From the Rockport Center for the Arts:
“Geometric-shaped canvasses with bold palettes and patterns are the hallmark of artist Nichole Gronvold-Roller, including “A Quiet Saunter” at Rockport Center for the Arts, incorporating hard-edged elements from the late 1950s and early 1960s influencing the shaped canvas movement.
Gronvold-Roller’s work will be on view and available for collection May 11–June 16 in the H-E-B Gallery with a public artist reception on Saturday, May 11, from 5–7 p.m., to coincide with the monthly Austin Street Art Walk a free, alfresco, walkable art experience featuring RCA and other galleries located in downtown Rockport. The shows and reception are free and open to the public.
A union of fine art, architecture, and design, referencing underlying themes in art history mixing and merging concepts, Gronvold-Roller incorporates symbolic colors heavily embellished by patterns found in domestic spaces.
“I selectively incorporate hard-edged elements from the late 1950s and early 1960s, influencing the shaped canvas movement,” said Gronvold-Roller. “However, I openly challenge its history of minimalism, unadorned/unmodulated planes of color, and rejection of the illusion of space.
“In contrast, I select symbolic colors heavily embellished by patterns found in domestic spaces, emphasizing the history of wallpaper, starting with the Arts and Crafts movement in the 1960s and 1970s and continuing to current happenings. The edges of my artwork define a rotation of deep and shallow areas, creating an impression of space. Incorporating ornate motifs and flat planes of color, I invite the viewer to pause—to linger—accompanying the rhythm of my daily happenings.”
“What I most appreciate about the artist’s practice is her ability to transmute the everyday into such marvelous works of art,” said Catey Arnold, The Barrow Foundation Curator of Exhibitions for RCA. “I think many will find Gronvold-Roller’s paintings captivating and inspiring.”
Gronvold-Roller received a B.F.A. in Art Education from Minnesota State University of Moorhead, an M.A. in Art Education from Boston University, and an M.F.A. in Painting from Bradley University in Peoria, Ill. In addition to her ongoing success as a painter, she has remained a full-time high school art teacher in Tremont, Ill., for more than 25 years, and is a contributing writer for the Inland Art column with Community Word.
In addition to RCA, she has exhibitions scheduled this year at Studio Break, West Chicago, Ill., and Everwood Farmstead Foundation’s Artist Retreat, Glenwood City, Wis., with a Chateau d’Orquevaux Artist Residency in Orquevaux, France, slated for 2025.
Other group and solo exhibitions include Thelma Sadoff Center for the Arts, Fond du Lac, Wis. (2024), Beyond Painting, Spartanburg Art Museum, Spartanburg, S.C. (2023); Mudhouse Exhibition and Artist Residency, Crete, Greece (2023); New Gallery Artists, Gilded Pear, Cedar Rapids, Iowa (2023); Flip Flap Fold, Bradley University, Peoria, Ill. (2023); The Painting Center Benefit 2023, Painting Center, New York (2023); The Shape Maker, BoxHeart Gallery, Pittsburgh, Pa. (2022); Pendulum, Anne Lloyd Gallery of the Madden Arts Center, Decatur, Ill. (2022); Seen but not Felt, Bradley University Galleries, Peoria, Ill. (2021); Pathways, McLean County Arts Center, Bloomington, Ill. (2021); Up Down and Through, Dubuque Museum of Art, Dubuque, Iowa (2020); Ensemble: Together Again, The Painting Center, New York (2020); Nonobjective, Contemporary Art Center, Peoria, IL (2020); and New Optics, The Painting Center, New York (2020).
Gronvold-Roller’s work can be found at BoxHeart Gallery, Pittsburgh, Pa; The Gilded Pear, Cedar Rapids, Iowa; J. Nunez Gallery, Millburn, N.J.; James May Gallery, Milwaukee, Wis.; Banz Studios, Cincinnati; The Painting Center (Art File), New York; Muse Gallery, Morton, Ill.; and Peoria Art Guild, Peoria, Ill.
Her paintings have also been featured in various publications, including Refrigerator Poetry (New York), Dubuque Museum of Art (Dubuque, Iowa); Artforum (New York); Wall Street International (Budva, Montenegro); Peoria Journal Star (Peoria, Ill.); GRAFIX® (Maple Heights, Ohio); Inside Publications (Sacramento, Calif.); and Kolaj Magazine.
For more information on “A Quiet Saunter,” visit rockportartcenter.com follow RCA on Facebook, or call (361) 729-5519.
About Rockport Center for the Arts
The new 1.2-acre Rockport Center for the Arts, the Coastal Bend’s first multidisciplinary arts organization, is located a block away from Aransas Bay in the heart of the Rockport Cultural Arts District. Designed by the award-winning team at Richter Architects, the state-of-the-art campus features a two-story, 14,000-square-foot, visual arts and education building with four galleries and five classrooms (204 S. Austin St.); The Rockport Conference Center, a one-story, 8,000-square-foot conference and event center, known as The ROCC, (106 S. Austin St.); with a 16,000-square-foot Sculpture Garden serving as a visually inspiring transition space between the two buildings. The hours of operation for the showroom, galleries, and gift shop are Tuesday–Saturday from 10 a.m.–5 p.m., and Sunday from noon–4 p.m. Admission is always free. For information on event space, or to book an event, call (361) 450-8033. For general information and to become a member, visit rockportartcenter.com, follow RCA on Facebook, or call (361) 729-5519.
About Austin Street Art Walk
Austin Street Art Walk is a collective effort of the Rockport Center for the Arts and Moon Over Water Gallery in partnership with Rockport galleries, restaurants, and businesses located along Austin Street in the Rockport Cultural Arts District. Scheduled the second Saturday of each month, April through December, from 10 a.m.–6 p.m., Art Walk is a free, alfresco, walkable art experience featuring an ever-changing mix of participants and art mediums such a”
The post Nichole Gronvold-Roller: A Quiet Saunter appeared first on Glasstire.