Art in the Library
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"Bromeliad Opticus" by Ralph Iaccarino
This artwork titled “Bromeliad Opticus” was created by Ralph Iaccarino. He is a local artist of high acclaim. The painting is a colorful, close up depiction of a bromeliad plant. This is a giclée print of an original watercolor that was this same size. Almost all of the art in our collection is original work; however, this is a print. This kind of reproduction can recreate the look of the original so perfectly, that it is difficult to see any difference between the two. A giclée print is digital and can be printed on many materials. In this case the image was put on watercolor paper. This artwork is realistic in nature as you see it at first, but as you look closer, the abstract qualities of the interesting applications of the watercolors comes out, creating a rich surface to look at close up. We have one other work similarly done in our collection by Ralph Iaccarino titled “ Sun Rise at Osa”.
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"Sunrise at Osa" by Ralph Iaccarino
This artwork titled “Sunrise at Osa” was created by Ralph Iaccarino. He is a local artist of high acclaim. The painting is a landscape based on Ralph’s travels to South America. This is a giclée print of an original watercolor that was this same size. Almost all of the art in our collection is original work; however, this is a print. This kind of reproduction can recreate the look of the original so perfectly that it is difficult to see any difference between the two. A giclée print is digital and can be printed on many materials. In this case the image was put on watercolor paper. This artwork is realistic in nature as you see it at first. As you look closer the abstract qualities of the interesting applications of the watercolors comes out, creating a rich surface to look at up close. We have another work similarly done by Ralph Iaccarino in our collection titled “Bromeliad Opticus”.
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"Rock, Paper, Scissors" by Thomas Lytle
Constructed by Thomas Lytle, this sculpture is titled “Rock, Paper, Scissors”. It is an abstracted representation of the children’s game. Lytle is a regional artist from Galesburg, Illinois. Of all of the artworks in the Moline Library collection, this is the first one purchased for this building. This kind of artwork would be considered an assemblage which is an artwork that is made up various parts of things put together. Thomas used what the art world would call, “found objects” in his creation. Found objects are materials that can be natural, or manufactured items that are assembled to create an art piece. These things are usually items that were originally made for another purpose and are now being recycled or repurposed to create art. If you like this work there are other assemblage artworks in our collection. Terry Rathje’s, “Humo, The Robot” and “What It Takes” are two artworks you may want to see.
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"Rock Amadeus" by Paul Algueseva, III
This large multi-piece artwork was made by sculptor Paul Algueseva, III. He is an Iowa artist who is known for his imaginative bronze sculptures. In this work there are 9 rock-like forms arranged in an angular pattern that follows the slope of the stairs by which it is hung. This kind of artwork would be considered a relief sculpture, or bas-relief. In this kind of sculpture the artwork sticks out from a flat surface and is meant to be seen from one side, as opposed to being a sculpture in the round. Though this artwork looks to be made of bronze or some other natural material, it is actually cast in a bronze resin. It is similar to a resin plaster with the surface coat containing bronze powder. When you look at this interesting relief sculpture, at first you may not notice that all 9 of the pieces are exactly the same. The rock forms are arranged in a flip flop fashion so that the rock above, below, or next to any one rock is upside down in relation in the set-up. This artwork is low-relief sculpture. If you like this piece, you will probably also find another work in our collection interesting. Look for the high relief, bronze sculpture “ Artiface” by David Zahn.
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"Three Cows" by Bill Stone
You are looking at an oil painting titled “Three Cows” by Bill Stone. He is a regional artist living in eastern Illinois. This painting is of a head on view of three cows feeding. Bill Stone is known for his abstract and nonobjective paintings, all with bright colors and thick application of paint. His paintings are done with oil paints. To create the thick smears of color that make them so fun to look at up close, he uses a pallet knife to paint instead of a paintbrush. This artwork would be considered an abstract painting. An abstract artwork is one where the artist gets his idea from something real. Then they simplify or rearrange things to suit their artistic needs. In this case details are lost or left out to create a visual splash of color and 3-d textures in paint. We have two other exciting oil paintings by Bill Stone in our collection, “Pain 9” and “Pain in the Chest” which is a nonobjective piece.
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"Pain in the Chest" by Bill Stone
“Pain in the Chest” is one of three oil paintings in our collection done by Bill Stone. Bill is a regional artist who is from eastern Illinois. Bill Stone is known for his abstract and nonobjective paintings, all with bright colors and thick application of paint. His paintings are done with oil paints. To create the thick smears of color that make them so fun to look at up close, he uses a pallet knife to paint instead of a paintbrush. This painting is a nonobjective artwork, similar in nature visually to the works of Jackson Pollock. An artwork that is nonobjective can also be referred to as being nonrepresentational. In this kind work the artist is not trying to make an image of anything seen or imagined. Instead this painting has color, texture, forms, movement, and is interesting to look at, but has no subject matter. A nonobjective artwork is like music that has no lyrics. It is a modern art concept to make something that does not represent something else, it is its own item. We have several nonrepresentational artworks in the collection both 2-D and 3-D. You may find Jay Stratton’s 3-D, and Aaron Coleman’s 2-D work interesting if you like this type of art. There are also two other paintings by Bill Stone in the collection.
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"Pain 9" by Bill Stone
"Pain 9” is the third oil painting of Bill Stone’s in the library art collection. Bill is a regional artist who is from eastern Illinois. Bill Stone is known for his abstract, and nonobjective paintings, all with bright colors and thick application of paint. His paintings are done with oil paints. To create the thick smears of color that make them so fun to look at up close, he uses a pallet knife to paint instead of a paintbrush. This two-dimensional work would be considered to be an abstract figure painting. This is a very intriguing painting to view. From up close it looks like nonrepresentational work with strong color and wild dashes of thick oil paint. But as you step back, an image of a person emerges. The painting is displayed in this location for this reason. You can view the painting from quite a distance if you wish, and the image of a man swinging a club becomes more apparent as you get further away. We have two other moving oil paintings by Bill Stone in the collection, “Cows 3” and “Pain in the Chest” which is a nonobjective piece.
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"Stoneware Pitcher and Jar" by George Lowe
This large green lidded jar and 24” tall, brown pitcher were made by George Lowe. He is a nationally known artist from northern Iowa. He is renowned for his aged looking stoneware pottery. This jar with its matt green glaze, simple lid, and spiral design is a classic form for this artist. This example is the largest size of this form that he will produce. George is a potter who will often produce the same basic forms over and over again, seeking their perfection. In an article in, Ceramics Monthly, he quotes one of his favorite potters, Dean Schwarz, as saying “You have to make 1,000 pots before you make a good one.” This idea comes to light in his work as every detail has its own simple beauty. Everything is refined in an understated way. The finishes on the works are so classic looking that you may think the pots are hundreds of years old or more. If you like works that are based on classic vessel forms, you will love to see Steve Sinner’s wood turned vase “Bound in Black” found in our collection.
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"Green Oval Vase" by George Lowe
This tall green oval vase was made by George Lowe. He is a nationally known artist from northern Iowa. He is renowned for his aged looking stoneware pottery. This vase is what he calls a pocket vase. This is one of his favorite forms, and he makes them in different sizes. This is the largest size of this form that he produces. George is a potter who will often produce the same basic forms over and over again, seeking their perfection. In an article in, Ceramics Monthly, he quotes one of his favorite potters, Dean Schwarz, as saying “You have to make 1,000 pots before you make a good one.” This idea comes to light in his work as every detail has its own simple beauty. Everything is refined in an understated way. The finishes on the works are so classic looking that you may think the pots are hundreds of years old or more. There are two other stoneware creations by George Lowe in the library collection.
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"Ribbon Series Wood Sculpture - #1" by Jay Stratton
Sculpted by local artist, Jay Stratton, this work is part of his “Ribbon Series” and was purchased together with another piece in the series by the library. Jay is a local artist from Davenport who works with wood. The curving form was created by piecing boards together. It is made at first of a series of flat straight boards that are about an inch thick. After it is assembled, the corners are painstakingly shaped and sanded down to make the smooth, rounded, flowing forms you now see. These are unique and wonderful art works. This type of sculpture is considered to be nonrepresentational, or nonobjective in nature, and was inspired by wind or ribbon forms. In this kind artwork the artist is not trying to make an image of anything seen or imagined. Instead, this sculpture has form, movement, design, and is interesting to look at, but has no subject matter. A nonobjective artwork is like music that has no lyrics. It is a modern art concept to make something that does not represent something else, it is its own article.
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"Ribbon Series Wood Sculpture - #2" by Jay Stratton
Stratton was originally commissioned to make one of these types of works to fill one of the second floor niches at the library. Jay instead made two of them. He said he did two to give the art committee a choice. When the sculptures were placed on either side of a large window to view them, the committee quickly realized that the two flanking sculptures looked great as a set, and purchased both on the spot.
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"Artifice" by David Zahn
This bronze sculpture titled “Artifice” was created by David Zahn. Zahn is a local artist who is known for his figurative sculptures in ceramic and bronze. To make a bronze sculpture like this, the image is first sculpted in clay. From the clay version it is molded and then a wax copy is cast. Then the wax version is encased in a shell. The wax is melted out of the shell and the bronze is poured in where the wax was. After all of this, the shell-like casing is broken off, and the metal is tooled and finished. This process is called “lost wax casting”. This art work has no back, so you can see how it is made of a thin sheet of cast bronze. All large bronze sculptures are hollow, with the metal being around ¼ inch thick. This is considered a high relief sculpture. In this kind of sculpture the artwork is meant to be seen from the front or sides, as opposed to being a sculpture in the round. If you want to see another example of a low relief sculpture, look for “Rock Amadeus” by Paul Algueseva found by the stairs.
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"Bound in Black" by Steve Sinner
“Bound in Black” is an awesome turned wood vase by Steve Sinner. He is a local artist who is nationally recognized as one of the best in his field. Works like this break the boarders between what is art and what is craft. Though turning a wooden vase like this is an excellent example of great craftsmanship, this would be considered an artwork because of its high level of expressive, and artistic qualities plus its utilitarian aspects are greatly limited. This piece is not meant to be used for anything other then an art object. Sinner created this work by starting with a single solid piece of maple. It was first turned much of the way before the wood was even dried. After the majority of the turning is done, the vase is then dried fully so that all of the finishing work may be done. In this piece almost the entire surface is painted, only a few of the unpainted squares are left open for you to see the wood. It is truly remarkable how this design was painted on the round curving vase form. How these fine black lines are so perfectly applied on this rounded surface is an amazing feat. You may also find Duncan McClellan’s glass pieces interesting if you like these vase forms by Steve Sinner.
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"See For Yourself" by Akiko Kioso
This ceramic sculpture titled “See For Yourself“ was made by Akiko Kioso. She is an accomplished local artist from Illinois. This sculptural form is made of ceramic. The bottom section is glazed. The upper portion has sea urchins and barnacle forms which are unglazed, raw ceramic. It is made this way to create a strong contrast in form and texture between the two elements of the artwork. Akiko, like many artists, often finds her inspiration from natural forms or things in nature. There are two other artworks by her in the collection. You will also like the glass jellyfish pieces by Richard Satava if you find this work by Akiko interesting.
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"Ceramic Sculpture" by Akiko Kioso
This is a two part ceramic sculpture. It was created by Akiko Koiso. She is an accomplished local artist from Illinois. This sculpture is made of ceramic. The simple understated piece evokes the calming effects of one being in nature. Looking at the work we get the impression of a rock, or hill form. The form is divided to generate some tension and interest creating a small space that exists between the two parts. Akiko, like many artists, often finds her inspiration from natural forms or things in nature. There are two artworks by her in the collection. I find this piece similar in some ways to the relief sculpture “Rock Amadeus” by Paul Algueseva, also in the collection. Both are works made of parts that relate to each other, and are based on forms found in nature.
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"Twenty Nine Proven Areas of Compatibility" by Skip Willits
This sculpture was made by Skip Willits and is titled “Twenty Nine Proven Areas of Compatibility”. Willits is a very prolific regional artist from Camanche, Iowa. This artwork is made of recycled steel that was welded together. Not only does he use repurposed steel for his pieces, but this work is made up of the scraps and cutoffs from other works he made. In a way, he has double recycled, using the scraps of the scrap metal to do this particular artwork. This sculpture should be considered a nonrepresentational artwork. In this kind piece the artist is not trying to make an image of anything seen or imagined. Instead the sculpture has line, shape, forms, movement, and is interesting to look at, but has no subject matter other than itself. A nonobjective, or nonrepresentational artwork is like music that has no lyrics. It is a modern art concept to make something that does not represent something else, it is its own entity. We have several nonrepresentational artworks in the collection both 2-D and 3-D. There are two other sculptures by Skip Willits at the library.
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"Bird House" by Skip Willits
This artwork titled “Bird House” was created by Skip Willits. It is a sculpture made of welded steel rods. Skip is a very prolific regional artist from Camanche, Iowa. Many concepts are being combined in this thought provoking image. When looking at the sculpture, the viewer will at first notice the large symbolic house structure. Then we notice the nest form suspended in the middle. A powerful interplay of manmade and natural images made of steel, creates a tension in this wonderful work. It is up to the individual to try and understand the many meanings that this work may have. Take some time and ponder the strange juxtaposition of these two familiar iconic items that make up this artwork. If you like this work, make sure to see the two other sculptures by Skip Willits at this library.
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"Side Swimmer" Jellyfish, by Richard Satava
Glass has become one of the most popular mediums for artists in recent years. There are two of these jellyfish works by Richard Satava in the library collection. This one is what Satava would call one of his “Side Swimmer” jellyfish. Even though he will produce many of these each year, every one is a marvel of the glass working art. Satava is an internationally known artist from California. He has many different kinds of work he produces, but he is probably best known for making these sea bound creatures. It may be hard to believe, but everything in this artwork is made of glass. These works are challenging to the artist because all of the different elements of this complex work have to be made and assembled hot. That is to say that he has to create and assemble the whole thing in one sitting that spans only minutes, not hours. Make sure to see the two large etched glass vases by, Duncan McClellan, located behind the main circulation desk for more glass creations.
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"Petroglyph" Vase, by Richard Satava
This artwork by Richard Satava is one of three artworks he has in the library art collection. This is one of his “Petroglyph” vases. Satava is an internationally known artist from California. He produces many different kinds of work. There are also two glass jellyfish pieces in the collection made by him. Making a vase like this out of glass is a very interesting process. Before the artist gathers the glass needed to make the vase form, they will first lay out the design on a table, in this case, a primitive rock and cave painting inspired imagery. The image or design on the table is made up of small particles of glass. Then the hot glass that will be blown to form the vase is rolled over these particles which are picked up on to the surface of the glass. The vase at this point is just a cylinder, but is then blown into a vessel with the imagery on the outside layer. If you like this work, make sure to see the two large etched glass vases by Duncan McClellan located behind the main circulation desk.
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"Passion Moon, Double Jellyfish" by Richard Satava
Glass has become one of the most popular mediums for artists in recent years. There are two of these jellyfish works by Richard Satava in the library collection. This one is a large “Passion Moon, Double Jellyfish.” Even though he will produce many of these each year, every one is a marvel of the glass working art. Satava is an internationally known artist from California. He produces many different kinds of work, but he is probably best known for making these sea bound creatures. It may be hard to believe, but everything in this artwork is made of glass. These works are also challenging to the artist because all of the different elements of this complex work have to be made and assembled hot. That is to say that he has to create and assemble the whole thing in one sitting that spans only minutes, not hours. Of the artwork that we have under glass, these jellyfish must be the most loved by the children that visit. There are almost always little fingerprints on the glass by this piece. Make sure to see the two large etched glass vases by, Duncan McClellan, located behind the main circulation desk.
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"Canadian Lynx Print" by John James Audubon
This image of a Canadian Lynx was originally made by John James Audubon. Audubon is most known for his work on the series of the birds of North America which he did in the mid 1800s. He embarked on the quadruped series after the birds were finished. What you are looking at is a giclee print of the painted Canadian Lynx in Audubon’s series of quadrupeds of North America. A giclee print is digital and can be printed on many materials, in this case the image was put on a high quality, watercolor paper. This kind of print can recreate the look of the original so perfectly that it is difficult to see any difference between the two if you were to have them side by side. This print was taken from the original painting that is housed at the American Museum of Natural History in New York City. The wonderful thing about this image is that it is not exactly like the final version that was used in the quadruped series printed in the 1800s. In this image you get a sense of the artist’s hand. If you look closely, you can see little details of things that were moved or changed, like pencil outlines of where the foot was originally placed in the drawing, then moved. You may also get a feel for Audubon’s painting style and the way he would draw and use the materials. These things are not evident in the Audubon prints we would usually see.
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"Sue" by Frank De Loach
This dinosaur painting is of the famous T-Rex named “Sue” located at the Field Museum of Natural History in Chicago. It was painted by, Frank De Loach, who is not a trained artist. Interestingly, he is a trained paleontologist who was working at the Field Museum in the early days of the skeleton being displayed. Frank told the library art committee a story about how he came to be a painter by working on some drawings of Sue. Frank’s story was that one day, he was on the museum floor doing some sketches of the skeleton. As he drew, small groups of people would stop to look on. Then one of the directors of the museum noticed this and liked the activity. He asked Frank to spend some time drawing the bones on an ongoing basis. An area was roped off, and he was the only person allowed to set up shop as the official artist of “Sue the T-Rex” at the Field Museum. He added paints and learned the rest of the process on his own. This painting was purchased after he had sold all of the others he did. He said that the people who found and worked to dig up Sue were the buyers of most the other paintings. Frank has moved on and now paints other things, and this may be the only painting of “Sue” he did that is publicly owned and displayed.
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"Human Figure in Steel" by Skip Willits
This sculpture “Human Figure in Steel” was made by Skip Willits. He is a very prolific regional artist from Camanche, Iowa. The sculpture is made mostly of welded steel rod. In this artwork you see the abstracted image of a person. An abstract piece of art is where the artist starts with something real or known to them. Then they simplify or rearrange it to suit their artistic needs or expression. The details of a specific person are not wanted by the artist in this example. Instead he is wishing to convey more basic themes on the human condition. This kind if contemporary art is much like the art of primitive cultures, whose art is more symbolic in nature. This sculpture is not really meant to be the direct image of a person, but is more the symbolic representation of a human. There are two other sculptures by Skip Willits at this library.
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"Southern Belles" by Caroline England
This beautiful painting titled “Southern Belles” was done by Caroline England. She is a local treasure of an artist living in Davenport, Iowa. She is a highly prolific artist known for her paintings of flowers and other things. She has been doing this kind of realistic painting, with a strong sense of design for years. This is a typical format for her to use in one of her paintings. She likes to make the flower image big. We are right up close to it and able to see all of its details. Then there is the stark background. In water color this kind of a background is seldom done. The paper she is painting on is white, and to make this large of an area so evenly black is an extremely hard thing to do. The black background is what helps to make the flower stand out even more. It is funny because most schools of thought on painting would tell you to never use straight black in a painting at all. However, England uses it all the time and she really makes it work. If you like the look of this artwork you will also like the 2 works of Ralph Iaccarinos’ found in our collection.
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"Tuscany Photograph" by Hunt Harris
This photograph was taken by Hunt Harris. He is a Moline resident who has a strong interest in the art of photography. There are four images of his work at the library. Although he photographs a wide range of subject matter, the images we have here are landscape or nature oriented. Hunt’s images are in the tradition of the type of photography typically used in magazines like National Geographic, or Smithsonian. Hunt captures the reality and beauty of the subjects. He took these artful, clean and clear images on his travels around the world. Hunt Harris is also a generous person, and donated these images framed to the library. This image of the hills of Tuscany, is a beautiful example of black and white photography. It is a view taken at a winery.
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"Penguins Photograph" by Hunt Harris
This photograph was taken by Hunt Harris. He is a Moline resident who has a strong interest in the art of photography. There are four images of his work at the library. Although he photographs a wide range of things, the images we have here are landscape or nature oriented. Hunt’s images are in the tradition of the type of photography typically used in magazines like National Geographic, or Smithsonian. He took these artful, clean and clear images on his travels around the world. Hunt Harris is also a generous person, and donated these images framed to the library. This close up shot of penguins makes you feel as if you are there. Hunt said that he had to get right down on the snow to get this shot.
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"Namib Desert Photograph" by Hunt Harris
This photograph was taken by Hunt Harris. He is a Moline resident who has a strong interest in the art of photography. There are four images of his work at the library. Although he photographs a wide range of things, the images we have here are landscape or nature oriented. Hunt’s images are in the tradition of the type of photography typically used in magazines like National Geographic, or Smithsonian. He took these artful, clean and clear images on his travels around the world. Hunt Harris is also a generous person, and donated these images framed to the library. This image of the Namib Desert shows how Hunt Harris can see the beauty in nature even when the subject matter is not what a person may think of as traditionally, beautiful. The dead trees contrasted by the sweeping forms of the sand, and the intense colors create a truly surrealistic scene. In his work Hunt is wanting to make you feel as if you are there.
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"Seals Photograph" by Hunt Harris
This photograph was taken by Hunt Harris. He is a Moline resident who has a strong interest in the art of photography. There are four images of his work at the library. Although he photographs a wide range of things, the images we have here are landscape or nature oriented. Hunt’s images are in the tradition of the type of photography typically used in magazines like National Geographic, or Smithsonian. He took these artful, clean and clear images on his travels around the world. Hunt Harris is also a generous person, and donated these images framed to the library. The intimate image of these seals in a slight soft focus is a great example of nature photography. In showing the animals this way it makes it easy to think of them as being individuals in their own society. The emotion of the image is so personal that it links the viewer to this far off creature with whom we may not typically have a connection. This is an animal portrait with a heart.
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"Mango Tango" by Duncan McClellan
This vase, titled “Mango Tango”, was created by Florida artist Duncan McClellan. He is a nationally known artist of the modern art glass movement. Many different processes were used to create this large work. To make this work, Duncan starts by gathering about 30 pounds of glass to make the huge vase. Interestingly the last, or surface layer of glass, is black. When you look at the piece you see that the image of the tree is black. The reason only some parts are black in the finished work is that the non-black parts are where the surface layer was etched off. Look closely at the colored areas and you can see other shapes etched into that surface. The vase has three levels of depth to the surface. The work glows when lit from the back. Richard Satava is another glass artist with pieces in our collection.
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"Dragonfly" by Duncan McClellan
This vase by Florida artist Duncan McClellan is a sister piece to “Mango Tango”, and is called “Dragonfly”. As you can see, these two vases are not exactly the same in terms of size, shape, and color. That is because they are hand-made in every aspect, and are meant to be individual pieces that make a good pairing. Just as with “Mango Tango”, the surface layer of glass vase was black. The reason only the dragonfly appears black in the finished work is that the non-black parts are where the surface layer was etched off. Look closely at the colored areas and you can see other shapes etched into that surface. The vase has three levels of depth to the surface. The work glows when lit from the back. Richard Satava is another glass artist with pieces in our collection.
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"What It Takes" by Terry Rathje
“What It Takes” is the title of this artwork made by Terry Rathje. He is a well-known area artist who has been doing works of this nature for many years. This fun work is what would be called an assemblage. An assemblage is when an artist uses found objects to create an art piece. The term “found objects” is when you take things that are not meant or made to be used to make art and you create something with them. Some would say that you are making art with junk when you do this. Others would say that the artist is recycling, repurposing, and using innovative means to create art. Terry Rathje, looks for interesting objects in the world around him and uses that to build his pieces. Using found objects to do art is a truly modern art concept. The great thing about it is that it brings the ability to create to people of all economic backgrounds. There is another piece by Terry Rathje titled “Humo the Robot” in our collection also made of found objects.
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"Double Ferris Wheel" by Thomas C. Jackson
Thomas C. Jackson is a mid-western artist of high acclaim. He lives and works in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Jackson has exhibited his paintings in many prestigious art museums, and galleries. This oil painting titled “Double Ferris Wheel” is the largest painting at the library. It shows iconic imagery of a mid-western county fair. An interesting thing about this artwork is that it is an oil painting of a nighttime scene. It is also a painting of the kind of subject matter that is not usually painted at all. One of the wonderful things about this painting is that it showcases one of those ubiquitous aspects of mid-west living. When an artist takes the time to do such a large scale work on this sort of subject matter, it helps the viewer to realize that these moments are just as beautiful and wonderful as the pastoral farm or sunset scenes that we may typically think of when we imagine a large oil painting. This is one aspect of what an artist can do; take the ordinary moments that we may take for granted, and help us see the wonder in them.
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"Wind Dance" by Dawn Wohlford-Metallo
Dawn Wohlford-Metallo is a local artist who likes to work with paper and other such materials. This artwork is titled “Wind Dance”. This piece is made from hand made paper, and it is a kinetic sculpture. A kinetic artwork is an art piece that has an element of movement in it. In this case air movement creates the motion in the art. Dawn has said that the paper used in this art work was made from fibers from the leaves of banana trees found at the Quad City Botanical center. This is the only kinetic art piece in the library collection.
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"Humo the Robot" by Terry Rathje
“Humo the Robot” is the title of this artwork made by Terry Rathje. He is a well-known area artist who has been doing works of this nature for many years. This fun artwork is what would be called an assemblage. An assemblage is when an artist uses found objects to create an art piece. The term “found objects” is when you take things that are not meant or made to be used to make art, and you create something with them. Some would say that you are making art with junk when you do this. Others would say that the artist is recycling, repurposing, and using innovative means to produce art. Terry Rathje, looks for interesting objects in the world around him, and uses them to create his art. Using found objects to do art is a truly modern art concept. The great thing about it is that it brings the ability to create to people of all economic backgrounds. There is another assemblage piece by Terry Rathje titled “What It Takes” in our collection.
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"Duet" by Michael Payne
Titled “Duet”, this image was created by local artist Michael Payne. He was an area teacher who retired from teaching and put his time and energy into creating images of human figures and horses. This work is a giclée print of the original piece. The original works were made as pastel drawings. Almost all of the art in our collection is original work, this is a print. This printing process can recreate the look of the original so perfectly that it may be difficult to see any difference between the two. A giclée print is digital and can be printed on many materials. In this case, the printing is on paper. The library has two of Mike Payne’s stylized images of horses in the collection.
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"Cloud" by Michael Payne
The title of this piece is “Cloud”. This image was made by local artist Michael Payne. He was an area teacher who retired and put his time and energy into creating beautiful images of human figures and horses. This work is a giclée print of the original piece. The original works were made as pastel drawings. Almost all of the art in our collection is original work. This is a print. This printing process can recreate the look of the original so perfectly that it may be difficult to see any difference between the two. A giclée print is digital and can be printed on many materials. In this case, the image is printed on paper. The library has two of Mike Payne’s stylized images of horses in the collection.
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"An Intense Revelation" by Aaron Coleman
This artwork is titled “An Intense Revelation”. This is a painting of sorts by regional artist Aaron Coleman. He lives and creates his works in Kansas City, Missouri. Though he calls his works paintings, they are not really paintings in the traditional sense. When Coleman paints he leaves no paintbrush strokes. His process for this piece is to start with a ¼” plywood panel on a frame. The panel would be laying flat on a table and the pigments would be poured, dropped, and dribbled into place. The intricate details of the artwork are created by the effects of the different materials as they interact on the surface. The artist considers the exact details of his processes to be kind of a trade secret. Once the colors and interactions of all of the various materials are satisfactory, the work is allowed to dry that way. Then the surface is covered with a clear resin. We have two such paintings in our collection.
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"Fossil Long Submerged" by Aaron Coleman
This artwork is titled “Fossil Long Submerged”. This is a painting of sorts by regional artist Aaron Coleman. He lives and creates his works in Kansas City, Missouri. Though he calls his works paintings, they are not really paintings in the traditional sense. Coleman leaves no paintbrush strokes when he paints. His process for this piece is to start with a ¼” plywood panel on a frame. The panel would be laying flat on a table and the pigments would be poured, dropped, and dribbled into place. The intricate details of the artwork are created by the effects of the different materials as they interact on the surface. The artist considers the exact details of his processes to be kind of a trade secret. Once the colors and interactions of all of the various materials are satisfactory, the work is allowed to dry that way. Then the surface is covered with a clear resin, locking it in, and making a tough protective surface. We have two such paintings in our collection.
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"Seeing Everything" by Edward Avila
Painted by Edward Avila this artwork is titled “Seeing Everything”. Edward is an experienced and accomplished artist from Michigan. This is an acrylic painting of an imaginary landscape. The outer edges of the painting are just a little darker in areas which creates a kind of spotlight effect in the center of the painting. You can see this best as you look in the upper left and right hand corners. Avila uses his imagination to transport the viewer to a wonderful place filled with color and mystery. His style is realistic and representational, but there is often a feeling of uneasiness found in his paintings. This aspect of his work is even more apparent in his other work here at the library titled “Second Chance at Last Chance Creek”.
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"Second Chance at Last Chance Creek" by Edward Avila
This is the second artwork in the collection painted by Edward Avila. It is titled “Second Chance at Last Chance Creek”. Edward is an experienced and accomplished artist from Michigan. This is an acrylic painting of an imaginary landscape. In this painting Avila uses his imagination to transport the viewer to a wonderful place filled with color and mystery. It is a strangely lit scene of a winding river in a dream-like setting. His style is realistic and representational, but there is often a feeling of uneasiness found in his paintings. This aspect of unease in his work is very apparent in this painting. Another work by Edward Avila here at the library is “Seeing Everything”.
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"Wind" by Jay Stratton
“Wind” is a wonderful wood sculpture made by local artist Jay Stratton. He has three pieces at the Moline library. All of them are in this free form style. These curving forms were created by piecing boards together. It is made at first of a series of flat straight boards that are about an inch thick. After it is assembled, the corners are painstakingly shaped and sanded down to make the smooth, rounded, flowing forms you now see. These are unique and wonderful art works. This type of sculpture is considered to be nonrepresentational, or nonobjective in nature and is inspired by wind or ribbon forms. In this kind artwork the artist is not trying to make an image of anything seen or imagined. Instead this sculpture has forms, movement, design, and is interesting to look at, but has no subject matter. A nonobjective artwork is like music that has no lyrics. It is a modern art concept to make something that does not represent something else, it is its own creation.
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"Fire and Ice" by Maeve Erickson
Maeve Erickson is an established artist from the Chicago area. This is a great example of her work titled “Fire & Ice”. This however is not a nonobjective painting of the common nature. It is an example of encaustic painting. This kind of painting is one of the oldest methods used. For encaustic painting, the artist uses color pigments and hot bee’s wax as a binder for the paint. The artist will also use metal tools rather than paint brushes to apply the colors. The technique was used around 100-300 A.D. to produce Fayum mummy portraits. This is not a common painting method used today. There are many paintings in the Moline library art collection, and this is the only one that was produced using this ancient process.
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"Schooling 3" by Emily Christenson
This artwork is titled “Schooling 3”. It was painted by Moline artist Emily Christenson. It is what is called a tryptic. In this kind of work you see a single image, however it is divided into three sections. In this case all of the sections are the same size, which is not always the case. This work by Christenson is from her Pelagic series. The artwork is charcoal on paper mounted on a panel and coated in wax. The image is an abstracted impression of a schooling fish form. An abstract artwork is one where the artist gets their idea from something real. Then they simplify or rearrange things to suit their artistic needs. This artist is influenced by nature in all of her works, and she is often found creating her pieces out in the elements. If you like this kind of work you will also find the paintings of Bill Stone, and Aaron Coleman, in our collection interesting.
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"Falstaff" by Bill Hannon
“Falstaff” is an original watercolor painting by well- known local artist and educator Bill Hannon. Bill is a prolific illustrator who is known for the use of calligraphy in his classically styled illustrations. He is great at infusing emotion and expression into the subjects he portrays. Faust is a character from a play by Shakespeare, and Bill loves anything Shakespeare. If you look at the folds in the costume to the smallest detail in the turkey drumstick, you know that this artist considers every aspect of his subject. The art of illustration is so closely intertwined in books that we were very lucky to have Bill Hannon donate this image to the Moline Library.
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"Can Opener" by Jan Rorhem
“Can Opener” is an acrylic painting by Jan Rorhem. She was a local artist and college art educator. This is an example of an abstract painting. An abstract artwork is one where the artist gets his idea from something real. Then they simplify or rearrange things to suit their artistic needs as they create an interesting image. This is also in somewhat of a minimalist style. It is made up of large simple geometric shapes and basic bold colors. There are many other abstract paintings and sculptures to see in the art collection here at the library.
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"Matchstick Man" by Dusty Hanson
Made by local artist, Dusty Hanson, this sculpture is titled, “Matchstick Man”. It is a ceramic artwork. Dusty in known for his whimsical and sometimes strange character sculptures. This sculpture is of a quirky person who obviously loves his books. This work is done in a playful style similar to styles typically used in children’s literature. It is funny, and strange, but in a very likeable way. In his art, Dusty Hanson always puts great time and effort into the details and nuances of the piece. Enjoy this work and take your time looking at all of the little things that make it such a wonderful artwork to look at for viewers of all ages.
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"Farm Scene" by Tom Hempel
"Farm Scene" by Tom Hempel
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"Back Street of LeClaire" by Tom Hempel
"Back Street of LeClaire" by Tom Hempel
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"Cave" by David Rose
"Cave" by David Rose