“Convergence,” a unique expression and display of the creative and collective talents of artist (painter) Steven DeLair and photographer (artist) Mark Dahmke opens First Friday, November 1, with a 4-8 p.m. reception. Each artist will show some of his own work. The convergence of the two is revealed in collaborative, compelling prints that test the eye. 

Mark Dahmke explains, “I’ve enjoyed working with Steven DeLair to capture microscopic landscapes that are hidden in plain sight. The images presented at this show represent a convergence of medium and style. Our collaborative work melds macrophotography and painting to produce unique and emergent forms.”

DeLair’s paintings and Dahmke’s drone photographs show their individual styles. Painter Steven DeLair notes, “Being an artist for me simply means the freedom to explore, focus and create a captivating visual sense or experience that people can relate to and appreciate. Through my painting I aim to create the allure of visual simplicity. Our culture can be very chaotic and anxious.  It was many years before I realized that the subconscious quest for simplicity was in response to the complexity of life that surround us.”  



DeLair earned his BFA from the University of Nebraska. He began his full-time artistic career in 1981, with representation in 15 galleries at different times in Arizona, California, Texas and Florida. His work appears in many private, corporate and public collections and publications including Sheldon Art Museum, Lincoln; Pageant of the Masters/Festival of the Arts, Laguna Beach, California; and La Prenda Wines, Sonoma, California.



A photographer whose interest began in the 1960s, Dahmke began to explore the possibilities of aerial drone photos in 2014. He takes a very scientific approach to image sharpness using various digital techniques, while at the same time staying true to the original image.



An amateur astronomer and astrophotographer, he also experimented in other media, including AI, electronics and digital painting. Previous collaborations include a work with encaustic artist Margaret Berry combining encaustic with computer-controlled backlighting, designed to mimic a day-night cycle, with the addition of LED fireflies. 


 

The exhibit is supported in part by the Nebraska Arts Council, the Nebraska Cultural Endowment, and donors to the non-profit WallSpace for Artists and Audiences. Works are available for viewing and purchase Fridays-Sundays, 12–5 p.m. November 1-30 or by appointment (sdelairlincoln@gmail.com).

Monthly exhibitions through the end of 2024 are supported in part by a Mini-Grant from the 

and by donations from folks like you who appreciate what we’re doing at WallSpace-LNK.
We always look forward to seeing you at WallSpace-LNK!

New work by noted Nebraska painter Robin Smith will be featured at an opening reception from 5-8 p.m. First Friday, October 4, at WallSpace-LNK Fine Art Gallery, 1624 S. 17^th.  Smith’s vibrant still life paintings make common objects a joy to behold. Bright red Bialetti espresso makers and shimmering silver coffee pots offer a visual “fix” without the caffeine. Clear and blue glass vessels reflect the light in Smith’s Chadron studio, and in some cases, the painter himself. Vast scenes and skies from Nebraska’s Pine Ridge landscape offer a compelling, different view of Smith’s painting prowess. The exhibit is open Fridays-Sundays, 12-5 p.m. October 4-27.

The still life works are part of a series “connected by motif,” Smith notes. “Currently I employ medium sized canvasses (40 x 30 inches) with objects in the middle of the picture plane on a table.” His scenic paintings reflect a lifetime of personal experience.  “Growing up on Cape Cod gave me a sense of the vastness of the landscape. The influence of the light and landscape is exacerbated by my surroundings in Western Nebraska.”

A former Chadron State College faculty member, Smith studied painting at the Skowhegan School and the University of Massachusetts before the MFA program at UN-L. He went on to earn a doctorate in visual ethnography from Arizona State. He also plays a mean banjo.

Robin Smith’s work has been shown at the Nelson-Atkins Museum in Kansas City, the Museum of Nebraska Art in Kearney, the Sheldon Museum of Art and other regional museums and galleries. His paintings are part of many private collections and are held by MONA and Sheldon.

The exhibit is supported in part by the Nebraska Arts Council, the Nebraska Cultural Endowment, and contributors to the non-profit WallSpace for Artists and Audiences. Paintings are available for viewing and purchase Friday-Sunday, 12-5 from October 4-27 or by appointment by emailing doctor.robin.smith@gmail.com. 

This exhibition has been underwritten by

Laurie Richards and Dan Worth

and with support from

Opening reception Friday, Sept. 6, 5-9 PM

“The Good The Bad The Ugly,” 20 years of unconventional explorations by artist Craig Roper will open from 5:00-9:00 p.m. First Friday, September 6 at WallSpace-LNK, 1624 S. 17th Street, Lincoln.

Roper’s exhibition will debut four large paintings from 2002-04 that have never been exhibited. He notes, “there will be lots of good work, some bad, and plenty of ugly. We’ll leave it up to you to decide which is which.” The debut works were inspired by tiny drawings Roper’s then-13-year-old son Miles created. 

The exhibition runs Fridays-Sundays through September 29. Roper promises, “As is typical of my exhibition history, you can expect the unexpected. I’ll be changing things up throughout the show as well. If you are easily triggered you may want to skip this one.”

A long-time supporter of WallSpace-LNK, Roper hopes sales will help the non-profit gallery. “I can price things very low with the hope of finding homes for my work and kicking something back to the gallery. Lincoln is very fortunate to have a new art exhibition showcase like WallSpace-LNK that gives voice to the many talented artists in our region. Please swing by, bring friends, and spread the word.”

 “The Good The Bad The Ugly” is open to all with support from the Nebraska Arts Council and the Nebraska Cultural Endowment. Regular gallery hours: Friday-Sunday, 12- 5p.m. or by appointment (402 617-8365

“Disrupting the Dust,”  a collection of weavings and sculpture by Wendy Weiss opens First Friday, August 2, at WallSpace-LNK, 1624 S. 17^th St., Lincoln. The Professor Emerita taught textile design at the University of Nebraska from 1986-2014 and directed the Robert Hillestad Textiles Gallery. New work as well as large weavings and sculptures she made while a professor will be on display. The exhibition opens at 12 noon, with a reception featuring the artist from 5-8 p.m.

Viewers will encounter works that incorporate traditional, natural dyeing techniques into pieces that address historical and contemporary issues, as well as a large sculpture one can enter, with evocative screen printed images. As a Fulbright scholar in India, Weiss studied ikat, a method of dyeing threads bound with resists prior to setting up the loom to weave. This method requires careful planning to create specific patterns or imagery. Weiss’s woven-in words encourage viewers to expand their understanding of what weavings convey.

Throughout the exhibit’s run, gallery visitors are invited to create their own weavings on portable laser-cut looms Weiss made at Nebraska Innovation Studio. This impromptu “walk-in weaving” instruction is available Fridays-Sundays 12-5 p.m., August 2-31. On Saturdays August 24 and 31, special guests from ECHO Collective will assist visitors from 12:30-2:30 p.m. Would-be weavers are welcome to bring their own thread and linear material to use in their personal take-home weaving, but materials will be available on site, free of charge. Yarn donations of wool and cotton threads will be accepted at the gallery during open hours in August. What is not used will be contributed to ECHO’s weaving program: https://echocollectivene.org/textile-weaving-project  

“Disrupting the Dust” is available free of charge with support from the Nebraska Arts Council and the Nebraska Cultural Endowment. Regular gallery hours: Friday-Sunday, 12- 5p.m. August 2-31, and til 8 on First Friday. or by appointment (402-810-4890). More information on Facebook or Instagram.

“Grandmother Cottonwood and Her Clan” is July’s offering at WallSpace-LNK. Digital color photographs taken over one year will introduce you to this very large, very old cottonwood tree and her relatives and their home at Nine Mile Prairie northwest of Lincoln. 

Photographer Michael Farrell has made images of the Grandmother and other cottonwoods over several decades. The Nebraska State Tree, the cottonwood may live between 70 and 100 years, not unlike the humans who admire them. He notes, “time takes its toll on these trees. Wind breaks off limbs. Insects infest. Age wins and trees die because it is their time. Fungus and mushrooms grow on the remains. Here on the Nine Mile Prairie they have been allowed to begin, live and end their lives as Nature intends. We should all be so lucky.”

Farrell made this particular work in conjunction with the Platte Basin Timelapse Project that Michael cofounded in 2011. Most recently he has been working with a modern version of twin lens stereo photography that uses a stereopticon viewer to mimic human depth perception. Some stereo images are included with more conventional color views. 

“These groves are families. And they are like family to me,” he concludes. Become acquainted with this clan during regular gallery hours Friday-Sunday, 12- 5p.m. July 5-July 28, til 8 on First Friday, or by appointment (text to 402-450-9834).