The Whitewater Arts Alliance has announced it will be featuring the works of two artists — Karolyn Alexander and Virginia Epps — in an exhibition slated to begin Aug. 4.
The exhibition features two exhibits: “Abstracts: A series of Series,” presented by Alexander, and “Enjoying Regenerative Play,” by Epps.
The exhibition, which will be presented in the gallery at the Whitewater Cultural Arts Center, 402 W. Main St., Whitewater, will run through Aug. 28.
The gallery is open Thursdays through Sundays, 1-5 p.m.
The exhibition also will be available for viewing virtually on the Whitewater Arts Alliance’s website.
A reception will be held Aug. 6, 1 to 4 p.m., at the Cultural Arts Center. Both Alexander and Epps will be present. The reception is free to the public. Food and drink will be provided.
About Karolyn Alexander Tscharnack
According to the release, Karolyn Alexander Tscharnack is a lifelong resident of Whitewater. An early influence in art came from her father, Richard Kettwig. Her childhood interest in art was put on hold as she focused on employment and family responsibilities. After an early retirement from UW-Whitewater, Alexander immersed herself in artmaking. She has worked in clay and painted with watercolor, acrylic, and collage.
In 1993, Alexander began taking clay classes with Susan Alexander at Clay Loft Studio in Palmyra. This interest in working with clay blossomed, leading her and her husband, Hugo, to purchase a kiln, slab roller and lots of clay and glazes. In 1999, Alexander and her husband started participating in summer art fairs around the state of Wisconsin.
A passion for watercolor led Alexander to classes with Marilyn Keating at L’Atelier Art Studio in Janesville. She took numerous watercolor workshops with other talented watercolor artists. Eventually, Alexander began teaching watercolor painting to others in Janesville and Whitewater.
Alexander’s interest in creating abstract art using acrylic and mixed media developed slowly. In 2015, she decided to concentrate on painting abstracts. Her current work includes mark making, texture, and layers
of paint, mixed media and sometimes collage.
Alexander has been a member of the Whitewater Arts Alliance since its inception and a member of the Janesville Art League for almost 20 years. She has shown her paintings in various venues in Southeastern
Wisconsin and now exhibits her art primarily in Whitewater and Janesville. Locally, her art can be found at the Book Teller in downtown Whitewater and Raven’s Wish in Janesville.
About Virginia Epps
Virginia Epps was raised in eastern Kansas where she grew up on a prairie that developed her deep adoration for the environment, according to information shared about Epps on the Woodwalk Gallery’s Facebook page and included within the alliance’s news release.
The gallery is in Egg Harbor and is a location where Epps has exhibited her work.
Epps spent many years teaching middle and high school students in science before leaving the schooling system to work on her visual arts. During her time away, she completed her graduate degree in Fine Arts Design, 3D at the University of Kansas.
Due to practical considerations, Epps went back to teaching high school classrooms in science and visual arts. She took night courses at the same time until she graduated with a doctoral degree in science education. In 1991, Epps applied for and received a teaching position at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater in elementary and secondary science education.
Upon completion of a career as a science educator in 2007, Epps retired and returned to exploring and enjoying the visual arts. During the years as an educator, regardless of the specific title of the class or the age of the students in the classroom, the following ideas usually gained importance when Epps was teaching: 1) our species will be known by what it throws away because away is somewhere; 2) the earth is fragile and deserves respect; 3) openness to the results of the random forces of nature or events is generative; and 4) astute, disciplined, contemplative observation of nature and its systems ground sound science as well as the arts, particularly visual arts and design. Both as a science educator and a visual artist/designer, Epps wished to share the joy of encountering the world as both a fascinating and an aesthetic experience.
Epps has exhibited her pieces in the Museum of Wisconsin Art, the Wisconsin Regional Arts Association, the Wisconsin Regional Arts Program, and the Whitewater Arts Alliance. She regularly exhibits with the alliance and is a member. She also has both collage and color totems on exhibit at the Woodwalk Gallery in Egg Harbor and Anderson Arts Center in Kenosha.
Karolyn Alexander
A piece titled: “Bridges” is from the “Connections” series by Karolyn Alexander. Contributed photo.
Virginia Epps
A piece titled: “Let Courage Reign,” is the work of Virginia Epps. Contributed photo.
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