Ludwig Wilding (sitting) with Ingeborg, his wife, standing
next to him, at a recent museum show in Lodz, Poland.
Courtesy of the artist and NAB Gallery, Chicago.

PSR 28/90, 1981. Photo: Amy Rudberg. Permission: NAB Gallery, Chicago.

Stereoscopics, a selection of Ludwig Wilding’s retrospective show at the Museum of Concrete Art, Ingolstadt, Germany, is being shown at NAB Gallery in Chicago through February 2, 2008. His last large exhibition in the Chicago area was at the Gilman Gallery in 1981. Known for his moiré illustrations, geometric creations, and “stereoscopic” images, Wilding introduces the viewer to a compelling series of 3-D “optical illusions,” using black-and-white lines in grid arrangements viewed through plexiglass. He also presents a series of detailed geometric graphic illustrations. The viewer is totally engaged in “creating” the “3-D” art with Wilding, as the art changes depending on where the viewer stands. From various angles, grids seemingly turn into familiar objects such as kaleidoscopes, spinning wheels, subway tunnels, Japanese shoji doors, and city towers.
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Technorati Tags: Ludwig Wilding, Chicago, moiré, stereoscopic, optical illusions

I met Marvin Tate while doing an artist residency at Ragdale in Lake Forest, Illinois, last October. His name was familiar to me from NPR (National Public Radio), but I didn’t really know very much about him. He was the first of the residents to do a reading, which he scheduled at 3 p.m. midweek. All the residents showed up, many preoccupied with their own work. I know I was dragging with very low energy. He began reading some of his poetry and within moments, the room was charged — his work is truly amazing.

Performing on stage. Courtesy of the artist. Photo: Jane Fulton Alt.

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Chicago painter Brenda Barnum was born in 1955 in Hartford, Wisconsin. During the 70s, she was employed as a layout artist in the advertising department at Boston Store in Milwaukee. She attended The Minneapolis College of Art and Design from 1978 to 1980. In 1980 she transferred to the San Francisco Art Institute and lived in San Francisco until 1984. In 1984 she relocated to downtown Chicago.

Exhibiting nationally and internationally since the early 80s, she is represented by Thomas Masters Gallery in Chicago; Butters Gallery in Portland, OR; and Walter Bischoff Gallery, Stuttgart, Germany. She lives in Rogers Park with her partner, Steve Press, their dog, Elote, and Bob the parrot.

Brenda Barnum Demonstrating Her Painting Technique

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Dale Washington has turned his cozy apartment into a self-made gallery with his paintings, drawings, ink work, assemblages, and new art hanging on nearly every square inch of wall space. His work deals with everyday people and situations from nudes to landscapes, from jazz clubs to fish fries, and everything else in between depicting the urban Chicago lifestyle. A self-professed “obsessive-compulsive,” Washington creates when he is driven to do so and is talented enough to work “in all media” or uses “whatever is available at the time.” Featured in Daniel T. Parker’s book African Art: The Diaspora and Beyond, Washington has exhibited at Gruen Gallery, Steele Life Gallery, South Shore Culture Center, Southside Community Art Center, Beverly Art Center, Hyde Park Art Center, and other galleries in Chicago and throughout the U.S.

Landscape. Oil pastel on panel board. Courtesy of the artist.

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Bob Krawczyk, an architecture professor at Illinois Institute of Technology, specializes in new media art with a focus on algorithmic art to generate 2D and 3D art. Instead of brushes, paint, and canvas, he uses custom-designed software and his computer monitor and printer to create his art, and occasionally a laser-cutting machine and a fabrication shop to generate his 3D models. His BitArt website discusses the intricate models that he uses to generate his Escher-like geometric art. Krawczyk’s related projects can be found here.

Polar Flowers. Courtesy of the artist.

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Technorati Tags: new media art, algorithmic art, 3D models