Art at the Airport

SHOWCASING CULTURAL VIBRANCY OF OUR COMMUNITY
TO THE NEARLY ONE MILLION VISITORS EVERY YEAR

ART AT THE AIRPORT

Mark Dierker, Jaime Foster,
& Deana Bada Maloney

September 2 - October 31, 2021

Art at the Airport presents works on paper by Jaime Foster of Naperville, IL; photography by Mark Dierker of Dubuque, IA; and ceramic wildlife sculpture by Deana Bada Maloney of Downers Grove, IL.

MARK DIERKER
Photography

I tend to see the world in more saturated colors than most people. I find the images taken by my camera inadequate to express that richness of color, so I do a lot of post processing work to bring the image back to as close as what I saw originally. I like my images to be more painterly than documentary in style. I'm always interested in hearing what the viewer sees in my images and how close their interpretation is to my intent. The central theme to all my fine art photography is light and how it behaves in a given environment. I'm more interested in capturing light in its natural forms than creating artificial light or forcing it to do what it wouldn't do naturally.

JAIME FOSTER
paintings

I am interested in the relationship we have with nature and our environment, both positively, negatively, and how this affects us on an emotional level. My paintings feed off the fascination I have with Ecopsychology, Conservation and Biodiversity.

The spiritual connection humans have with the natural world is as old as humanity. It’s an integral part of human nature whether we’re consciously aware of it or not. The natural world provides the vital necessities of life: water, food, and air. But it also provokes awe, wonder and exhilaration that touch our souls in ways we can’t completely describe.

My work taps into our collective subconscious of the deep emotional connection with environment and nature. From a distance, my paintings will simultaneously resemble vast glacial landscapes and intricate microscopic patterns, acting as complimentary and contradictory to each other in an encircling game. The natural elements which flow from an emotional outpouring create fractal natural patterns that draw the viewer into a world each viewer translates through their own perception of the natural world. Different aspects of each of my works can be viewed as a mountainside, cell structure, flowing rapids and perplexing botany patterns – all combined and swirled together – to create timeless works of art that could be appreciated at any time in human history.

DEANA BADA MALONEY
sculpture

I have been an observer of nature all my life. I am continually awestruck at the beauty of the natural world and the magic and mystery in every living thing. My work is a study of living forms, celebrating the structure of how something is made along with the transcendental presence of the subject.

I have a BFA in Drawing and Painting from the Art Institute of Chicago, with a strong focus in anatomy and scientific illustration. I have found sculpture to be another vehicle for me in which I am able to express the beauty and stories woven in nature and the world around us.

I tell a story in each of my pieces using symbolism in found materials that I incorporate into my work whether it is from the subject’s natural surroundings or a component of the story. I use a method of using oxides during the final firing of my pieces to capture all the marks made in the creating the piece. This makes my sculptures look like 3D drawings harkening back to my strong drawing roots.

A theme that I continually address in my work is a humorous but sad portrayal of animals having to adapt to the new landscape we are creating with our waste problem. I hope to continue to create awareness and inspire change for us to be better ambassadors to our Mother Earth.

BROWSE & SHOP THE GALLERY

We offer curbside pick-up or shipping (Shipping starts at $40, call for a shipping estimate).
For more information contact Visual Arts Director Dawn Wohlford-Metallo.