As someone who has always been captivated by the dramatic beauty of rural landscapes, my experiences growing up in Iowa have deeply influenced my artistic vision. I am particularly drawn to the powerful presence of storms, which I strive to depict in my oil paintings with vivid detail. My goal is for viewers to experience a sense of belonging and familiarity when they engage with my art, and feel the warmth of home in their hearts.

My name is Niki Gyles (Hill). I was born in Des Moines, Iowa in 1990. I am a self-taught artist with only a high school education.
I have been doing art since I was old enough to hold a paintbrush. Growing up, I was always influenced by my father and his side of the family. Either you were a painter, musician or both. I typically tell people I got my skill from him. Thanks Dad! I am constantly inspired by my home landscape of Iowan beauty. The rolling hills, cornfields at sunset and the mighty thunderstorms that pass by. It’s no secret that I chase storms as well. Each painting I do is an intimate process of building layers using galkyd/solvent mediums and achieving realistic detail. Some works are made using one reference photo and others are made using a hodgepodge of multiple references. If you have any questions regarding me or my process, feel free to ask!
You can reach me at instagram.com/NikiGylesArtist

Info coming soon. Visit: handersonstudio.com/gallery

 “Products of a Chaotic Brain”
by Charlotte Saliers
This exhibit is a look into a creative brain expressed in glass and broken pottery.  Some subjects repeat themselves (bee’s on the brain), while others are random creations.  All are colorful and joyful.

Charlotte is a longtime Urbandale resident who has been working with stained glass for over 20 years.  She uses glass, pottery and upcycled items to create light hearted mosaics.  She doesn’t take her work too seriously, because she believes art should be fun!

"Threads of Connection"
Stephanie Majeran
This exhibit is an exploration of color, texture, and form through the versatile medium of yarn. Each piece incorporates thrifted items, yarn scraps, and/or driftwood, highlighting sustainability while reflecting nature's textures and our deep connection to it.

Stephanie is a Des Moines-based fiber artist whose passion for yarn art emerged during the pandemic, sparked by creative moments shared with her young daughter. Discovering a natural affinity for working with yarn, Stephanie has dedicated herself to mastering a variety of yarn-based techniques, including woven wall hangings, intricate yarn paintings, and playful pom-pom creations. Her work is inspired by the textures and colors of nature, often featuring driftwood and reclaimed fibers to craft pieces that resonate with her commitment to sustainability. By transforming found materials into art, she breathes new life into what might otherwise be overlooked. Stephanie’s large-scale installations have been featured in local Airbnbs, and her custom creations have found homes in spaces with unique design needs. Through her art, she aims to infuse everyday environments with vibrant color and texture, inviting viewers to reconnect with the beauty of the natural world.

Tiara Young
Mis Raíces y Mi Alma (My roots and my Soul)

This exhibition focuses on the artwork I have created to represent and connect with my Hispanic culture. Over the course of 3 years I have put a lot of time and effort into reconnecting with my culture, and representing this through paintings has been an amazing way to do so. Many of the pieces focus on traditions, events that have happened in my life, and feelings. I have created these pieces to show people that my culture is beautiful and that they should experience it too through artwork.
 
The other pieces in this exhibition represent my growth and how I want to continue exploring different themes in my career as a Latina artist. 

Artist Bio: Tiara Young is a 20-year-old Honduran artist. She has been drawing ever since she was a little girl, and her dream job is to be a full-time artist. She has won several awards and has had her artwork in multiple exhibitions and shows. She spends most of her free time painting or drawing and currently attends Iowa State University for graphic design and illustration.

RANDOM THOUGHTS

As artists we are continually getting ideas for designs that may or may not be suitable for an art piece.  When these ideas pop up we make sketches to develop these ideas further.

When the sketch is worthy the design may develop further into a piece of art.  Some ideas call for making a large piece —too large to jump into right away without further exploration or development so a small scale fabric sketch is the perfect next step to test fabric choices and other design details.  Many ideas are perfectly suited for small scale execution.

Central Iowa Textile Artists

This small Iowa group of 13 has been together for about 25 years, sharing techniques and learning from each other. Although some members have moved on and others have replaced them, we continue without any formal structure.  We are a small group whose shared goal is educating the public about our art form through exhibitions.  All group members are accomplished artists and quilters, and many are teachers and authors, and our works have appeared in many publications.

ARTISTS
Carolyn Abbott. •. Ilene Bartos. •. Janet Bergeron. •. Mary Cecil
Becky Kemble. •. Sue Kluber. •. Angela Lawrence
Rebecca Loew. •. Jenny Messer. •. Janet Pitman. •. Wendy Reed
Barbara Riggs. •. Barb StewartFern Stewart

These 60 pieces of artwork are from the children who practice art in Sunflower Fine Art Studio in Waukee. Their artwork represents a high level of children’s art in Iowa. The studio was established in 2008. The number of students has grown from about 15 to about 75. In the studio, the children not only learn the knowledge and skills of art but are able to try different medias to create their own artwork. Tingting Beck is the owner of the studio. She is also a professional artist as well. Her artwork has won awards in several art competitions or shows.

Visit Sunflower Fine Art Studio's Facebook page

My photographs seek to expand the viewers’ perceptions of the world around them. 
 
I see details, shapes, patterns, textures, colors.  As humans we tend to turn visual stimuli into objects and label them.  It has been said that once we have named something we no longer see it.  We create a general concept, a shorthand identification of something and then we stop appreciating its uniqueness and we don’t notice if it has changed.
 
Some of the images in this exhibit are of easily recognizable things such as what may seem to be a simple flower arrangement.  But these are quirky arrangements in that they include weeds.  I ask you to consider what does it mean when we call something a weed and who gets to decide a plant is a weed?
 
Other photos show part of an object such as showing details of manhole covers.  You may have already noticed manhole covers come in different patterns or designs and have different manufacturers.  But you may not have thought about how the place they have been left to serve (i.e., their location) can change them.  Time and place often change them –just as time and place can change us.
 
Some my images emphasize shape or geometric forms.  These might include a whole object, several arranged objects, or some architectural details.  In some cases by narrowing the focus to just some of an object’s details the images become abstracts where the object is no longer identifiable. 
 
I also invite you to expand your awareness of yourself by being attentive to how you interact with the images.  You might notice if you look at the titles and how often you look at the title before looking at the photo.  If you do look at the title consider if or how it shapes your perception of or reaction to each image.   [email protected]

Abstract Mixed Media Art by Kristy Evans
Visit her website for more details. www.kristyevansart.com

“Outside, Looking In” is an art quilt exhibit that I created to increase mental health awareness in our community. The idea for this project arose from conversations on creative wellbeing and the art quilt process that I utilize and teach to others. Many of my quilts remind me of my clients' stories as I sort through my thoughts while sewing for self-care. The installation includes personally constructed art quilts (modern improv, machine-pieced, and mostly hand-quilted) along with a connected mental health diagnosis and educational information. Additional quilts will be displayed connecting how the past lives on with us and creates our sense of self. *These are not traditional quilts.*
 
Cora is a Licensed Marriage & Family Therapist and a Veteran of the United States Air Force. She provides mental health counseling and creative coaching, see more information at www.creatorswellbeing.com. Cora’s passion is to increase clarity, instill hope, and provide compassionate and clinical guidance to all mental health and substance abuse concerns. She also practices personal self-care and spends time creating fiber art, quilting, teaching workshops on self-care, dyeing fabric, riding her bike as fast as her legs will take her, and incorporating healthy nutrition and weightlifting into her routine. 
 
Take care & live well,  Cora Ritter

Jeremy Holmes, Acrylics
Machinations of a Color Theorist
With Treatment Resistant Depression comes a persistent state of Anhedonia, which is defined in part as (according to Wikipedia) ‘a diverse array of deficits in hedonic function, including reduced motivation or ability to experience pleasure.’ As such, I have hypothesized that color is a dominant aspect in my work as a way for my subconscious to work around the biological dysfunction in my brain, in order to express some degree of emotion or pleasurable vibe. Working with color is both a science and an art, so it satisfies one of my primary mantras as a creative and as a committed Atheist and Humanist, which is to always strive to stay grounded in reality. And since our perception of reality is, in most cases, heavily influenced by the visual, experimenting with color is a good method for exploring the boundaries between reality and our perception of it, whether literally or thematically.

Becca Schmidt, Bark Sculptures
Inspired by trees, constructed with found pieces of bark, and painted with oil, these bark relief sculptures explore color and our connection to nature.

They symbolize the life, death, and rebirth we encounter in our daily lives.

The bark, once living, represents death: the old versions of ourselves, identities and beliefs we once held. The construction represents life: the role and function these parts once served; and the paint, smooth and flowing, represents rebirth: the transformation of these old identities and beliefs into something new. On the bark, the oil paint moves from dark to light out of the crevices, symbolizing the transformation and healing that occurs when we face the darkest parts of ourselves with understanding and tenderness. Together the bark and the paint embody the depths of what it means to be human: broken yet beautiful. Their tactile nature serves as a reminder of our connection to the earth and each other.

Tyler Magee, Yarn & Fiber Art
My exhibit, Happy Place, is a conglomeration of pieces that I have created over the last year. There is no specific theme followed, but pieces that were made to represent things that elicit joy or invoke a sense of whimsy. I wanted to combine somewhat literal and abstract pieces and tie these together with bright, vibrant color palettes. I am a firm believer that not all art has to have meaning, and my goal for this show was simply to create works that might put a smile on someone’s face.

Hana Ahmed, an Iowa based abstract artist, finds her inspiration from nature and human emotions. When it comes to her paintings, Hana digs deep into various realms through her keen observation and intuition.

Art from Everywhere
Having travelled and lived in many parts of the world, ‘Art from everywhere’ tells stories of cultures, emotions cuisines, religions that are manifested through vibrant colors and brushstrokes.

Mark Yontz
 
An Urbandale resident and native Iowan, I have had a lifelong interest in a variety of artistic endeavors. This has included experimenting with a number of different mediums, as well as taking watercolor, ceramics, jewelry and metal sculpture classes as an adult. Most recently, I have been drawn to the natural beauty and character of wood, especially when it comes to highlighting imperfections or unique patterns and grains that can be found in many wood species.
 
I create artistic, handcrafted wood pieces – such as wall hangings and small sculptures – using a variety of species, with walnut, cherry and spalted maple being among my favorites. Other wood species I frequently work with include ash, maple, oak, cypress, hickory and zebrawood; and I often mix and match them for visual diversity and interest. I have also experimented with furniture making, which has led me to make a number of end tables and some functional, home decor pieces. In all cases, my creations are unique, one-of-a-kind pieces that highlight the natural beauty of the woods being used.
 
Artistically, I plan to continue experimenting with new woods and designs and am looking at scaling-up my work and trying larger pieces. Another focus will be on finding more ways to incorporate other materials into my work, such as metal, stone and/or cement.
 
You can follow me on www.instagram.com/yontzmark or (www.iowaartistdirectory.org).

“Garage Art – A Celebration of Wood”
 
From a new artist with no permanent studio, “Garage Art – A Celebration of Wood” offers a look at handcrafted, wood art pieces all created in the artist’s garage. Wall hangings showcase different wood species utilizing a variety of cuts and shapes – sometimes highlighting organic, live edge elements, while others feature more clean lines and symmetry. The sculptures displayed also offer a mixture of live edge, organic-looking pieces, while others are more abstract with different shapes and cuts incorporated into the piece. In many cases, different types of wood are used together to create visual interest and diversity, and copper is frequently used as an accent and connective element. Everything shared in the exhibit is a one-of-a-kind piece that celebrates the unique beauty and characteristics of the woods being used.