Aspects of Nature at the Kavanagh Gallery

Aspects of Nature is a two-person gallery show by Jay Walsh and Carol Zack, both of whom teach at Fine Line Creative Arts Center in St. Charles. Jay Walsh is a ceramic artist who has been playing in the mud for years. Having been introduced to ceramics in high school and continuing in college, Walsh has been teaching ceramics for several decades.  Walsh says the chemistry of glaze and clay has always appealed to him. For the past couple of years, he has been exploring crystalline firings.  The process of crystalline glazing combines chemistry, application, and variable firing schedules.  The crystals are grown on the glaze surface, much as they do in nature, reminiscent of frost on windows, agates, snow, and other natural patterns.  Like Walsh, Carol Zack has been teaching at Fine Line for many years. Having always enjoyed finding beautiful places to explore and realizing that artistic expression is everywhere, high school and college formed the basis of her training in Fine Arts, along with teaching certification. Zack loves playing in the paint, particularly with soft and oil pastels, both of which seem extra-sensory and immediate, and can be quickly pushed and manipulated into beautiful, colorful layers and textures with just fingers and blenders. Just paper and pastel sticks are all she needs.  Aspects of Nature will open at Fine Line’s Kavanagh Gallery on Thursday, September 10 and run until October 9.  The gallery is open Monday to Saturday from 10 am to 5 pm