The Artist(e), William Petrovic, at his April 2 opening event.

Tricia and I had the extreme pleasure on April 2 of attending the opening of fellow group member William Petrovic's exhibit at the Ainsworth Gallery, Joliet’s oldest commercial art gallery (http://www.ainsworth-photography.com/).  The show is entitled "Sidewalking: Chicago Street Photography and Urban Details", and as the title suggests, displayed his work of mostly monochromatic street scenes in Chicago.  He snuck in a few color images too, most notably in my mind one of the still wet Crown Fountain pavement with the reflections of South Michigan Avenue building turned upside down.  It was, to say the least, a very cool effect! 

Not only did I get a chance to see William again and meet his lovely wife, but I also met - for the very first time in person - group members Sonnet Schulz and Kristine Quandee!! That was a major bonus, meeting these two talented artists in their own right.  And it seems like I've known them for a long time from our labors on the Capture My Chicago project.  It was a great pleasure finally to meet them, and Sonnet's husband as well!

William's exhibit will be on display until May 13 at the Ainsworth Gallery, 721 Taylor Street in Joliet, Illinois.  Also, be sure to check out William's Flickr photostream at http://www.flickr.com/photos/sidewalking/.

You know, Tricia and I might start getting used to these sophisticated gatherings that showcase the tremendous talent in this group!  I'll do my part to keep the wine flowing and the cheese trays wanting!

Urban Luxury in the Heart of River North






Photo courtesy of Doug Siefken

 

On March 31, Tricia and I hung out with other group members at Jonathan Lurie's opening night showing at Urban Lux, 230 West Huron Street.  We met up with Monika and Alex Thorpe. Mark Sliozis, Duane Rapp and Doug Siefkin to view Jonathan's photo exhibit and partake of some wine and cheese at this great event.



Talk about sophisticated surroundings!  As is the case with a lot of the office/gallery space in the artsy River North area, Urban Lux's offices are located in a building that looked like it was once a warehouse space.  An old-fashioned elevator cage takes you up to the second floor where the offices are located.  Once we were signed in and name-tagged, we found ourselves surrounded by amazing photography (Jonathan's, of course!) and people who had come to see it.  The event doubled as a wine tasting, so we got to try some new wines and a tasting primer thanks to the folks from Wines for Humanity (http://winesforhumanity.com/).  There were also cheeses, fruits and pastries - what more could you ask for!

But most importantly, there was Jonathan's work to be viewed.  As he told me, a friend of his knew that Urban Lux was looking for some art work to grace their walls.  Soon after, Jonathan found himself with some River North gallery space.  Later, they offered to showcase Jonathan's talent at this event, and being the smart guy that he is, he accepted.  And we who were there benefitted.  What a great evening, and a well-deserved showcase.  Congratulations, Jonathan, and thanks for the invite!  We had a fantastic time!

Be sure to check out Jonathan's portfolio at  http://www.jonathanlurie.com/ as well as his Flickr page at http://www.flickr.com/photos/lurie/.