Art in the Plaza │ Wednesday, October 9

Throughout the month of October, Art Saint Louis will showcase the creative talents of St. Louis regional artists through Art in the Plaza, a weekly series of live art demonstrations in the Old Post Office Plaza at 8th and Locust Streets in downtown St. Louis. The second installment in the series features four gifted painters, each with their own style and approach to the canvas. Join us on Wednesday, October 9, 2013, from noon to 2:00 p.m. and enjoy these artists at work!
 

J E N N I F E R   H A Y E S   │   jenniferhayesstl.com
Creative Focus, Wednesday, October 9  -  Oil Painting

“Passion is what drives my creative work. You see it in the bright, bold colors that dominate both my figurative and abstract paintings. They are a celebration of texture, color and curves--an attempt to capture the allure of the female form and ultimately passion itself. Celebrity Chef Hubert Keller is one of my most famous clients, paintings are in his restaurants in Las Vegas and San Francisco. You can see my work locally at Prime 1000(downtown STL), Exotic Motors (on Manchester), Bar Napoli (Clayton)and 10Denza(CWE).”

H E N R Y K   P T A S I E W I C Z   │   ptasiewicz.com
Creative Focus, Wednesday, October 9  -  Painting from a Live Model

"I was an only child with a lot of imagination and was always building things, some just to look at. I made some really fun, elaborately structured, Italian styled aeroplanes, but never flew them because of the time I had invested in them they were more sculptural than practical. I drew my ideas and then began to paint in a realistic way to make real things that I couldn't build. I found success and settled in the fiberglass industry making children's play equipment, which I designed, sculpted, and built. One of the highlights was that I got to design and built a prototype boat for Jerry Dammers of the Specials, founder of the Two Tone label, a thirties gangster car which was a boat, to be used on the canals around Coventry, England, going once again back to the theme of toys, which I paint on a regular basis. I came to America in 1999 and have worked as an artist since, painting corporate and private portraits, painting around the country at plein air events, organizing parties, and making the props for them. I also went back to sculpting - this time of the figure, and overall turned my attention to painting portraiture.”
 

E R I N   M C G R A T H   R I E K E   │   divinemoira.com
Creative Focus, Wednesday, October 9  -  Oil Painting

“Since the early 1990s, my work has involved a visual journey of complex emotions, memories and felt energies. Focusing on my existential philosophy that the process and emotional journey is as important to each work as the final product, I have found myself connecting to my subconscious in a liberating, meditative state each time I approach the canvas. Utilizing my intuitive mind, my body and brush become mere vessels for raw, self-exposure. My work attempts to find the subtle, unspoken understandings of honesty for clarifying insight that inspire small changes for greater purpose.”

M E G A N   R I E K E   │  meganriekeart.com
Creative Focus, Wednesday, October 9  -  Oil Painting 

Megan Rieke was born and raised in St. Louis, MO. She graduated from Webster University in 1999 with a B.A. in English/ Creative Writing and a minor in Fine Art. She also has an Associates Degree in Studio Art from St. Louis Community College Meramec. After spending her early 20’s travelling internationally and domestically, working on small cruise ships, volunteering for Americorps, and morphing into a modern day gypsy, she and her husband settled down in Kirkwood, MO to raise their 3 sons and 6 chickens. (After 10 years, however, it is still unclear who is ruling the roost.)

Megan has shown in over 30 gallery exhibitions, participates in many live art events, and has been commissioned for paintings that adorn walls in NYC, Kansas City, and St. Louis. In 2012, she was selected for an Award of Excellence from Art St. Louis and was a semifinalist for RAW in St. Louis. She is slated for a solo exhibition at SOHA Gallery in 2014.

Currently, she is the co-chair of the Urban Beautification Project. The group initially banded together to paint 100 murals on the sides of refuse dumpsters for St. Louis City. The UBP has expanded its platform on how and where to create public works of art. Not only do they believe that anything can become an avenue of creative expression, but moreover, that St. Louis is ready for a little facelift.

  Special thanks to Downtown Now!, The Private Client Reserve of U.S. Bank, and U.S. Bancorp Community Development Corporation for their support of Art in the Plaza 

 
Art in the Plaza grapic design by Emily Amberger