If you go
› What: Exhibition opening for artists Nadine Koski and Mary Beth McClure› Where: In-Town Gallery, 26A Frazier Ave, North Chattanooga› When: 5-8 p.m. Friday› Information: 479-2350 or intowngallery.com
Chattanooga artist Nadine Koski is a Yooper, a native of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, that slice of land that juts out above the rest of the mitten-shaped state.
Yoopers, a name that comes from the abbreviation and pronunciation of Upper Penisula, or U.P., grow up surrounded by water sports and watery vistas which inspired her work – an unusual combo of beeswax, resin and vibrant pigments melded together with a blowtorch – currently showcased at In-Town Gallery in North Chattanooga.
She layers the rich colors and melting wax into dreamy visions of orange and gold koi swimming in a deep pool, water rushing through rivers and mountains, fog-drenched coves surrounded by firs and blazing suns setting and dawning above windswept beaches.
“I enjoy using materials that provide a little science with the process and a little mystery in the results,” Koski says in her bio. “Wax especially, with lustrous layers and possibilities through the process of waxing on, scraping off, using various pigments and tools like torches and heat guns, captivates me and inspires me.
She and Signal Mountain glass artist Mary Beth McClure are the featured artists this month at In-Town Gallery.
“The problem solving and research required to achieve the results is a large part of the enjoyment and satisfaction,” Koski says, “but so are the unexpected accidents that in turn provide the inspiration for the next thing. And the next thing is often even better, and motivates me again.”
McClure’s kiln-fired glass creations could spark an endless discussion about the difference between art and craft. Her “Crescent Moon” sculpture looks like the sort of mysterious icon that a medieval artisan might have created. It has swaths of glass that resemble bolted armor, woven gold flanking swirls of blue and green glass melded together.
“My art is a puzzle, a passion and a pursuit leading to me burning the midnight oil,” McClure says in her bio. “I often think ‘I’m ready to stop,’ but the glass has a mind of its own.
“As I pull, drag, and rake colors, the glass evolves; I can’t quit.”
Contact Lynda Edwards at ledwards@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6391.