Enter a world of "Little Enchantments" and enjoy the company of fairies, butterflies, birds and blooms. This show at the gallery will entice you to imagine a beautiful wonderland in each piece by these talented women, Autumn Rozario Hall and Sara Burrier.

About Sara Burrier, www.sarabillustration.com
Growing up Iowa, and in a house filled with plants and art, I enjoyed playing pretend outside, hiding under trees, and riding my bike. I was fascinated with Disney and their fairytales, being fully inspired by The Little Mermaid and Fantasia. I knew then what I wanted to draw for the rest of my life.

In school I focused primarily on art classes, gifted and talented summer workshops, and went to the comic book store on a regular basis. I began to collect everything that inspired me from X-Men, to Sailormoon, Disney Princesses, to the model wearing the wedding dress. It wasn't until college that I was taught the spirit of figure drawing and the history of fairy tale folklore.

I received my BFA in illustration at the Minneapolis College of Art and Design and began immediately creating art with the intent to license and publish. I began to sell my own art prints and painting commission work for private clients, illustrating self-published children's books, and creating cover art. I also began teaching drawing and painting at the Des Moines Art Center, offering classes on Manga and fantasy. I am passionate about connecting with the younger community through art and those following me online.

After getting married I was able to give my studio work more attention and since then I've been making a stronger presence online through my website, blog, and Etsy. I hope to continue spreading the light and peace in my work to others through licensing, publishing, and private requests.

When I'm not creating art or teaching, I adore cooking for my husband, family, and friends, decorating my charming brick home, and watching superhero movies. My husband and I live in Des Moines, Iowa with our bright and amazing daughter Norah, along with big kitty Talor.

 About Autumn Rozario Hall, www.autumnrozariohall.com
Autumn Rozario Hall is a painter, dreamer and collector of stories. She earned her Bachelors of Arts with a double emphasis in painting and drawing from the University of Northern Iowa in 2013.

Autumn grew up in Iowa, by the banks of the Mississippi river. And though she lived in town, she always sought the wild places, where the brambles overran the houses, and the gardens outgrew their yards. Hidden in back lots, choked with weeds, was a kind of magic. A magic of growing things.

These wild places called to Autumn, and inspired her interest in folklore and art. Her paintings often contain trees, girls that aren't quite women, forgotten places, and wonder. She also uses faeries, which she views as spirits of nature, to symbolize the human connection to the land. This connection, and the possibility for wonder, are central to every painting.

Autumn Rozario Hall currently lives in Iowa. She works mainly in acrylic and mixed media. She had her first solo exhibition in 2014 and currently shows her work in many art fairs across Iowa.

Featuring photography by members of the Des Moines Camera Club...
Pat Foster
Deb Shoning
Barb McGraw
Janie Lawson
Greg Punelli
Nancy Brown
Deanne Vespestad
Dwight Tomes
Barry Brestel
Terri Dermody
Joe Countryman
Kathleen Hanika
Gary Rothfus
Jill Amentrout
Sarah Becker
Diane Darnielle
Diane Michaud Lowry
Paul Grillo
Jay Lohner
Penny Adam

Please come to see the show in person. The photography is beautiful and I could only get a sampling of pics to show you here!

In the gallery April 21 – May 21, 2017
Artist Chris Thomas has been painting for more than 35 years. Originally from Saint Cloud, MN and living in Sauk Centre, MN most of his life, Chris is no stranger to small town life, the subject of many of his beautiful landscapes. There is Minnesota charm infused into every painting, truly appreciating the churches, trees, lakes and gardens that make up his subjects.  Chris often travels to Iowa, so you'll also find a few familiar images including Amana and Racoon River park. He joins us at Art Day for portrait sketching.

Chris has a bachelor's degree in art from St. Cloud State University and is a lifelong learner in art and art history through books, museums, drawing sessions and workshops. His work shows expertise in oil paint and a keen eye for light and color and a beautiful composition.

christhomasartworks.com

Excerpts from Larry’s Artist Statement, which you can read in full in the gallery…

Art has been a part of my life for as long as I can remember. I’m a graduate of the Kansas City Art Institute, where I majored in graphic design with a minor in photography. After college I worked as a graphic designer with the Des Moines Public Schools for 35 years. During this time I won over 130 awards in graphic design at the state and national level.

Since retiring I have turned my attention toward watercolors. Wherever I go, I carry my camera and many of these photos turn into the canvas of my imagination. I am fascinated by color and light. I use these two elements as my inspiration to create paintings that lean towards realism

In the past few years, my work has been juried and accepted for exhibition at the Iowa State Fair Fine Arts Show, the Watercolor Society Art Shows, Des Moines Woman’s Club Art Exhibitions, and exhibited at Barnes and Noble, Scottish Rite Park and more. I am a signature member of the Iowa Watercolor Society.

Contact me at casteklar@msn.com

Please stop by to see his beautiful paintings in person!

ARTIST STATEMENT: "I have an eye for details.  And whether I am doing something or observing something I attend to them.  Stepping back and noticing details sometimes allows us to look at things anew.   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.  

The images in this show vary from easily recognizable details to ones that are no longer a picture of a thing which we have given a simple label.  I invite you to notice not only the images but also yourself and how you interact with them.  Notice if you look at the titles and if you do look consider if or how it shapes your perception or reaction to each image."

– Kerrie Hill, Des Moines, IA
kerriehillphotos@gmail.com

A group art exhibition celebrating the champions and the fiends from comic books!

Featuring the works of...
D. Ryan Allen
Steve Baier
Michael Bennett
Jordan Denato
Lena DeGregory
Maddy Fusco
Will Grant
Chris Moore
Mario Mora
Nick Pendleton
Shawn Palek
Tony Sims

While studying Graphic Design, Melissa took an introductory class in Drawing, where they often sketched using charcoal pencil. One of their
assignments was to find something unique to draw on that was not
currently in the classroom. This idea sparked inspiration for Melissa and she has continued to draw with charcoal on various found pieces of paper, such as maps, sheet music and book pages. Her subject matter is  a variety of ideas that she finds enjoyable to draw and that contain lots of contrast, suitable for the medium of charcoal.

Melissa enjoys getting her fingers dirty and is pleased with how the pieces turn out, so she has continued her art process. She was honored to be chosen as an Emerging Artist for the internationally known Des Moines Art Festival for two years and has received great feedback from that experience.

She creates art as much as she can while caring for her 'on-the-go' one year old son! :) We hope you enjoy seeing her work here in the Urbandale Art Gallery and visit her website to learn more, buy a piece or order custom artwork.

www.MelissaRenea.com

Husband and wife team artists and gallery owners, Shawn and Misty Palek, are sharing some of their vast library of artworks with us this summer! We hope you can stop by to see their work in our gallery, but if you miss it, you can always visit them in their gallery in the East Village: Palek Studio, 506 E. 6th St., Suite 200, DSM, IA 50309. And if they inspire you, Palek Studio is a great place to go make art yourself!