Michael Letts' Closer to the Wild at the Duluth Art Institute

And now for something completely different. I'm referring here to the technique artist Michael Letts uses to produce his work.Details about these pieces are taken from the DAI description of this exhibit which has been on display in the Corridor Gallery since October and ended January 31... shared here in case you missed it.

About Closer to the Wild
Michael Letts fosters connections to people in rural diners, bars, and northern Midwest crannies. Here, he finds beauty in the workers, hunters, and denizens of the backcountry and examines the mythology of American individualism. Known for independence and self-reliance, Americans now face the impact of an increasingly interconnected reality. Letts reflects on how technology propels society to “live more and more on a screen, through glass, literally flattened.” Mirroring this effect in his monoprint painting technique, Letts layers paint on glass plates before transferring the work onto canvas. Pairing this medium with subjects that combine traditional still life and portraiture, the viewer experiences a two-dimensional life closer to the wild.

Description courtesy DAI

Local Art Seen: Tommy Kronquist, Medium Control

This month the Duluth Art Institute has been featuring the graphic works of Tommy Kronquist in its Corridor Gallery. The images here in black and white flow along the right wall as you exit the elevator on the fourth floor. This first shot shows images running on the left as you head to the conference room. The last shot shows a few more on the left. These are worth investigating more deeply when you pass through this way.

Kronquist is an artist and business owner who began his design career on the winter slopes of Minnesota. He's clearly an outdoorsman, with interests that no doubt keep him active no matter the season.

The company he started--Medium Control--merged his passion for snowboarding with his interest in art. It's nice to see the entrepreneurial spirit so alive and well.

Long before designing however, Kronquist joined a competitive winter sports circuit that included traveling with his snowboarding sponsors. Through them he was exposed to a market heavy with design fads. During this time, Kronquist gravitated towards working with sales representatives to present his design work. Eventually, the ebb and flow of multiple seasons brought with it the desire to create timeless designs, work that would be relevant for more than a season, or a year, or even a decade. Kronquist’s work presented in the DAI Corridor Gallery embodies his classic minimal designs.

The Opening Reception for Medium Control is Thursday, February 6, 5-8 PM, a night you will want to place on your calendar. It will also the opening for the DAI Member Show along with the  new exhibitions being prepared for the Morrison and Steffll Galleries.

Kronquist's work will be on View: December 20, 2019- February 9, 2020

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TONIGHT

is the opening reception for "The Transformative Power of Public Television" at the Zeitgeist Arts Cafe. WDSE•WRPT will be celebrating 55 years of connecting community. The focus tonight will be on local arts, but you can meet some of our public television heroes as well and you're invited. It's a happening.