From staff reports
MANISTEE—Vibrant color, imagery and figures dominate a new exhibit of quilts and paintings called “Nanok & Kowaleski: A Duo Art Exhibition” showing now in the Ramsdell Regional Center for the Arts, 101 Maple St.
The works of Nancy Davis “Nanok” and Ann Kowaleski are currently displayed in Hardy Hall Gallery through June 17.
Imaginative paintings
In her artist’s statement, Nancy Davis said her nickname Nanok was given to her by a friend and means “little piece of bread.” She uses Nanok as her signature and nom d’artist, meaning the name she uses in her work as an artist.
She stated her paintings are influenced by her European and other travels. She has studied Latin languages, is fluent in five and has a degree in sustainable agriculture. Nanok worked on small farms and led what she calls “a bohemian lifestyle” in Portugal, France and Belgium.
Her love of hats and her love of “vegetation, organic growth, and my connection with the earth and its inhabitants” can be seen in her paintings.
“I call my oil paintings whimsies,” she said. “They are like children – born through inspiration, imagination, memory, dreams, or creative impulse (and) often a combination of these.”
According to the exhibit’s press release, Nanok’s work could be considered “art brut,” a term coined by French artist Jean Dubuffet in the 1940s which translates as outsider art or “art created outside the boundaries of official culture.”
She is represented by many west Michigan galleries and the Muskegon Museum of Art. Her work can be viewed at: https://nanokswhimsies.com
Celebratory quilts
Artist Ann Kowaleski was born in Remus, Michigan, home of the Wheatland Music Festival. She has included her series of water/swimming quilts in the current show.
“Water is home for me,” she said. “It is my tonic.”
In her artist’s statement, she shared that she watched her schoolteacher grandmother piece together award-winning traditional quilts and realized her grandmother “associated sewing with love and family.” As a result, Kowaleski uses fabric and thread as her mediums of choice.
“This medium and these works recognize multiple layers of being and are a celebration of women in life in ways that express their individuality, beauty, strength, and vulnerability going beyond simple perception,” Kowaleski explained.
“I use all types of fabrics and hand-painted yardage, traditional piecing, applique and reverse applique, highlighted by embroidery and embellishment to bring out the subject matter.”
Kowaleski received a master’s degree in counseling from Central Michigan University. She has taught many workshops and curated a quilt show at her alma mater. She is an award-winning quilt artist whose work has been in many national and international exhibitions including “Visions” and “Quilt National”. Her work has been reproduced in such publications as “Fiberarts” and books such as “America’s Quilts” and “500 Art Quilts”.
To view her quilts, go to: https://annkowaleski.weebly.com
A public reception for both artists will be held 5-7 p.m., Sat., May 20, in the Hardy Hall Gallery. Gallery hours are Wednesday through Sunday, 12-3 p.m. For more information, contact Ramsdell Regional Center for the Arts at 231-398-9770 or email the center at: info@ramsdelltheatre.org.
