Outsider Artists? In the Burbs?!

Harold Jeffries "People Are Smiling When
They Have Their Masks On," acrylic,
ballpoint pen, colored pencil, collage

Wayne Mazurek "New 2000 Camry LS Sedan,"
 archival print on canvas

Luke Tauber "Clara's House - Market Square,
Leipzig circa 1830," watercolor, ink on paper

11.26.11 NOW SHOWING (until 12/17) at The Art Center in Highland Park, IL:

SHARE MY KINGDOM: Featuring work from Harold Jefferies, Wayne Mazurek, and Luke Tauber, three artists from Little City's Center for the Arts, a studio collective for artists with developmental disabilities, part of the larger Little City Foundation in Palatine, IL.

There were only brief biographies of the artists on hand the day I visited the gallery, but their work clearly expresses the artists' interests: Wayne Mazurek is a car afficionado, Luke Tauber works with images from the lives of composers like Bach and Handel and Harold Jeffries work is peopled by visions of humanity with philosophical titles like "People Are Smiling When They Have Their Masks On."

Most of the pieces are done with marker, colored pencils, watercolor, ink and graphite on paper and bring to mind work that falls into the category of  "outsider" art. Work from each of the artists was digitally reproduced on large canvases - visually striking as part of an art exhibit, but it seemed to take a step away from the original work; maybe it just feels too far from the artists' handmade visions, and yes, I am assuming this was done by someone other than the artists.

Also at the Art Center: 12x12
This is a national juried exhibit of small works with some interesting pieces, including a lovely bronze foot (what else?) from Mary Seyfarth, that wonderful ceramic artist and sculptor who lives down the street from me and often has a parade of ceramic foot sculptures on the walk leading to her front door, which never fails to make me happy when I walk by...

Mary Seyfarth, "Moon Step," bronze and marble