Opening Reception
Friday July 7, 2017 from 6:00 – 9:00 pm
Join First Star Artists and Gallery 200 artists for light refreshments, snacks, and door prizes at the opening of “Trees” . The show will be on display at Gallery 200 through the month of July.
More About First Star Art
The two First Star Art artists, jammer and jrr, prefer to let their “art works get the attention.” They say that “Our wish is to immerse ourselves in art, to share some beauty, to inspire and be inspired. Our wish is coming true.” The name, ‘First Star Art,’ was inspired by an early unplanned painting of the first star at dusk and the children’s poem, ‘Star light, star bright, first star…’ They are fulfilling a starry dream, “Our fine art has become an expression of our extraordinary adventures in the world, and of those to come- first in our dreams, then hopefully into reality.”
First Star Art artworks are simultaneously dramatic and whimsical, dark and intensely colored, in several mediums: acrylic, watercolor, oil pastel, chalk, ink, photography, and digital paint. Their works are in private collections internationally, have been featured in magazines, on events posters, used for community events and statewide conferences, and are studied in educational programs nationwide, as well as used as children’s book illustrations. They hold multiple awards for their work, including West Chicago’s People’s Choice 2014, Art For All Annual Juried Exhibit 2015.
First Star Art artists live in Elgin, Illinois and have lived and worked in USA, Canada, Zaire, England, Mexico, Germany, Bahrain, Afghanistan. They have traveled to the United Arab Emirates, Australia, Ireland, the Netherlands, the Bahamas, Guatemala, Nepal, China, and Tibet. This diversity of experience is very apparent in their artworks.
jrr is a librarian, english and drama teacher, theater director and designer, fine artist, and manages First Star Art™ at jr-r.pixels.com. jrr also curates several international artist groups online with Fine Art America. jammer is a professional engineer, digital and photography fine artist, and musician- drummer for the band The Blue Ridge Strangers.
Artist Statement from: First Star Art Artist “jrr”
I heard an artist say, long ago, “I paint what I haven’t seen, but would like to see,” and thought “Me too!” I love the magic of art, and of imagination. I express this love, my day dreams, my night dreams and my hopes with fine art- using pencils, pastels, paints, photography, digital tools and usually a touch of glitter! I work in many styles depending on the idea or feeling I am trying to communicate. Creating art is a spiritual pursuit, a compulsion based in curiosity and the search for beauty- bringing the unseen world to light, reaching for perfection I’ll never achieve, hoping against hope- escaping into color and thick paint, escaping into the forest, the tree, the branches, the sky, the stars, and beyond…
Artist Statement from: First Star Art Artist “jammer”
With both mediums I work in- digital and photography, I like creating something new and interesting, abstract images that are striking and pleasing. I am attracted to images with a sense of motion; images that inspire new thoughts about common objects, and of the natural world: plants, ice formations, and dynamic dramatic light; images that ask, “what is it?” My photography contains undiscovered perspectives and the mystery of the world in a macro lens. My digital artworks are created by diving into shapes, forms, colors, and textures. I use inspiration and feeling to guide me to the final image, rather than starting the process with a plan or pre-determined image. Finally I create a title based on free associations, or humor, or social commentary or all of the above!
