Connie Andrews
Medium: Painting & Sculpture
Website: www.connieandrews.com
Email: [email protected]
Connie Andrews has been painting portraits since the late 90s. She has commissioned portraits hanging all over the region and is creating a series of motion paintings. Connie’s ArtPop Peoria piece, “Bringing Him to Life,” depicts Preston Jackson sculpting his Richard Pryor statue, “Richard Pryor: More Than Just A Comedian.” This painting was a turning point in Connie’s career. “It is like magic watching Preston work,” Connie said. The whole experience of creating this painting and learning sculpture from Preston has inspired Connie to start creating sculptured portraits. “While I am not going to stop painting, I feel like a whole new world has opened up for me with sculpture,” Connie said. She currently teaches oil and pastel painting in Peoria and Morton. She is a resident artist at Studios on Sheridan in Peoria and also has a studio in Morton at Jefferson Street Gallery and Studio.
James Burnham
Medium: Photography
Website: www.artistasylum.com
Email: [email protected]
Jim’s penchant for photography was infused at a young age by his father, who used to take him on the back of his motorcycle through the backroads of Leelanau County, Michigan, on a quest for the perfect landscape. He has been shooting a wide variety of subjects for over 20 years, starting with manually rolled cartridges of TMAX black and white, Velvia, and eventually digital “film.” He holds a certificate in Photography from the New York Institute of Photography and is a member of the Photographic Society of America and the Peoria Camera Club. A versatile shooter, he covers a wide variety of scenes from dramatic mountain landscapes down to animals, flowers, and insects. He is at home as much in a city as in an open prairie, shooting architecture and urban life. He is an accomplished application programmer as well, having done various work for several Fortune 100 companies in his career. He developed and manages his father’s website LelandReport.com, which has been an ongoing photo-a-day blog for the last 15 years.
Greg DePauw
Medium: Mixed Media on Wood, Intarsia
Greg DePauw was born into a family of artists. His dream of following their lead was abruptly altered in 1974 when he attempted a triple flip on the trampoline in his backyard. Landing on his neck, he became a quadriplegic. Determined to draw again, he was assisted by his father who made a device for him to draw with his mouth. In rehabilitation, he slowly regained some use of his hands and began painting. Energized with a new respect for life and independence, he went off to college, graduating with a degree in art education and in painting. His work is in numerous collections, including the Museum Of Modern Art in New York City. A professional artist for over 30 years, DePauw is the founder and executive director of the Art Rod Foundation, a non-profit educational organization. (www.artrodfoundation.com). Always looking to break down barriers, he says, “It’s what you do with your disability that defines you.” Sadly, Greg passed away on March 27, 2017.
Lawrence Keach
Medium: Digital Collage
Website: www.houseofmumbojumbo.com
Email: [email protected]
Lawrence studied printmaking, drawing, and graphic design at Bradley University in Peoria, IL (1992-96). He is a graphic designer by day, musician by night, and occasionally finds time to be a mad scientist/artist (when he’s not drawing cartoons with his daughter). Collage and drawing have always been his favorite modes of artistic expression. His drawings tend to be weird doodles of things that pour out of his mind. His collages are whimsical/surrealistic scenes. The parachuting deep-sea diver represents a spirit of bold exploration, an adventurer who is willing to leap from the clouds and sink to the bottom of the ocean.
Chris Kukla
Medium: Ceramic
Email: [email protected]
Chris Kukla lives in Germantown Hills with his wife and three children. He graduated from Illinois State University in 1989 where he majored in Industrial Technology. He has always enjoyed the arts and took multiple classes at Illinois State and Illinois Central College. He has been actively honing his ceramic skills since 2000 and has pursued multiple techniques. His explorations have led him to primitive pit firing and the colors created by the fire enhance the surface and textures of the pottery he makes.