Talking with Evanston artist Kristen Neveu

April 20, 2017

local artistKristen Neveu is an Evanston artist who is the latest to be featured in our ongoing exhibition series Local Art @ EPL. A painter and collage artist whose work has shown at Woman Made Gallery, the Beverly Hills Art Fair, Evanston Made, and in the personal collection of Community actor Joel McHale, Neveu threads Americana and nostalgia into her mixed media pieces to create “patterned, patchwork storybooks that embody a yearning for the past, with connections to possibilities for the future.” You can catch her show through the end of April on the 2nd floor of EPL’s Main Library and meet her at a closing reception on Thursday, April 27 from 6-8 pm. You can also find more of Neveu’s work by visiting her website, and we recently spoke with her via email about making art after her day job, her intuitive creative process, and the friendly Evanston art scene.

Evanston Public Library:  Can you tell us a little about your background as an artist? How did you get started in art? Was there something specific in your life that sparked a need to create? What drove you in the beginning? What drives you now?

Kristen Neveu:  I didn’t start making art until after college and after I started working my 9-5 job. I was a Communication Studies major in college with a minor in Anthropology. I moved to Chicago and got a job at Tony Stone Images (which a few years later turned into Getty Images once it was purchased). I was a Photo Researcher. It was a somewhat creative job, but I felt I needed something else. The office job situation always makes me want to create instead of watching television when I get home; it’s like I need to unwind or empty my head and escape. Art is therapeutic to me.

Also, growing up, I had a musical outlet in that I played the piano, sang in choirs, played the clarinet… and I think I was trying to replace that outlet.

Waiting in Faded Sunrays

EPL:  How do you describe your collages and paintings? Do you see yourself as fitting in with any particular artistic movements or styles? Do you work in any other mediums?

KN:  My paintings and collages are intuitive and I don’t plan out what I’m doing; I just jump in. I paint over layers if it’s not turning out the way I want. I’ve been told the patterns in my work remind people of Gustav Klimt, and while I like his work, I wasn’t inspired by him in my work. I also take photos and have had a show that featured my photos of classic cars along with collages. Often, I use my own photos in collages too.

EPL:  Can you take us through your creative process for a specific painting?

KN:  I start by making a layer or two of paint and smudging it for patterns or adding drops of water. I then build patterns from the marks that are made on the canvas. Working bottom to top, I build winding patterns with circular or square shapes that evolve into floral shapes at times. I then figure out my title or what I’m addressing in that particular painting or collage and if it’s collage, fit in my figures or objects. Next, I work with the background colors or paint over patterns if there’s just too much going on. I love subtracting work once it’s there to find a more beautiful pattern.

EPL:  What are your future goals and plans as an artist?

KN:  I’ll keep creating art as long as I can. It makes me sane and gives me happiness and balance. I submit my work to galleries and shows, and I work with interior designers on projects. I still have my day job, but it gives me structure and I can work at night and on weekends. With the day job I’m not stressed as much to worry about creating work that I think will need to sell and be commercially successful.

EPL:  How do you find Evanston and the Chicagoland area as a place to work and exhibit as an artist? What inspires you as an artist about the community where you live?

KN:  It’s a friendly environment for artists in Evanston and Chicagoland. I know a lot of artists from my years here, and I reach out to them a lot. Next month I’m exhibiting at Swell Gallery in West Dundee, and one of the owners of the gallery I knew back in the day from Around the Coyote in Wicker Park.

Interview by Russell J.


Local Art @ EPL: Kristen Neveu

April 3, 2017

local art
Freedom of Lost Wishes

We are excited to welcome Evanston’s Kristen Neveu as the next to be featured in our ongoing exhibition series Local Art @ EPL. A life-long artist whose work has shown at Woman Made Gallery, the Beverly Hills Art Fair, Evanston Made, and in the personal collection of Community actor Joel McHale, Neveu threads Americana and nostalgia into mixed media collages and paintings to create “patterned, patchwork storybooks that embody a yearning for the past, with connections to possibilities for the future.” You can catch her show through the end of April on the 2nd floor of EPL’s Main Library and meet her at a closing reception on Thursday, April 27 from 6-8 pm. You can also find more of Neveu’s work by visiting her website, and make sure to check out her recent interview on The Lisa D Show where she talks about making room in life for creativity and the need to share art with everyone.

 


Local Art @ EPL: “The Other Wes Moore” Student Gallery

March 13, 2017

art work
Artist: Iman Williams, Chute Middle School

Dozens of talented student artists from District 65 middle schools Chute and Nichols are the next to be featured in our ongoing exhibition series Local Art @ EPL. From now through March 31, you can find over 150 original student works on the 2nd floor of EPL’s Main Library. Inspired by Evanston Reads: The Other Wes Moore, this important exhibit showcases impressive artwork that explores themes of race, identity, justice, and community. Don’t miss it.

 

Artist: Joselyn Rodriguez, Chute Middle School

 

Artist: James Caldwell, Chute Middle School

 


Local Art @ EPL

February 13, 2017

“Vman” by Brian Cox

We are pleased to welcome Michael Berns, Brian Cox, and Roland Lieber as the next featured artists in our ongoing exhibition series Local Art @ EPL.  Their striking photography exhibit is currently on display on the 2nd floor of EPL’s Main library where you can catch it through the end of February.

Michael Berns returns to the library after making his Local Art @ EPL debut in 2013.  His selection of photos draws from his “Illuminated Shadows,” “Metra,” and “From Within – From Without” series.

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“Untitled” by Michael Berns

Brian Cox is an Evanston writer and photographer making his Local Art @ EPL debut.  His selection of photos is titled “FACES” because “nothing expresses joy, pain, rapture, heartbreak, or a palette of other emotions like the human face.”

Roland Lieber returns to the library after making his Local Art @ EPL debut in 2015.  His selection of photos is titled “Portraits” and includes shots of East Indian subjects, parade participants, and warehoused mannequins that strive “to capture simplicity and elegance.”

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“Woman With a Price Tag” by Roland Lieber

 


An Interview with David Pritchett

January 17, 2017

David Pritchett is an Evanston educator and photographer who made his Local Art @ EPL debut with the 2015 exhibit “Daily China.”  Now through January 31, he’s back on the 2nd floor of EPL’s Main Library with “On the Job” – a striking series of color photographs exploring working life in Nigeria, Wales, England, Saudi Arabia, and China.  Captured between 1964 and 2016, Pritchett’s fascinating images record farmers, entertainers, shop keepers, and sailors while examining how “work exists in all times, countries, and cultures.”  Off the Shelf recently spoke with Mr. Pritchett via email about the challenges of shooting in different countries, how he connects with his subjects, capturing a Nigerian snake handler on film, and what he hopes people will learn from “On the Job.”

 

Evanston Public Library:  Back in 2015 you made your Local Art @ EPL debut with your series “Daily China” before returning this month with “On the Job.”  Do you see any connections between your two shows? 

David Pritchett:  The connection between “Daily China” and “On The Job” is that when we look at others there are no others.  That paraphrases a Buddhist concept, and is not original with me.

EPL:  For “On the Job,” you shot in Nigeria, Saudi Arabia, England, and China over the span of 50 years. What has so inspired you to photograph working life all over the world?  Did you encounter any challenges unique to shooting in the different countries you visited?

Shop Keeper, United Arab Emirates, 1980s

DP:  Simplistic as it sounds, my work in social contexts and surroundings so different from my own ignited and keeps aflame my desire to understand what I see and the surroundings in which I witness.  I’ve used some images in teaching my American students, but mostly I was acquiring a personal record that has become an extensive archive.   Never persistent in journaling, I use a camera to record and preserve my experiences. 

When I point a camera in some settings, subjects freeze or pose creating a more stiff, though authentic, image.  In others, photography itself may be considered invasive so I exercise patience and circumspection before shooting.  In most cases I ask, get permission, and shoot.  Without permission or under cultural restrictions, I leave my camera in my backpack, then watch and listen.

EPL:  Generally speaking, did you form connections with your subjects?  How did you go about doing so?  Can you describe any instances when you thought it was better not to take a photograph?

DP:  In some cases subjects wanted to be photographed, especially those who were performing or demonstrating a personal skill.  When one offers to take a photo of someone working, there is an act of validation going on.  Photos are a powerful medium, and most of us like to be preserved in photos at our work places, with our tasks, and with our work mates.  In other circumstances, I had become a part of the surrounding community and was not an unusual presence with a camera. 

In Muslim contexts – Northern Nigeria, Saudi Arabia and the Emirates – I was aware of social conventions and worked within them, never trespassing.  In Saudi Arabia, I was invited with my wife to join women weavers in visiting their work place and sharing sweet tea and coffee.  In a shaded yard we were shown the processes of shearing goat hair, weaving in ground looms, and finishing rugs and camel bags.  None of the women were veiled as I was non-Muslim and not harram (forbidden) to see their faces.  However, it would have been unacceptable for me to take photos of the unveiled women.  My cameras stayed in my backpack, those rich images now imprinted only in my memory.  I always respected taboos regarding nudity, death, burial, sacrifice, prayer, modesty, and propriety thereby avoiding pushing the cultural envelope without permission just to get an image.

EPL:  Could you tell us the stories behind the your striking photographs of the Nigerian snake handler or the train conductor in North Wales?  How did each photo reveal itself?

Entertainer, Northern Nigeria, 1965

DP:  In 1965 during a school holiday, two Peace Corp teachers and I got part-time jobs assisting a UNFAO (United Nations Farm and Agriculture Organization) team which was working a land tenure project in Sokoto, Northern Nigeria.  During our two week assignment, we attended two Friday markets which were held after prayers.  Markets were filled with local crafts, some manufactured products, and food supplies.  There were also entertainers like the snake handler or a young man with a chained hyena who performed for “dash” – whatever an observer wished to give for the privilege of watching.  I gestured to the snake handler that I wanted to take photos, which he acknowledged.  When I finished, I gestured a “thank you” and started to walk away.  He became stern faced and walked toward me with two snakes in one hand and an upturned palm.  I got his meaning, dug for the change in my pocket, and placed it in his hand.  He accepted, and we parted without me personally meeting the snakes. 

The train conductor was a “target of opportunity” image I took at a popular steam rail tourist attraction in Porthmadog, Wales.  He was a volunteer during the summer tourist season, dressed in a period costume, but holding another day job.

EPL:  What do you hope people will take away from “On the Job?”

DP:  I hope the photos – though captioned to provide some context – will coalesce around the idea of the universality and dignity of common, and some truly uncommon, work.

EPL:  Are you currently working on any new projects or preparing for any future shows?  Where can we find more of your work after your EPL show closes?

DP:  I am working on three new projects, as yet untitled, focusing on structures, machines, and settings in which people live.  I have been posting this exhibition on my Facebook pages, accessible with my name, David Pritchett.


Local Art @ EPL: David Pritchett

January 6, 2017

Butcher, North Wales, 1978

We are thrilled to welcome David Pritchett back for a brand-new Local Art @ EPL exhibit.  After making his library debut with 2015’s Daily China, the Evanston photographer and educator has returned with On the Job – a series of color photographs exploring working life in Nigeria, Wales, England, Saudi Arabia, and China.  Captured between 1964 and 2016, Pritchett’s fascinating images record farmers, entertainers, shop keepers, and sailors while examining how “work exists in all times, countries, and cultures.”  You can catch this excellent exhibit on the 2nd floor of EPL’s Main Library through the end of January, and make sure to visit Off the Shelf later in the month for a featured interview with the artist himself.  Stay tuned.

 

 


NU’s Scientific Image Winners @ EPL

December 12, 2016

Nu Images graphic

The twelve stunning winners of Northwestern University’s 2016 Scientific Images Contest are making their annual EPL stop as they tour Chicagoland. Selected by a panel of artists, scientists, and community leaders, the eye-popping images were captured during wide-ranging scientific research and “invite you to enjoy both the aesthetics and innovation of NU Science.” As a bonus, this year’s exhibit also features artwork by ETHS students inspired by NU’s research-based images. Prints of the NU images are available for purchase, and you can catch the show at the library through January 15. You can also learn more about the contest by visiting HELIX – an online magazine produced by NU’s Science in Society.


Local Art @ EPL: Anthony Stetina

December 7, 2016

photo by anthony stetina

We are pleased to welcome Vietnam veteran and Chicagoland photographer Anthony Stetina as the next featured artist in our ongoing exhibition series Local Art @ EPL.  His show is currently on display on the 2nd floor of EPL’s Main Library where you can catch it through the end of December.  Featuring photos taken in 1967 during “non-stressful situations” in South Vietnam’s Central Highlands, the exhibit superimposes black-and-white images of military equipment and Stetina’s Army buddies with snapshots of Vietnam’s people and landscape.  Thought-provoking, moving, and sometimes haunting, Stetina’s exhibit is not to be missed.


Local Art @ EPL: Michael Loewenstein

November 4, 2016

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“Keithberg In The Rain”

We are happy to welcome Evanston painter Michael Loewenstein as the next featured artist in our ongoing exhibition series Local Art @ EPL.  For forty years he was the Scenic Art Director for WTTW Channel 11 where he designed many PBS favorites including Siskel and Ebert, Kukla Fran and Ollie, Chicago Tonight, and Soundstage.  After his retirement he began to pursue his interest in fine art, and now his exhibit Life After Siskel and Ebert is on display on the 2nd floor of EPL’s Main Library through November 30th.  Presenting a striking selection of his oils and watercolors, Loewenstein’s exhibit shows his preference for “content as opposed to technique” while exploring his “particular interest in light and perspective.”  Don’t miss it!


An Interview with Lloyd Davidson

September 15, 2016

dsc_1932-mosses-algae-hawaii-ps-x2

Lloyd Davidson is an Evanston photographer who made his Local Art @ EPL debut back in 2015.  Now the retired NU Life Sciences Librarian has returned with a fresh collection of breathtaking nature photography captured everywhere from New Zealand to the American Southwest to James Park.  You can catch this inspired show on the 2nd floor of EPL’s Main Library through the end of September, and you can view more of Dr. Davidson’s work by visiting his online gallery.  Recently we spoke with him via email about his artistic inspirations including Kafka, Picasso, and Edward Weston, his three simple rules for capturing the perfect shot, the Louis Pasteur quote that is his motto, and the rich Evanston art scene.

Continue reading “An Interview with Lloyd Davidson”


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