Bechtold, Popelka & Grant in Shepherd Express - January, 2014

New Year at Tory Folliard

Gallery exhibits three artists through January

By Tyler Friedman
 
If January is any indication, expect 2014 to be an exciting year for the arts in Milwaukee. The Tory Folliard Gallery, for its part, is welcoming the new year with a cluster of new exhibitions.

Rodger Bechtold, SKY ABOVE PLUM ISLAND, Oil on Linen, 46 x 68"

Rodger Bechtold, SKY ABOVE PLUM ISLAND, Oil on Linen, 46 x 68"

Rodger Bechtold’s “The Nature of Things” is less about things than it is about nature. The accomplished landscape painter captures the shifting color palette of the Midwest with an impressionistic flair.

Ben Grant, ESTRAGON'S SEMAPHORE #2, Acrylic on Paper, 18 x 20"

Ben Grant, ESTRAGON'S SEMAPHORE #2, Acrylic on Paper, 18 x 20"

Ben Grant’s “I’ve Got on With It a Little All the Same” is a delightful multimedia romp. Grant displays an interest in non-representational work that, through evocative colors and repetitive designs, still manages to communicate effectively.

Jeremy Popelka, KEY, Assembled Sand Cast Glass, 16 x 22 x 4 1/2"

Jeremy Popelka, KEY, Assembled Sand Cast Glass, 16 x 22 x 4 1/2"

Jeremy Popelka’s “Veiled Monuments” is “off the wall” in the phrase’s idiomatic and literal senses. Of course the glass sculptures fare best on pedestals, but his towers, vases, and bowls also confound one’s expectations of what a glass artist does.

All three exhibitions open Jan. 4, but will only stick around until Feb. 1, so waste no time in paying them a visit. The gallery is open Tuesdays-Fridays from 11 a.m.-5 p.m. and Saturdays from 11 a.m.-4 p.m.

Artists' Reception on Gallery Night, January 17th from 6 to 9 pm and Informal Artists' Talk on Gallery Day, Saturday, January 18th at 2 pm.