By Donna Schuld
Correspondent
DE PERE – The walls at Artless Bastard art gallery are home to an array of expressions on canvas and ceramics.
Portraits, landscapes, abstracts and other inventive art can be found.
With two new exhibits now open, the gallery has become a haven to Wisconsin-based artists, such as Terri Einer of Oshkosh.
Her exhibit, “Landscape Escapes,” has rural Wisconsin scenes displayed in fluid brush strokes and vibrant colors.
“When I interpret a landscape scene, it’s the lines and colors that I’m drawn to,” Einer said. “For me it’s all about capturing the scene with loose strokes and obscure details. I try to create a mood, whether it be playful and whimsical or impressionistic. Also, since I’m Wisconsin born and bred, I’m particularly drawn to small-family farm scenes.”
Einer is one of the featured artists at Artless Bastard, a status which allows her to have her own show.
She said Artless Bastard “appreciates the skills of the artists, and they are dedicated to preserving the arts in our communities.”
“For me, I love the fact that their exhibits have a theme,” Einer said. “I love creating paintings that give me free expression to interpret the theme in my own way, and the exhibits bring a wide variety of artists and their varied mediums.”
The gallery’s owner, Alexis Arnold of Green Bay, is an artist herself.
Arnold took over the gallery in November of 2019.
“I only had a couple of months that were normal before COVID started,” she said. “I think the biggest thing is just missing the energy of being able to host events and have the place filled. We used to have live music, we would do pop-up art events, we would have poetry readings. We’re starting to bring in performance art as well, but I’ve had to table that just to keep attendance low. I want to make sure the space continues to be safe for people.”
The other exhibit open now is entitled, “Is it Love.”
An open call to artists brought a variety of depictions of the notion anyone can take home.
“Everything that is shown in the gallery is for sale,” Arnold said. “Every artist sets their own price point. Everything is commission–based. Really, the gallery is that connection point between the artist and the community. It gives the artist a brick-and-mortar space to display their work in a professional manner, but also with the goal of selling their work.”
Another featured artist is Gary Gossens of Kimberly.
He has been bringing his works to Artless Bastard since it was new and appreciates the relationship.
“Supporting local artists is a win-win for everyone,” said Gossens. “The artist is helped because they can keep their cost low by not having to ship their work, insure their work. I especially like to talk to the people who buy my work and hear their story on why the piece moved them to buy it. The local buyer saves money for the same reasons as the artist, along with seeing the art in person.”
And when it comes to the business of art, Arnold points out the need for foundational support for artists.
“In this area in Green Bay in general we need more art, we need more galleries, we need spaces for artists that are affordable for them to create,” she said. “I would love to see other galleries open up. I love to see more affordable spaces that artists can rent out for studio spaces for them to use. I think that’s really lacking in the area. Hopefully some things will start to turn around soon.”
For more information, visit artlessbastard.com.