“Schafer & Rocca" at the Quad City Arts International Airport Gallery -- through July 1.
Through Monday, July 1
Quad City Arts International Airport Gallery, 2200 69th Avenue, Moline IL
New works by a pair of gifted Iowa artisans will be decorating the Quad City Arts International Airport Gallery through July 1, with thoughtful and arresting pieces in the Schafer & Rocca exhibit showcasing the talents of oil painter John Paul Schafer of Cedar Rapids and wall-sculpture artist Kimberlee Rocca of Solon.
John Paul Schafer is a painter working in non-objective expressionism, and his work is an exploration into his own philosophic interest in spirituality and his search for truth. As Schafer says in his artist statement, "I am a philosopher who paints, and I paint to realize a truer sense of being. To meditate and to declare my presence. To witness and record existance. And my interests and hobby studies are quite varied, but they are largely rooted in the realm of modern physics, Earth science, biology and human psychology and behavior - all the stuff of life, including organic gardening and esoteric contemplation. Each painting is an exercise, an exploration, a kind of lab study. Most frequently my paintings are large-scale, abstract and they are made intuitively - spontaneously - in the moment of their creation. I open the channel and let it flow. Moved by spirit, by the Divine, I follow my instincts and make gestures the use the full extension of my limbs. And each stroke that I lay down is a response to the preceding one.
"Throughout most of these past 34 years that I've been a working studio artist, I've made oil paintings on stretched canvas. Sometimes, certain projects would have me working on wood and other hard-surface substrates like Masonite and clayboard. I always enjoyed the contrast of working with different materials. So in 2022, I decided to make the next new set of paintings exclusively on wood panels. To focus my materials to connect more directly with the land from which they naturally emerge, and let the work be about these landforms."
Kimberlee Rocca is a is a multifaceted artist who balances her work in new home construction with her passion for mixed media art. Her pieces, crafted from discarded wood sheeting and other debris found on job sites, breathe new life into reclaimed materials, transforming them into vibrant and whimsical 2D and 3D abstract works. Inspired by the beauty of nature and modern architectural aesthetics, her art reflects panoramic skies, linear structures and geological wonders. Bold colors, wild shapes, and intentional imperfections define Rocca's artistry, where every piece tells a story of interest found in unexpected places. Versatile and interactive, each work can be displayed in multiple directions and configurations, inviting collectors to engage directly with the art. For Rocca, the interaction between the viewer and the artwork is paramount, reflecting her desire to share her vision of creative play with the world.
The Quad City Arts International Airport Gallery is located opposite the airport's gift shop and restaurant, there is a $1 fee for parking, and more information on the Schafer & Rocca exhibit on display through July 1 is available by calling (309)793-1213 and visiting QuadCityArts.com.
