Benjamin Calvert, Darlys Ewoldt, and Ian Hanesworth Exhibits, through February 27

Through Sunday, February 27

Quad City Arts International Airport Gallery, 2200 69th Avenue, Moline IL

Presenting an arresting collection of color, black-and-white, and varied mediums, the Quad City Arts International Airport Gallery is, through February 27, showcasing beautiful works by a trio of Midwestern artists: woodblock prints by Benjamin Calvert of Villa Park, Illinois; sculpture by Darlys Ewoldt of Chicago; and relief prints by Ian Hanesworth of Winona, Minnesota.

Describing his prints and his process, Calvert said, "My art originated as a mechanism to help me deal with the grief of losing my mother. Seeking a therapeutic alternative to my unhappy state, my grandmother suggested that I reconstitute my sorrow into an energy that could be channeled into art. I started woodblock printing by taking an independent study course at Knox College. I found working with wood blocks very soothing. My first print, Invasions, was published in Catch, Knox’s literary magazine. The medium became a sustaining passion.

"I have a strong feeling for nature," Calvert continued, "and the wood compliments my images. Different types of wood provide varied and often fascinating backgrounds, depending upon on the subject. Recently, I've been using my photography to reconstruct my art works. For some images I use linoleum blocks in order to get more detailed lines in a small area. The majority of my creations are printed on Japanese Kozuke and French Rives paper, using oil-based inks.

"Pulling that first print off the block is pure joy. The excitement multiplies when there are multiple blocks for each color involved. Each successive color is a layer that informs the mystery and appeal of the final image. I take much pleasure in hearing interpretations of my work from others." Says Calvert, "I enjoy creating images that are at once familiar, yet open to interpretation. The more diverse the comments, the more effective I believe my work to be."

Regarding his sculptures, Ewoldt said, "Fragments of memories, or words that resonate and stay within my mind converge with observations of the physical world during the course of my creative process. My work is intimate in both scale and intention.  They synthesis of organic forms with the influence of architectural elements create structures that are feminine, yet visually strong. Interior spaces and being drawn visually and conceptually into the heart of a form is intriguing to me. I intend to subtly suggest images that might evoke a feeling of discovery, memory, or contemplation in the observer."

Minnesota artist Hanesworth, meanwhile, explained, "I was raised in the Mississippi River Valley, on a small fiber farm in the Driftless Area of Southeastern Minnesota. Growing up in this environment, creative energy manifested in the building of tree forts and rearrangement of creek beds, and my childhood fascination with the river, forests, and prairies is still evident in my most current bodies of work. As an interdisciplinary artist and organic farmer, my practice is continuously expanding to incorporate new modalities of making, thinking, and responding to the world around me. I gravitate towards highly tactile mediums and labor-intensive processes, ranging from textiles and printmaking to agriculture and community workshops. My work is motivated by a sense of dire urgency in regard to the current ecological crises and simultaneously, by a deep and unshakable reverence for the natural world in all its diversity and resilience.

"I approach artmaking as a way of building relationship with the land," Hanesworth continued, "every artistic gesture as an opportunity to strengthen the connections between myself and the myriad of natural processes and beings that support collective life on this planet. My print-based work is an exercise in adoration, in holding deep reverence for plants and cultivating gratitude for the immense healing and sustenance they provide. Harvesting fiber, dye, and medicinal plants has become an integral part of my practice, and has helped me establish intentional, ongoing relationships with my local plant communities, while reinstating the proximity between artist and material. I try to cultivate moments and practices of deep, sustained, life-building attention by prioritizing slow labor, and by harvesting and hand-processing plant materials into dyes, medicines, and fibers. I consider attention to be a form of gratitude. Sustaining an artistic practice allows me to critically consider my relationships to the broader earth community and to situate myself more fully within the intricate systems of our living planet."

The Quad City 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 Benjamin Calvert, Darlys Ewoldt, and Ian Hanesworth exhibits on display through February 27 is available by calling (309)793-1213 and visiting QuadCityArts.com.