OPENING RECEPTION, SATURDAY APRIL 13, 5-8PM. OPENING RECEPTION: COMMON DENOMINATOR, MARY GRANDPRÉ + TOM CASMER: the mechanics and organics of form.
ARTISTS:
ABOUT: Tom Casmer was born and raised in the Minneapolis/St. Paul area of Minnesota. Art and music have been the two constants throughout his life and career. Recalling his response to the age-old question asked during elementary school, of what he wanted to be when he grew up, he stated that “he wasn’t exactly sure” but he knew that he “liked to build things and organize things in boxes.” With those interests in mind he eventually attended Hamline University where he received his BA in Fine Arts/Painting and Drawing while minoring in English Literature. There he began using canvas panels to serve the purpose of those “boxes” in which he constructed a variety of images. The work of Charles Scheeler, Vassily Kandinsky, Paul Klee, and Louise Nevelson have always inspired and informed his work. The mysteries of schematics and blueprints along with both figurative and architectural elements often appear in his work. After graduating he happily continued painting and making music but decided to learn more and focus on Illustration and Graphic Design so he attended the School of Associated Arts and received his BFA. He has worked for small design groups, in-house illustration studios, and corporate art departments and eventually freelancing. That allowed him the opportunity to begin teaching classes in the areas that he loves…drawing, illustration, and graphic design. In 2003 he was asked to join the Illustration Department at the Ringling College of Art + Design, so he and his wife packed up their belongings along with their dogs and cat and moved to Sarasota, Florida. Their family grew in 2006 with the addition of their daughter Julia Wren Lingjing GrandPre’. At Ringling he began to explore digital media and has introduced aspects of it into his most recent work combining both traditional and digital elements. He loves teaching and continues to freelance, paint, and make music.
ABOUT: Mary GrandPre’ began her career as an illustrator. The path that led her to that point started with her education at the Minneapolis College of Art and Design. Her passion for light, color, drawing and design came together in evocative paintings, using a variety of mediums. Much of her focus was creating paintings for numerous picture books and book covers. While she has illustrated over 20 picture books, she is perhaps best known for her illustrations on the Harry Potter books. She has also worked as the conceptual artist on Dreamwork’s animated film “Antz” and on Blue Sky Studios’ animated film “Ice Age”.
Mary has since turned her attention to pursue her love of abstract painting, still carrying on at times, with a suggestion of narrative, but exploring shape, color and light with a totally new sense of freedom. She is inspired by nature, hieroglyphic symbols and letterform, and most recently, aerial views of land and water. She strives to create a place for the viewer to travel through and discover their own story, while half hidden marks and messages, peek through layers of paint and collage which have been worn away. What once seemed familiar, is new. READ MORE
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