16th Street Studios
FEATURED ARTISTS
1ST FLOOR
NATE HUNTER CERAMICS
Studio 1470 - 1st Floor
Ceramics
2ND FLOOR
SUSAN BOEHM
Studio 2323 - 2nd Floor
Drawing, Painting, Graphic Design + Illustration
Susan E. Boehm was born and raised in Racine, Wisconsin. Susan’s interest in depicting the human figure began – by chance – as a child looking through her Mother’s college art history textbook. Her interest in art – particularly in depicting the human figure – began the moment she saw Michelangelo’s sketches for the Sistine Chapel.
In 1996, Susan earned a Bachelor Arts Degree in fine art from the University of Wisconsin-Parkside – followed by a second degree concentration in graphic design and illustration. She furthered her studies by earning a Master of Fine Arts Degree with a concentration in drawing and painting from the San Francisco Academy of Art. Susan went on to train as an undergraduate educator while earning a Master of Art Education Degree with a concentration in adult learning disabilities from the San Francisco Academy of Art.
Susan has worked as a professional artist throughout her adult life. Her work has garnered multiple awards in regional, national and international shows and has been reproduced in multiple publications. Susan shows in galleries and museums year-round – while gratefully accepting clients and commissions as a member of 16th Street Studios.
PATRICIA FALLON
Studio 2474 - 2nd Floor
Ceramics
SAMIRA GDSIS
Studio 2555 - 2nd Floor
Printmaking and Mixed Media
Prints and other artwork inspired by people, life experiences and pretty clothes.
Instagram: @samira_gdisis
ROBERT MAYER
Studio 2474 - 2nd Floor
Ceramic Artist
My fascination with clay started at a young age & grew out of a fascination with the volcanic-like metamorphosis that occurs from what begins as a water-born deposit. The extremes within the creative process start as a wet, malleable lump & transform into a rock-like state. The manipulation of nature’s organic elements- water, earth & fire result in objects that stand up to the test of time.
My work has centered on hand thrown forms, which are often times re-purposed into something completely different. Whether a piece is highly functional or more sculptural- it must ask a question. My goal is to create a work that requires investigation. Curiousity, whimsy & theatrics are usually a component of my work. Taking the ordinary & turning it on its head, is not only inventive but also compelling.
I grew up in Glen Ellyn, IL and earned university degrees in Art Education and Landscape Architecture. Careers in art education, landscape design, construction & management, park management and bison husbandry. A grateful member of the 16th St. community with ambitions to win the war of art.
Instagram: @rmayceramics
3RD FLOOR
SARAH K. ANDERSEN
Studio 3562 - 3rd Floor
Acrylic Painting
My intuitive use of color and gestural brush strokes offers a fresh view of the landscape.
I am continually drawn to nature and inspired by the shapes and colors found in the landscape. The play of colors, when mixed directly on the canvas, evoke an atmospheric mood and is the strength of my work. Knowing my paintings awaken the viewers’ emotions connected to their own memories of time in a particular place gives me great satisfaction.
JOHN BLONER, Jr.
Studio 3630 - 3rd Floor
I'm asked, "Why can't you draw/paint something nice like lighthouses or sunsets?" It's not in my DNA. I'm drawn to the comically grotesque. If a picture cannot make me laugh, what's the point? Since moving in to 16th Street Studios in February 2020 (thanks, Crystal!), I've emerged from only drawing in my sketchbook to making work on canvas and hot press watercolor paper with use of watercolor, acrylic inks and paints, and a lot of collage papers. I publish some of these works in my micro-press monthly magazine, Moss Piglet, along with the work of many other artists and authors from near and far away. I often share them on my Instagram page, @juniorbarnesart, and website, www.krazines.com.
SUSAN CHIODO
Studio 3540 - 3rd Floor
Metalsmith- sterling silver, copper, semi-pre ious gemstones, leather
Susan Chiodo, a local artisan, resides in Mount Pleasant, Wi. Inspired by a passion for women to know their worth and individuality, the artist desired to create a line of jewelry that is a reminder of this every time it’s worn. These small “sculptures” combine sterling silver, copper, precious metal clay, leather and semi-precious stones, reflecting the artist’s love for “imperfectly perfect” distressed jewelry.
Instagram: @susanchiodojewelry
TRACE CHIODO
Studio 3542 - 3rd Floor
Photography / Digital Illustration / Graphic Design
Trace has served clients nationally and globally by bringing their brands and value propositions to life artistically. He has won multiple awards for his design creativity and expertise. His graphic design company has also provided him the privilege to work side by side with fine artists, helping them to establish and grow their brands globally. It is this work that has ignited a passion in Trace to focus on creating his own original art.
Primarily working in digital illustration and photography, Trace’s works not only a reflects his creativity and design skill, they are a reflection of his experiences, his surroundings, and his passions. They tell intriguing stories, much like he does.
Instagram: @3Tracer
KIM DUDDRIDGE
Studio 3622 - 3rd Floor
For as long as I can remember, I've been drawn to bright and bold colors, sharp lines, and often absurd subjects. Fruits with eyes?! Eh, why not? I used to focus on what would sell, and what I thought people wanted to see. While it was fun, it wasn't necessarily fulfilling. Since moving into 16th Street Studios, I've seen so many different and wonderful art styles, and met some of the most amazingly talented artists out there. It was here that I found what I truly wanted to pursue: weird and wild, brightly colored nonsense. Thank you all for the incredible inspiration! I can't wait to see how this space evolves in the future.
Instagram: @Monstar.Mash
JENNIFER EVANS
Studio 3630 - 3rd Floor
Jennifer is a mixed media artist. Her favorite subjects are florals and abstracts. Her background is in graphic design, marketing and publishing. She's a designer for StencilGirl Products and loves to teach mixed media art to all ages.
Jennifer creates with acrylics, watercolors/gouache, water-soluble pencils/pastels and collage. Vintage papers are a favorite collage material because they are thick, absorbent and sometimes brittle -- creating a unique break or tear in the paper. A serendipitous word or phrase can end up peeking through the paint in a finished piece. Similarly, using stencils enables her to weave pattern and texture into a mixed media composition.
Facebook: Periwinkle Art Studio
Insta: @jennevansmixedmedia
GREG HELDING
Studio 3610 - 3rd Floor
Oil on canvas and Encaustic mixed media
Contemporary / Modern Painting with strong color palette.
I’ve been making art for over 20 years, beginning with pastels. Started renting a space at 16th street studios in 2004 so I could oil paint. I use personal themes and images to create my work. The topics and images I use tend to repeat and overlap from one series to another. The same can be said for my color palette. To me, color is just as important, if not more, than composition.
JULI JANOVICZ
Studio 3597 - 3rd Floor
Watercolor, pencil, crayon, acrylic, etc.
Expressive botanical watercolor paintings
I am fascinated by precise botanical drawing and its expressive counterpart. Flowers have a language. I use watercolor or acrylic paint and make marks with a variety of medium: charcoal, graphite, crayon and colored pencils to translate the language of flowers to paper. My botanical paintings are my interpretation of what is seen and what can’t be explained. That every viewer interprets paintings differently continues to be one of the inexplicable mysteries of art.
Instagram: @julijanovicz
DIANE LEVESQUE
Studio 3544 - 3rd Floor
Acrylic & watercolor
Diane Levesque's energized portrayals of colorful and decorative things amplifies the implied violence and sexuality of material culture objects while divesting them of their original quaint aura and sentimentality.
Complexity of form and color the shifts between object and decorative pattern within my work is a source of joy to me. I hope to uncover meaning in various forms by sharing my fascinations with things unusual, beautiful, strange, dark, light, uncanny, familiar, wise and foolish. There is satisfaction that comes from understanding life’s complexities that enlarges a way of living, seeing and feeling by which we gain knowledge and insight into ourselves and the world we live in.
In my current work,The Penny Dreadful Series, I have been researching the history of the Staffordshire potteries working conditions from 1810-1835 and the themes of the Staffordshire figurines that reflected common lower class idealized pastimes and some rather horrific contemporaneous events such as infamous murders, notorious law breakers, hangings, mauling by lions and tigers, and animal baiting/ fights. These pretty and often gaudily colored objects sold as mantelpiece decorations commemorating and were the equivalent of three-dimensional “penny dreadfuls”satisfying the need of pre-Victorian and Victorian tastes for sensationalism in the public imagination. Many of these figures seem to simplify and disguise the actual living conditions of the working poor during this time, yet they were very popular with middle class consumers. My paintings reconfigure these figure groups by exaggerating the implied violence and sexuality of the themes through the amplification of the gaudiness and randomness of both the application of color and decorative motifs. I also removed the quaint aura and sentimentality of the original figures. My intent is to utilize the trope of the material culture critique as a form of social commentary in art.
Instagram: @dianelevesque6546
CARLOTTA MILLER
Studio 3548 - 3rd Floor
Watercolor
My transparent watercolors have an almost print-like quality.
My focus over the years has been mainly printmaking and watercolor. I’m drawn to the process of making prints and the spontaneity of watercolors. Hence, I currently find myself using watercolor in an almost print-like quality. This process has allowed me to develop an affinity for the intriguing results of poured watercolor. As I explore this process and the discipline needed in using a limited palette, I continue to be surprised by the randomness of transparent watercolor.
Peter O’Keefe,
OKPete Productions
Studio 3567 - 3rd Floor
Writer/Filmmaker
Peter O’Keefe is an award winning writer and filmmaker who has written, produced and directed hundreds of commercials, marketing videos, industrials and educational videos.Peter has worked in episodic television and feature films in New York, Los Angeles, and Germany. His narrative short films have screened at a variety of film festivals and other venues and his documentary about visual artists in the Midwest, “Dreaming In Public, Making Art In the Real World”, was awarded a Midwest/Chicago Emmy. His short stories have appeared in literary and online journals.
CONNIE OLMSTEAD
Studio 3622 - 3rd Floor
Acrylic, Oil, Chalk, Pencil, Mixed Media
Painting has been Connie’s passion and identity since childhood; as a young girl, she discovered that she had a unique talent for painting, and was always encouraged to create. Eventually, this led her to take art classes at the Ray Vogue College of Design in Chicago, Illinois. Connie’s work has been featured in a monthly magazine, as well as in numerous juried shows in Illinois and Wisconsin.
Connie is inspired by just about anything and everything -- patterns, nature, textures, color combinations, and more! She truly puts a part of herself into everything she designs. When Connie isn’t working on a piece of art, she satisfies her need to create as a licensed aesthetician.
“I love working with acrylics, they’re so versatile. I can layer them or make heavy textures that give my work a kind of three-dimensional look. There’s just something about the way acrylics spread on the canvas that’s truly satisfying. Plus, the colors can be so vibrant and I love using bold color in my work.”
Instagram: @connieolmsteadart
MISSY ISELY-POLTROCK
Studio 3566 - 3rd Floor
Missy Isely-Poltrock is a member of Lemon Street Gallery in Kenosha, and a certified SoulCollage® facilitator. She respects the healing power of SoulCollage® when you simply hold the creative non judgemental space for the people that come. She works in mixed media, often with vintage materials with love and faith still in them, and also linoleum, acrylic, brush and ink, pastel... She believes angel signs are in all sorts of found things and art is just waiting to be made from those same things.
https://www.lemonstreetgallery.org/missy-isely-poltrock.html
https://www.instagram.com/missy1111girl/
BOB SCHNACK
Studio - 3rd Floor
Photographer
I photograph what interests me and I hope interests others as well
Instagram: @007RWS
SUSAN M. SORENSON
Studio 3640 (Stones & Bones) - 3rd Floor
Mixed Media
I am a 2D mixed media artist with my studio in the Racine Business Center, 16th Street, Racine, WI. For the last 14 years I have included collage into my mixed media work, making for improvisation and visual extensions of the poetic impulse.
My work has been shown in juried and invitational shows throughout Wisconsin and has received many awards, also is represented in Racine Art Museum’s Permanent Collection, Golda Meir Special Collections UW-Milwaukee Library and many private collections.
Instagram: @smssorenson
JEANNETTE WHITE
Studio 3612 - 3rd Floor
Medium-watercolor and oil
Paintings that capture emotion.
Jeannette studied in Chicago at both the Art Institute and the Terra Museum of Modern Art. She received a MA from St. Xavier University in Chicago an a BA in art education from Mount Mary University in Milwaukee.
As she pursued the teaching of art, she also worked on her own painting career.
As a 16th Street Studio Artist, she enjoys painting figurative subjects in scenes from daily life. Light tints of color are applied to the painting surface to achieve a softened effect. Depth is created by layering darker values. Through the use of color and value, her paintings portray sensitive emotions.
4TH FLOOR
JERRY BELLAND
Studio 4627 (Fortress of Solitude) - 4th Floor West
Painting/ Drawing
Jerry makes paintings and drawings, often in a humorous vein.
Jerry Belland is an artist, illustrator, and author. His latest book, "Donald Trump: The First Hundred Years", is a book of cartoons and humorous illustrations which were done during the President Trump's first year in office. He has also created an award-winning series of paintings and drawings titled "Memorial Drive Journal", which is a realistic attempt to capture life on Memorial Drive in Racine as observed from his daily trip to his studio.
Instagram: @fetchedgrass
REBECCA BISSI
Studio 4638 - 4th Floor West
Oil painter and visual artist.
Rebecca is inspired by light and its power to influence our perception of color and dimension, driving her to reimagine images of flowers as large-scale oil paintings many times larger than they appear in real life. The large format serves to draw out the complexity of color and interplay of light through the layering of the oil paint, highlighting the intricate vasculature of leaves and clusterings of petals made brilliant by the filtered sun.
CURT EMMER
Studio 4556 - 4th Floor West
The words "Could Be Anything" hang by my studio door and perfectly describe me as an artist. Recent work uses hand-dyed, hand-bleached, and commercial fabrics to create traditional and contemporary art quilts.
My latest portfolio reverts back to the simplest of forms and attempts to tell stories that run deeper than the initial image would suggest.
MAUREEN FRITCHEN
Studio 4557 - 4th Floor West
Mix media
Mix media abstractions using found materials.
In search of equilibrium through asymmetrical compositions, material, pattern and texture are explored. I work intuitively using a reductive process to simplify forms, minimize activity and reduce tension. Working on multiple pieces simultaneously allows me to stay relatively detached, thus avoid the predictable from happening. This reductive process encourages experimentation and is conducive to accidental outcomes.
Instagram: @maureenfritchen
BRADFORD LEE
Studio 4554 (Studio 3-D)- 4th Floor West
Stone Sculpting
A stone sculptor for 25 years, Brad works in alabaster, limestone, and soapstone. His inspiration come the stone itself, surroundings, dreams, and God. featured on Fox 6, Brad’s pieces are in numerous collections. He teaches in his studio.
MARIA LEE
Studio 4640 (Wildfire Studio) - 4th Floor West
Oil Painting, Acrylic, Mixed Medium
Predominately an oil painter of representational art, cityscape, landscape, and period pieces. Member of Oil Painters of America. Maria’s oils are in homes locally, nationally, and internationally. Currently experimenting in new mediums.
OZ Gallery
Studio 4597 - 4th Floor West
Randall Gallery featuring artist David White
Artist Biography
David White was born in 1945 in South Bend, Indiana while his father was serving in the U.S. Navy. He would move to North Chicago and finally Waukegan, Illinois where David graduated from high school.
Before going to college... while working at Abbott Laboratory in North Chicago, David met his future mentor a much older man... all a strange coincidence of a name! The name was the Italian painter Georgio de Chirico. This mentor- one Anton Makjanic immigrated to the U.S. from Italy having graduated from the Academy of Fine Arts in Naples and originally had come from Yugoslavia.
David met Anton the summer of 1964 at Abbott Laboratory and was surprised that Anton was only a janitor but yet was knowledgeable about de Chirico... and in fact knew the famous artist.
This all would develop in a rich collaboration. It is here that the 19-year-old David would learn from the forty-six-year-old Anton.
From 1964-1971 the two worked and talked much about the fate of painting. Figurative art must come back against the mindless abstract painting and meaningless POP ART regnant in the commercial galleries.
David's paintings are difficult to put into different categories. He had begun with bottles in a still life that became animated into a drama. His explorations into the CHTHONIANS (under the earth spirits) world reveals his grasp of primitive symbolic notions.
By far the ELMOS — a mixed media image with large blue discs for eyes is most engaging. These figures express the Apotropaic or evil avoiding talisman so prevalent in ancient cultures. The Plotinus series is a very different idea. We see what is called a form of MEDITERRANEANISM the blue sky with a sea and a severe architectural fantasy. Another style involved grotesque faces and several zombie phantoms... These styles cross over in an atmosphere evoking magic and mystery.
JIM TAVERNESE
Studio 4555 - 4th Floor West
Photography – Film & Digital
Making pretty little pictures.
MAGGIE VENN
Studio 4635 - 4th Floor West
Acrylic, mixed media, collage
Maggie Venn delights in working with a great sense of freedom. It is with this freedom she finds a connection with memory and feeling. She uses a density of torn materials that illustrates emotional connections and her often exploratory aesthetic.
Instagram: @maggievenn