The great tradition of landscape painting inspires artist Rodger Bechtold. The oil painter draws from modernists who boldly infused vibrant color into their images, including Milton Avery, Paul Gauguin, Hans Hofmann, Wolf Kahn and Henri Matisse. Bechtold furthers this legacy through his contemporary landscape interpretations in "Rodger Bechtold: Middle Ground," an exhibition opening Friday, May 20, at Tory Folliard Gallery.
"Middle Ground" depicts the regional terrain and waterways of places Bechtold has called home in Michigan, Illinois and Wisconsin, including his studio on Door County's Washington Island. Bechtold's thick brush strokes and textured colors capture farms, rivers and clouds in sensuous compositions.
The artist's work has appeared in galleries throughout the Midwest, including numerous exhibitions at Door County's prestigious Edgewood Orchard Galleries in Fish Creek. Folliard introduced Bechtold to Milwaukee in 2005, and he has since garnered a dedicated following. Already in 2011, the artist has had solo exhibitions at the Sharon Lynne Wilson Center for the Arts and the Museum of Wisconsin Art.
Along with creating art, Bechtold loves fishing in northern Wisconsin. His new work further deconstructs the Midwestern aesthetic through ephemeral visions such as Red, White and Blue. In this farmscape, planes of sheer white sunlight and red barn siding intersect against a blue sky studded with clouds.
Bechtold recently had surgery, but hopes to recover in time to attend the artist's reception at Folliard Gallery on Saturday, May 21, 2-4 p.m.
Art Happenings
Grove Art Festival
Elm Grove Women's Club
13885 Watertown Plank Road
This weekend event in Elm Grove presents wearable and fine art from juried Wisconsin artists 10 a.m.-5 p.m. May 14 and 11 a.m.-4 p.m. May 15. A 6-8 p.m. preview on Friday, May 13, features wine and appetizers for $10 per person or $15 for two people (RSVP to 262-782-8297).
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Out-N-About in Hartland for Gallery Night
Event begins at Lake Country Fine Arts
112 W. Capitol Drive, Hartland
A gallery night throughout downtown Hartland features more than a dozen local artists at multiple venues from 5-9 p.m. Friday, May 13. The Hartland Area Food Pantry will be accepting donations of nonperishable food items in conjunction with this event.
