Last week in the cold...

A Cold Day View  from the Museum

The middle of last week had me crawling the walls with cabin fever in the North Suburbs of Chicago.  Not only do I not like the cold and snow (never did), staying in the house where one spent their teen years in can be a little trying after a few days!  So I took myself up to the Kenosha Public Museum to see The Printmaking Revolution in America and the Wisconsin Presence and get a little inspiration.

I had breezed through the website and it wasn't until I was using google maps app on my dad's iphone that I came to discover that there is a Civil War Museum next to the Kenosha Public Museum as well.  I didn't have the time to check that out but Kenosha is more than a reference in That 70's Show and it's more than an outlet mall nearby.  The town is our family's meeting place- halfway from Libertyville and Milwaukee.  There's a cool farmer's market that has sparked my dad's interest and we have eaten at a wonderful eatery called the Wine Knot Bar & Bistro where I have had some wonderful seasonal meals--my favorite being the duck stroganoff I had there last winter.

But.....

Arthur Secunda's Self Portrait

Back to the Museum--I really enjoy small museums and was inspired by the permanent collection/display of natural history of the area.  I foresee a work of modern mounds like the Indian mounds of the area.
I also learned that wooly mammoths and mastodons ate different things and didn't compete for territory. Just a fact.

The printmaking exhibit is a personal collection of Ronald L. Ruble and what was different about the display was the placards of the work had many personal comments of Mr. Ruble's. Inspiring work included Arthur Secunda's silkscreen work inspired from Kettle Moraine State Park- a place I used to visit in winter and go cross country skiing as a kid.  His self portrait was something that grabbed my attention graphically and color wise.

Lois Mogensen's Chair Suite

One thing of interest was that the poster for the exhibit had a work I couldn't find in the collection/gallery.  I went through there twice trying to find the work and never located it!  The other graphic interpretation of an everyday object that was of interest was Lois Mogensen's Chair Suite, a color mezzotint.  The identifying plaque was of the collector's commentary and a favorite of mine, stating that Mogensen is a personal friend and that "Mezzotint is not a medium for sissies and this gal tackles it head on".  Love her treatment and representation of the object and love the idea of tackling art head on...I hope to do more of that in my life! _______________________ _________________________________