Tripping

Tom McDonald and Janine Patten
April 6 – May 11, 2013
Reception: Saturday April 6, 6 – 8pm

Tripping is an exhibition of assemblage pieces by Thomas McDonald and landscape paintings by Janine Patten. The work is based upon their joint experiences backpacking and canoeing in the Upper Midwest.  Tom and Janine have spent a good deal of time exploring the lakes and rivers of Wisconsin, Michigan and the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness in northern Minnesota.

Some of Janine’s landscape paintings serve as a record of a particular place on a particular day; while others integrate symbolic characters, images from pop culture or touristy roadside statues into wilderness landscapes calling into question the existence of a true ‘wilderness’. Tom’s camping and fishing assemblage works are reminiscent reliquaries to his past and present outdoor experiences.  By incorporating his fondness of early Italian Renaissance altarpieces and the Pop Art period, they express the personal spirituality he has gained from being in the wilderness.

Thomas McDonald received his MFA from University of Illinois Chicago in 1992, and his BFA in Printmaking from Northern Illinois University in 1985.  He is currently a studio arts instructor at Moraine Valley Community College, Morton College and the Riverside Arts Center.  He has exhibited nationally including numerous solo and group exhibitions, and his work is included in the Chicago Public Arts collection.  He is currently represented by Packer Schopf Gallery.

Janine Patten lives in Oak Park, IL with her husband, artist Tom McDonald.  Patten received her MFA from University of Illinois in 1993, and is currently an adjunct instructor at the DePaul University College of Education where she supervises student teachers in Art Education.  Over the years, Janine has experimented with a variety of media including sculpture, painting, installation and video.