I stand to paint, spray, scrape, rub, dribble and dance around… to put whatever my subconscious feels like doing. I like big paintings for that reason. It is body in motion. Rather than a single moment in time captured by photography and realism, you are getting me up there or on there. That makes me a “gestural painter” too.

I am a “colorist” as well. Color moves me and comes as close as I can to painting emotions on a canvas.

There are a few primitive symbols and identifiable things in there. They are often deep metaphorical symbols of humanity. They can mean many things. There isn’t any central figure in my paintings. The positive and negative space, the middle and the edges of the canvas, all are important to the overall expression. Some might argue that make me an “abstract expressionist”.

My art is viewer dependent. In other words, the viewer must look, think, feel and react. Many people say to me “ I see different things in your paintings every time I look at them.” I like to hear that. I don’t care what you think about my work as long as you think about it.

William Rainey’s acrylic on canvas paintings grasp the imagination and transforms it to every day life, emotions, and beliefs. The paintings move into the subconscious much like improvisational jazz; melding reality and fiction with a fascinating journey of color, movement, and shapes. Describing art is about the left side of the brain. Making it represent something, philosophizing about it is all in the left side. Abstract art like mine is a right brain activity. Sensing, responding, feeling and even having a relationship. So, I invite you to get in your right mind while you experience my art.

Rainey received he first art award 52 years ago and since has attended Anderson Ranch Arts Center, Snowmass Village, CO and the Santa Fe Institute of Fine Arts, Masters Program. Represented exclusively by Blue Gallery since 2000, William Rainey’s paintings can be found in private and corporate collections worldwide. Select corporate collectors include; Shook, Hardy & Bacon, Kansas City, MO, Data Systems International, Kansas City, MO, Restaurant Management Company, Wichita, KS, Missouri Bank, Kansas City, MO, Lanard Toys Ltd., Hong Kong, and The Conafay Group, Washington, DC.

CLICK HERE TO SEE THE EXHIBITION CATALOG

Email kellyk@bluegalleryonline.com or call (816) 527‑0823 to schedule a private appointment

“Winter Salon V”

Selected Works by Melanie Sherman, Genevieve Flynn, Katherine Bello

December, 2020 – February 2021

2011 Baltimore Ave, Kansas City, MO 64108
+1 – 844-202‑9303 | info@cerberagallery.com

“Winter Salon V”

Melanie Sherman

Melanie Sherman is a ceramic artist, born in Germany and currently residing and working in Kansas City, Missouri. She has a Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree in ceramics from the Kansas City Art Institute. Her background is in graphic design, where she developed an eye for pattern and decoration. In her ceramics she combines her love for ornamentation and her fascination with the history of ceramics, referencing 18^th century European porcelain.

Sherman has traveled to Asia and Europe to explore ancient and contemporary porcelain production of the East and the instilled taste for prestigious white and translucent table-wares of the West. She has been a resident at the International Ceramics Studio in Kecskemét, Hungary where she studied with the renowned Latvian ceramic artist Ilona Romule and deepened her love for designing with plaster and detailed china-painting. As a resident at The Pottery Workshop in Jingdezhen, China she developed her own designs with skilled local craftsman into a new body of work, exploring the relationship between the cultures, and how they continue to connect and influence each other through the ceramic arts.

Genevieve Flynn

Award winning silversmith, Genevieve Flynn, has been working in precious metals for 44 years creating hollow-ware and art jewelry family heirlooms. Flynn has been invited to create various private commissions, including an intricate chased and engraved hand mirror that was presented to music industry personality, Paula Abdul and a commemorative 1985 World Series pin for the late Ewing Kauffman, then owner of the Kansas City Royals and Marion Laboratories.

Katherine Bello

No First Friday for December, 2020.
Tue.-Sat. 11 – 5pm by appointment only (844.202.9303)

“To witness is to have knowledge of an event or change from personal observation or experience.

I have been drawing, painting, collaging, designing, and stitching since I was a child. Elaborate sandcastles were the first source of inspiration. This retrospective is an overview of works created in the past half-century. My art journey has been characterized by experimentation with process and materials, and the search for a compelling communicative visual language. I have often felt as if I were witnessing my hands create something from nothing, then compelled to breathe as much life as possible into whatever shows up.”

“Witness” Retrospective Walk Through with Jason Pollen

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Exhibition Catalog

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Zoom Artist Talk with Jason Pollen

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COVID-19 Safety Procedures:

With the recent COVID guidelines put in place for KCMO by Mayor Quinton Lucas, we are asking for all attendees to please signup for a 30-minute session to ensure capacity limits are not exceeded. Jason Pollen will be in attendance for every session to answer your questions and give tours throughout the day. You may sign up for two back-to-back sessions for a full hour but please limit your stay to 1 hour total.

We are making sure to follow all the safety measures during this pandemic that have been issued by Kansas City, Missouri such as: social distancing, proper hand hygiene and frequently disinfecting high traffic areas and surfaces.

We will be wearing masks at all times and we ask that you do as well. Disposable masks available along with hand sanitizer upon entry/exit.

Please do not come to the gallery if you are exhibiting symptoms, such as fever or chills, cough, shortness of breath or difficulty breathing, muscle or body aches, a new loss of taste or smell, sore throat, nausea, vomiting or diarrhea

Let’s all do our part so we can enjoy the art!

If you have any questions, please emailing us at info@leedy-voulkos.com

Nature is beautiful and it’s bountiful. You can find nature’s bounty everywhere you look! Whether it’s flowers, fields, plants, greenery, fruits, vegetables, insects, or anything create by Mother Nature, it’s beauty is undeniable and provides wonderful subject matter for artwork!

The “Nature’s Bounty” exhibit opens to the public online and by appointment from January 4, 2021 through March 25, 2021. There will not be a First Friday opening reception for this exhibition due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Instead, Buttonwood Art Space and Kansas City Community Gardens (KCCG). will host a series of “mini events” throughout the exhibition. Additionally, tours are available by appointment only at https://buttonwoodartspace.com/show/nature-s-bounty. This exhibit features 178 different works of art by 110 different artists. Artwork in this exhibit features a wide variety of mediums and subject matter. Each piece of original artwork featured depicts nature and things found in nature. Artwork includes paintings, photography, mixed media, fiber and 3D works.

KCCG’s mission is to empower and inspire low-income households, community groups, and schools in the Kansas City Metropolitan area to grow their own vegetables and fruit. KCCG provides free gardening workshops, technical assistance, garden supplies, and other resources to individuals, families, neighborhood organizations, nonprofit agencies, and other groups throughout the metropolitan Kansas City area through the Self-Help Gardening (Rent A Plot & Home Gardens) and Community Partner Gardens programs.

In addition, KCCG’s Schoolyard Gardens program staff help schools to create and grow gardens to improve students’ knowledge about nutrition and the importance of fresh fruits and vegetables to a healthy diet.