---

January - February 2011 Exhibit

First Exhibit of 2011 Mixes New Approaches
What the four mid-Michigan artists who open the 2011 exhibit year at the Shiawassee Arts Center have in common is the ability to continue to explore their art in new and creative ways. Flint oil artist Tim Kranz, Owosso fiber artist Marti Liddle-Lameti, Corunna mixed media artist Susan Newcom, and Lansing watermedia artist Donna Randall are displaying and selling their artwork at the Arts Center January 18 - February 27, 2011. The opening reception to meet the artists, which is open and free to the public, is Friday, January 21, 6-8pm. Refreshments and music will be provided and SAC is offering 20% off all purchases during the reception. The exhibition is sponsored by Chemical Bank.

Tim Kranz is a working, professional, studio and mural artist and art instructor at the University of Michigan-Flint. He has a MFA degree in painting from Kendall College of Art and Design in Grand Rapids and a BFA with a concentration in Painting and a minor in Art History from the University of Michigan-Flint. Kranz has participated in numerous gallery shows and has won awards for his art, been accepted into judged shows, and has paintings in several private and public collections, including two permanently in the collection of Kettering University and currently has work on display in Chicago Illinois at the Zhou B. Art Center. He is an experienced mural artist, working with acrylic and other various water based paints on surfaces such as wood, brick, block, and drywall. His passion and preference is to paint studio and gallery paintings using oil paints on canvases and panels that he custom builds for each painting. The paintings that are on display in this show are the main focus of his creativity and MFA thesis. Recently, Kranz became an Artist Member at Buckham Gallery in Flint and is currently serving on the gallery's Board of Directors. In his spare time as well as in his art, the artist is interested in popular culture, Art History, and exploring new and unfamiliar places and approaches to art.

Marti Liddle-Lameti is a fiber artist originally from the Detroit area. She teaches art at Owosso High School and also teaches as an adjunct professor for Kendall College of Art and Design. The artist attended Olivet College and completed her BFA at Eastern Michigan University majoring in painting, drawing and art history and earned her MAT in 2010. She has studied textiles with many notable fiber art instructors including, Chungie Lee (Korea), Jorie Johnson (Japan), Sharon Costello (USA) and Lisa Klakulac (USA). She is an active member in the Shiawassee Artist Guild, the Surface Design Association (SDA), the Handweavers Guild of America (HGA), the Owosso (OEA), National (NEA) and Michigan Educator's Association (MEA) and the Michigan (MAEA) and National Art Educator's Association (NAEA). Recent Juried shows include the 2009/10 MEA Purchase Award Competition (Honorable Mention), the International Wearable Arts Fashion Show and the SAC's Annual Artist All-Media Competition. She works under the company name of Martel Designs and her website can be found at www.martel-designs.com

Donna Randall probably feels and reacts the to what paint works as the way a good chef does as she mixes new ingredients together not knowing if she has a winner --- she just loves the process. Mixing many kinds of paint, even a little Benjamin Moore, with other media is exciting and sometimes does not produce a finished product but always points the way to a new experience. Value sketches and design decisions allow her more freedom with paint. Watercolor was her first love and has been her primary medium for over thirty years. She always starts with watercolor and loves what it can do if one just allows the paint to work. Early on she decides if other media will be a benefit. Randall finds designs in unusual places such as Cicada's on a moonlit sidewalk or the inside of an Iris past its prime. Teaching is something she also loves to do. "Artists, at all skill levels, are fun to work with", she exclaims. "Watching their awe at the amazing things paint can do is delightful and many times I learn from them."

Susan Newcom, a retired fourth grade school teacher, is a self-taught artist. She has always dabbled in art having taken many art classes, tried a variety of crafts, and always dreamed of her "someday" when she would have time to devote to these activities. She currently works as SAC's Gallery Manager where she has had many wonderful experiences being exposed to artists and their work, taking classes, and also, teaching classes to both children and adults. Newcom feels that all of these experiences plus life itself have helped with the perfecting of her work. Raised in Detroit, graduating from Michigan State University, being married for over 40 years, and raising two children have given her many memories to draw upon when beginning a new piece. The artist has enjoyed dabbling in many mediums over the years, making mixed media primarily her favorite genre where she can experiment, create, and not necessarily follow the rules. Her work has been described as colorful, whimsical and overall "leaving the viewer with a happy feeling."

The Shiawassee Arts Center is located at 206 Curwood Castle Drive in Owosso and is open Tuesday through Sunday, 1-5pm. The Arts Center features the artwork of local and statewide artists in eight galleries including the Frieseke Gallery and a specialty Gift Shop. The public is welcome and there is no admission charge. The Shiawassee Arts Council, celebrating its 39th anniversary in 2011, is a non-profit corporation whose mission is to encourage participation and appreciation of the arts. For more information about the exhibit call the Arts Center at 989.723.8354.