IL, [which gave] us the opportunity for a relaxing escape to the outdoors in all seasons. Carroll County provides abundant photographic settings for birds and animals, both large and small, as well as landscapes, farmscapes, historical architecture, and the Mississippi River.
“My preference is to utilize composition in wildlife and nature photography and to capture the image in the natural habitat without disturbing nature.”
His photographs are sometimes framed with unique, corrugated steel mats.