May 17 – June 25, 2023
Opening Reception
Sunday, May 21 from 2 – 4 pm
David Allen – Oil Paintings
David Allen, an oil painter, is known for his local city and neighborhood scenes. He works outside, on location, in real time both summer and winter. He also paints non-representational work in his studio. Although he does not have an academic degree, Allen has enjoyed a lifelong mentor-ship under the late Harold Zisla, Professor Emeritus at Indiana University South Bend. Allen states that Zisla’s “critiques and thoughtfulness account for any knowledge of art I enjoy beyond the merely naive.”
David Allen resides in South Bend, Indiana, and now in his “70’s” has been painting since the age of sixteen. His work has been shown in the Peter Barlow Gallery in Chicago and the Denise Debroe Gallery in Manhattan, among others. His paintings are in the permanent collection of the South Bend Museum of Art and the Midwest Museum of American Art in Elkhart.
Alli Farkas – “Sky Pads”
Alli Farkas comes from a family of artists and has been drawing and painting from childhood through college as an art major, and later as a dual-subject professional specializing in rural landscapes and equine portraits. Her preferred media include oils and watercolors along with occasional ink drawings.
“Sky Pads” represents an artistic interpretation of common Michigan lily pads; white water lilies (Nymphea) and Spatterdock (Nuphar).
Their very mundane commonality usually leads to their very common representation in art, so her goal as an artist is to give them the most uncommon presentation that she can imagine. The end result gifts the viewer with a sense of peace, quiet, tranquility, relaxation, and visual engagement.
Cara Lawson-Ball – “Abstracted Thoughts”
Michigan artist Cara Lawson-Ball creates bronze sculpture and multimedia paintings inspired by her appreciation of the Great Lakes Region and its inhabitants. Through the use of imagined line and strong color, Cara’s work encourages viewers to linger in all our wild places, both in ourselves and in nature. Cara studied metalsmithing at Oxbow Art Institute of Chicago in 1997, received a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Sculpture at IUSB in 1999, and studied business at St Mary’s College, Notre Dame, IN, in 2013.
Cara’s art is held in collections of Wellfield Botanic Gardens and the Midwest Museum of American Art in Elkhart; Wildlife Prairie State Park in Peoria County, IL; and Starved Rock State Park in Oglesby, IL. Her website is www.caralawsonball.com.
William Carlos Lane El – Drawings, in Memoriam
William Carlos Lane EL (1976-2021) started elementary school at Brandywine in Niles, Michigan, where he was the art student of Nana Maher. William enjoyed drawing, Karate, and riding his bike and as he grew, enjoyed soccer, football and playing his horn in Junior Band. He completed his GPA with a 90% grade point average.
In his adult life, William earned many awards and certifications for a variety of achievements. As he grew older he became interested in the Moorish Hood and in 2001 he joined the Gambia West Africa and was given the name Cher no Kalalis Abally. He went on to achieve Dorsey Beauty Certification to become a beautician and barber. He received an achievement award from Gem Project Sapphire for his studies of gems and minerals. William attended the University of Michigan where he completed studies in Fine Arts. He even explored tattooing and massage. He was obviously a Jack of all Trades, interested in exploring life in many different directions , but his art remained central to it all.
This exhibit represents most of what little remains of his work. Presented in his loving memory by Debra Batson, William’s Mother.
Looking to Exhibit Your Work?
Contact the Roti Roti Art Center at rotirotiartcenter@gmail.com or 269-697-4005.
Learn more about exhibiting your work HERE.