"Sacred Heart, Sacred Art"
February 2nd - 26th
Save the date for our first joint exhibition of the year, "Sacred Heart, Sacred Art : A Divine Collaboration" .
Lisbeth Cheever-Gessaman and Michael Bailey, are our guest artists for February.
"Sacred Heart, Sacred Art: A Divine Collaboration" , brings together two bodies of artwork that illuminate the shared sacred symbolism of the divine feminine and the sacred heart.
Join us on First Friday, Feb. 2nd, for the artist reception from 5 to 8 p.m. Look forward to yummy food, wine, and the addition of The Wheel of Fortune, where you can win prizes of art, gift certificates, etc.
Save the date for our first joint exhibition of the year, "Sacred Heart, Sacred Art : A Divine Collaboration" .
Lisbeth Cheever-Gessaman and Michael Bailey, are our guest artists for February.
"Sacred Heart, Sacred Art: A Divine Collaboration" , brings together two bodies of artwork that illuminate the shared sacred symbolism of the divine feminine and the sacred heart.
Join us on First Friday, Feb. 2nd, for the artist reception from 5 to 8 p.m. Look forward to yummy food, wine, and the addition of The Wheel of Fortune, where you can win prizes of art, gift certificates, etc.
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Michael Bailey
With a diverse background in the world of the visual arts, Michael Bailey has primarily directed the focus for his personal work over the past dozen years or so on the themes and symbolism of the Heart. Steering away from the frilly and frivolous nature of Hallmark greeting cards and Valentine’s Day “Be Mine”s, his aim has been to explore more intimate and humanly raw experiences through his mixed-media sculptures and assemblages. Motifs of heartache, longing and loss are exposed in objects reminiscent of old-world treasures … with a smattering of faith, hope and romance thrown in for good measure.
Deciding to forego opportunities to pursue professional programs in notable art institutes and design schools, Michael elected to study graphic design and drawing at Alma College, a small liberal arts school in central lower Michigan. His professors counseled that he would never be a “real artist” because he spent too much time out of the day on other pursuits such as running track and cross country and dreaming about skiing during the winter months. In many of his courses, more avant-garde classmates loved to point out how “tight-assed and boring” his completed assignments felt to them. To escape this stigma, Michael chose to explore more gestural and abstract methods of expression. A fondness for monotype printmaking kicked off a journey into mixed-media art pieces with a bit of whimsy and narrative and a lot more freedom from “convention”.
Two years as the exhibit designer and preparator at the Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center gave way to adventures in the Great Northwest. Michael and his girlfriend at the time founded and co-owned an art gallery in Seattle for a spell before he moved to Portland, Oregon. There he worked as the art installer for a premier picture frame business and art gallery. Staff cuts due to the economic downturn in 2008 necessitated a jump into opening his own fine arts services company. Inspired Installations was created with Michael as chief art installer and owner, providing art hanging and handling for private and corporate collectors, galleries and homeowners up until last year when he re-located to Colorado once more.
The goal of focusing on his own personal art pieces and creating a visual journey to be shared with others has brought Michael to this February artists’ show … a sort of preview into a larger dream-project centered around the many metaphors and representations of the Heart. From “science and medicine” to “spirituality and religion”, “chivalry and heraldry”, “love and romance”, pain, loss, hopes and aspirations; there is an extensive list of ways themes of the Heart can be illustrated. His personal collection of heart-related artifacts now tops 400 items ranging from a 7th Century b.c. Egyptian stone amulet to 17th and 18th century engravings and illustrations from science and religion. Along with this wide-ranging and fascinating assemblage of art and memorabilia, Michael aspires to open up the myriad of stories and themes relating to the Heart in the form of a H’art Museum, a physical manifestation and a means to explore and experience the many wonders of this universal symbol of love and the soul of human kind.
Deciding to forego opportunities to pursue professional programs in notable art institutes and design schools, Michael elected to study graphic design and drawing at Alma College, a small liberal arts school in central lower Michigan. His professors counseled that he would never be a “real artist” because he spent too much time out of the day on other pursuits such as running track and cross country and dreaming about skiing during the winter months. In many of his courses, more avant-garde classmates loved to point out how “tight-assed and boring” his completed assignments felt to them. To escape this stigma, Michael chose to explore more gestural and abstract methods of expression. A fondness for monotype printmaking kicked off a journey into mixed-media art pieces with a bit of whimsy and narrative and a lot more freedom from “convention”.
Two years as the exhibit designer and preparator at the Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center gave way to adventures in the Great Northwest. Michael and his girlfriend at the time founded and co-owned an art gallery in Seattle for a spell before he moved to Portland, Oregon. There he worked as the art installer for a premier picture frame business and art gallery. Staff cuts due to the economic downturn in 2008 necessitated a jump into opening his own fine arts services company. Inspired Installations was created with Michael as chief art installer and owner, providing art hanging and handling for private and corporate collectors, galleries and homeowners up until last year when he re-located to Colorado once more.
The goal of focusing on his own personal art pieces and creating a visual journey to be shared with others has brought Michael to this February artists’ show … a sort of preview into a larger dream-project centered around the many metaphors and representations of the Heart. From “science and medicine” to “spirituality and religion”, “chivalry and heraldry”, “love and romance”, pain, loss, hopes and aspirations; there is an extensive list of ways themes of the Heart can be illustrated. His personal collection of heart-related artifacts now tops 400 items ranging from a 7th Century b.c. Egyptian stone amulet to 17th and 18th century engravings and illustrations from science and religion. Along with this wide-ranging and fascinating assemblage of art and memorabilia, Michael aspires to open up the myriad of stories and themes relating to the Heart in the form of a H’art Museum, a physical manifestation and a means to explore and experience the many wonders of this universal symbol of love and the soul of human kind.
