Denisse Hernandez

Oct 6 - Dec 1, 2023 

Opening Reception: Oct 6^th, 5-7 p.m.

(SPA) Destellos: emociones y pensamientos inconclusos. (ENG) Gleams: boundless emotions and thoughts.  An exhibit exploring human experience and the essence of what it means to be complete.

Jessica Laub and Daniel Fleming

Exhibition Title: Natural Remedy

Winter 2023, December - February

Opening Reception: Friday, Dec 15th 5-7pm

There's just something appealing about letting the natural world show off. Whether it's natural history museums, cabinets of curiosities of old, illustrated encyclopedias, botanical gardens or just walking through a park, experiencing nature leaves its mark no matter how that experience happens. 

Natural Remedy seeks to bring that into the home and into a gallery space. Utilizing a style inspired by illustrated guides and the practice of pressing and drying plants, Natural Remedy is meant to evoke a sense of wonder and place icons of nature onto their deserved pedestal, similar to religious icons, personal artifacts, and mementos.

The simplicity of the marks and lack of refinement bring a sense of playfulness, while the flat rendering and somewhat static layout are meant to evoke both an academic aura and elevate the objects to a place of reverence. On a grand scale, the paintings become enveloping; overwhelming in a wholly different sense; that impression of a vast universe with secrets and intricacies just waiting for discovery. 

“Peaceful Parenting”, Jessica Laub

Jessica Laub is a visual artist currently focused on creating mosaics that are characterized by a bold use of color and a strong sense of line. Her work celebrates the beauty and wonder she encounters in the world around her. Her art is influenced by time spent living in Central America and her appreciation of nature. Common themes include communication, relationships, meditation, plants, animals, magical creatures, and celestial bodies. In addition to smaller-scale interior mosaics, Jessica creates larger works intended for yards and gardens. Jessica also works with community groups to create mosaic murals and sculptures for schools, parks, and community centers. She was an artist in residence at RedlLine Milwaukee from 2010 through 2013 and has maintained her studio at the Toy Factory in Riverwest ever since. One of her favorite things about her studio is the five big windows which allow in lots of natural light and fresh air. She is an avid gardener and daily dog walker and enjoys spending as much time outside as possible.

Jessica begins her work by sketching her ideas, and then sizing the selected sketch to the actual size of the piece she intends to create. She creates a substrate for her mosaic by cutting cement boards to her desired size and adding a hanging system to the back of the board. Then she makes handmade tiles out of clay that she glazes and fires in her kiln at her studio. Each tile is cut from a slab, painted with at least three layers of underglaze and then bisque fired for at least 8 hours. The tiles are then washed with water, glazed with a clear overglaze, and fired again for another 6 to 8 hours. Jessica then adheres her tiles to her substrate with thin set mortar and fills in with other tesserae including hand-cut mirror pieces and dishware, glass and ceramic tile, crystals, smalti, and other sundry objects, She then grouts the mosaic and sometimes goes back in and paints areas of the grout to achieve her desired result. Most of her artwork is constructed in a way so that it can be hung outdoors.

“Art making for me is largely an intuitive and emotional process, through which I aspire to bring healing and positivity into the world. It is a kinesthetic, playful, free flow. I enjoy the mosaic process because it’s bright and shiny and allows me to reuse materials that might otherwise end up in landfills.”

Get to know Daniel Fleming:

"For many, art is a passion and a profession. For me, art is a compulsion. Whether I have a show planned, interested buyers, proposals being prepped, or nothing on the calendar at all, you'll find me in the studio working on the latest idea to breeze through my brain. I started painting at a young age back in Rochester MN and quickly knew I would live my life through art. After high school, I attended the Milwaukee Institute of Art and Design where I tapped into my compulsion to create through a major in graphic design and a concentration in painting. Since then I have created over 1,000 paintings, countless drawings, and dozens of sketchbooks, and have taken part in countless shows throughout the nation and have sold artwork around the world to both public and private collections. I currently work out of my home studio in northern Milwaukee and am represented by Scout Gallery."

 Field Notes - 26x44" Acrylic and alcohol ink on canvas, Daniel Fleming.

Madelynn Austin

Exhibition Title: Biohazards, Cosmetics out of Context

Spring 2024, March - May

Opening Reception: Friday, March 8th 5-7pm

Biohazards: Cosmetics out of Context is an exhibition of new paintings and sculptures by Madelynn Austin. Using her signature atypical materials of expired cosmetics and nail lacquer alongside traditional art mediums, Austin examines themes of natural and manufactured beauty, environment, consumption, and emotionality while investigating the relationship between art, social responsibility, and the history that entwines them both.
Biohazards contain materials that were both intended for the human body and classified as Household Hazardous Waste or microplastic pollutants in their disposal.

Madelynn Austin (b. 1991)  is a visual artist who examines the use and limits of beauty as well as the complexity of human resilience through the lens of legacy, disability, and emotional intelligence. She incorporates the real and remembered in abstract forms of painting and sculpture, making use of the mediums she knows best- cosmetics and florals.
Austin holds a BS in Psychology from Illinois State University and an MA in Visual and Critical Studies from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago as a Dean’s Scholar and Ox-Bow New Grellner Scholar. She lives and works in the in-between of Chicago and Milwaukee

Lindsey Mathewson and Jodi Brzezinski

Exhibition Title: Nature-Inspired, Artist-Imagined

Summer 2024, June - August

Opening Reception: Friday, June 14th 4-6pm

Lindsey Mathewson is a Milwaukee artist making art inspired by climbing, hiking, and other adventures. Climbing has become a huge part of her life and has given her an appreciation for the beautiful imperfections of rock formations. The way they form, crack, and break allows us to scale cliffs and take in views we may otherwise not see. This exhibit is a reimagining of those formations, from grand mountains out west to our very own Devil’s Lake State Park. No matter how you enjoy spending time outdoors, you can find beauty in the natural world around you. 

Jodi Brzezinski is a Milwaukee artist and art teacher at St. Thomas More High School. She believes that creating art in the same space her students do creates an environment where both students and teacher can be inspired by each other. The colors and rhythms found in nature inspire her work. Bees, flowers, and koi have been popping up in her work for years. Flowers are everywhere, even in the city. The readily available subjects in her garden and friends’ gardens inspire a lot of her work. 

Kimberly Burnett

Exhibition Title: Scandinavian Landscapes

Fall 2024, September - November

Opening Reception: Friday, Sept 13th 5-7pmm

Kimberly is a self taught Milwaukee artist, primarily working in oils and charcoals. Her landscapes are mostly of Wisconsin and Scandinavia. This exhibition will feature her paintings and drawings of Iceland and Norway, sharing the beauty of these countries. She grew up in the foothills of the Appalachian mountains, and feels most at home among mountains and nature.