On Feb. 2, Center on Halsted, 3656 N. Halsted St., hosted its latest gallery opening, presenting two solo exhibitions exploring the role of the artist and their relationships with their environments, albeit using vastly different styles.
On the third floor artist Noah Thomas, who teaches at Fusion Academy and is a direct service professional at Misericordia Heart of Mercy, presented Ascension Series, which delves into abstract design and abstract landscapes on canvas, by way of acrylic paint and charcoal. Thomas said in the program, "Isolation can be a beautiful experience, even if it also comes with a lot of growing pains and the existentialist debate of authenticity and self-worth."
Thomas, who is a Wisconsin native, added, "One of the ideas being explored within this series is the connection between my emotional state and the drive to venture forward. The other idea I'm exploring is the parallel between intrapersonal isolation and interpersonal isolation."
On the second floor, Tom Eslinger's Stuck Inside My Head displayed his love for popular music, sticker art, album covers and design. Eslinger, an artist and creative director, said, "I got my first skateboard at age 10. Stickers became a way to communicate without having to speak. I was a walking and riding billboard. I started to draw around the time I started talking, and my life has been filled with visual art and music ever since."
After attending school and working in advertising with stints as a drummer in punk and rock bands, Eslinger eventually started investigating creating ironic art through reshaping album covers, inserting song lyrics and, while smashing images and words together, using a laser and painted vinyl to a vibrant, giddy effect. The results are canvases that suggest montages and decoupage, but explode in a seeming random barrage of words and images.
Eslinger said, "The combination of textures, colors and visual images are how I see what I am 'hearing,' rendered on surfaces."
Both shows can be viewed during regular open hours at the Center and will close on March 30.