“Langer, Lesperance, & Schroeder,” March 4 through April 27

Tuesday, March 4, through Monday, April 27

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

A wide range of disparate mediums and gorgeous artworks will be on display at the Quad City Arts International Airport Gallery from March 4 through April 27, with art lovers area-wide invited to view new metal and fiber sculpture by Amanda Langer, encaustics by Cindy Lesperance, and Japanese tiles by Nick Schroeder in the exhibit Langer, Lesperance, & Schroeder.

Her Artist Statement at AmandaLanger.com says: "My work is an exploration into the contrasting and often conflicting natures we hold within us and around us. By exploring the dualities within the materials I work with, I seek to similarly expose the variability within ourselves. I enjoy investigating how fiber and metal can be combined in new and surprising ways, and I believe it shows how the multitudes of elements between humans and our societies have infinite potential to combine and work together to find harmony.

"Amanda Langer earned her Bachelor of Fine Arts from the University of Wisconsin Stevens Point in 2017 and has since worked in ecological restoration while pursuing art on the side. She is currently returning to her art in pursuit of melding her two primary passions into one cohesive whole."

At CindyLesperance.com, we learn: "I love spending time in nature, traveling and learning about other cultures. Always aware of color, pattern and texture, these life experiences are inspiration for my work. Exploring various mediums over the years, including mixed media, printmaking, photography, and cold wax, I have found my artistic home in encaustic, a fusion of beeswax, Damar resin, and pigment. It captivates me with its translucency and the limitless dimensionality that can be achieved with it.

"Very early in my exploration of encaustic (2013) I developed a signature method of applying minute droplets of medium to the surface of the painting. This technique creates a tactile texture that engages those who encounter it and makes my work instantly recognizable. My artistic journey continues to be an exploration of this technique, a realm where I push the boundaries and uncover new possibilities. Each piece is an invitation to explore color, texture and form, a reflection of my lifelong love for nature and my fascination with the world’s diverse tapestry of cultures."

The Milwaukee Artist Resource Network (MARNArts.com) states: "Nick Schroeder is an artist working in clay. He finds the flexibility and constraints of the medium intriguing, challenging, and absorbing. He also finds clay an excellent medium to work conceptually. The ability to have the surface textured or very smooth, to have the piece exist as a single plane or in three dimensions is important. His work falls into two areas: wall tiles and sculptures. Nick Schroeder was a graphic designer for more than 30 years at Marquette University. He retired in 2016 and in 2017 he began to pursue a long-standing interest in ceramics as an art form. Since September 2017 he has worked at the Cream City Clay studio in West Allis, Wisconsin. He took a number of classes there before beginning to explore various themes and subjects in clay. His ceramics work consists of hand building, mostly slab work. He carefully designs and plans out each piece and then executes those plans with clay, underglaze and glazes.

“Much of his work is conceptual and recently he has been producing tiles that are designed to be hung on the wall. These tiles vary in size from four by four inches up to 16 x 11 inches. He uses these tiles to produce responses to works and lives of artists and other people he admires. This series is called 'Letter to … .' He has also been doing a series of tiles that are an exploration of concepts of Japanese design and aesthetics."

The Quad City Arts International Airport Gallery is located opposite the airport's gift shop and restaurant, there is a $2 fee for short-term parking, and more information on the Langer, Lesperance, & Schroeder exhibit on display March 4 through April 27 is available by calling (309)793-1213 and visiting QuadCityArts.com.