Photo provided by Lawrence Street Gallery “Jabilo (Medicine Man)” by Chris Keast-Woyde of Troy received the Best of Show Awards in the all-media juried competition.

By Christa Buchanan
C & G Staff Writer

A walk around Lawrence Street Gallery’s “The Body Eclectic ‘07” exhibit shows the sheer variety of ways in which the human figure is depicted — shapes, sizes, positions, colors, materials — and reflects all of the various emotions and nuances in the shapes we see every day. 

The juried competition, according to Laura Whitesides Host, the exhibit organizer and teacher at the Birmingham Bloomfield Art Center, started as a simple drawing contest “to showcase work going on in this area, so people can see the depth of art locally.” It has steadily increased in popularity over the years — especially since the competition grew to include all genres of art.

“We just had drawings of figures … it wasn’t as showy, but now there is more visual interest — it’s nice to see paintings along with photographs, drawings, sculpture,” Whitesides Host said. “For the last couple of years, when we went to mixed media, it has become more and more popular” for not only the artists, but attracting the interest of the public.

“It’s very well received by the artists — artists like to enter — it’s an exceptional showing,” said Nancy Hopper, a member of and treasurer for Lawrence Street Gallery, who added that “we’ve already had a lot of foot traffic coming in” to check out the exhibit on Jan. 31, just one day into the show. And, with the gallery’s huge picture window displaying an eclectic sampling of the work inside, it’s no surprise.

“It’s an interesting show.  There is some beautiful work,” said Hopper. “There is a complete mixture of styles — far-out, contemporary and traditional, realism and abstract.”

Each piece evokes a different emotion, whether the figure is depicted classically or as an abstract.  Of the more than 150 pieces entered by more than 80 artists, many from the metro area, juror Claudia Shepard had her work cut out for her in trying to narrow that down to 75. 

In selecting the pieces for the show, Shepard said in a written statement posted at the exhibit, she first looked for pieces that were compelling and drew her in — pieces that affected and involved her on many levels.  Then, she focused on the formal elements of “one of the most challenging motifs in art.”

The human figure is a powerful means of portraying a variety of feelings through the expression of ideas, emotions and beliefs, and “Jabilo (Medicine Man)” by Chris Keast-Woyde of Troy is no exception.  The vibrant colors and bold brushstrokes of this acrylic painting, which won the Best of Show Award, contrast an air of sadness seen in the subject’s eyes.

“I came back to it over and over and was affected by the sheer graphic power, through scale, vitality and energy in the expression and strong design of the picture plane,” she wrote of her choice for the Best of Show.

The varied media used to depict the human figure in the exhibit create a visual and emotional feast  — photography hangs alongside watercolor, oils and acrylic; 3D sculpture is surrounded by drawings in charcoal and colored pencil; mixed-media pieces incorporate paper, wood and antique objects.

“There are a couple of constructions in wooden boxes with antique items that are very interesting,” Whitesides Host said of the unique mixed media shadowboxes by Troy residents Gene Smith and Larry Dzeb. 

Dzeb’s “Drink Orange” takes a humorous and playful look at the human figure, while the realism of the First Place Drawing Award-winning piece “Ronnie” by Dee Overly of Ypsilanti is incredible, as is Farmington Hills resident Sandra Happel’s “An American Soldier,” which won the First Place 3D Award.  Julie Sabit of Harper Woods rounded out the top honors with the First Place 2D Award for her oil painting titled “Weary Wrestlers.”

Receiving Juror’s Honorable Mention awards were Jud Coveyyou of Ferndale, Lisa Dunn of Brighton, Ruth Henkel of Ann Arbor, Matthew Jaffe of Royal Oak, Catherine Law of Shelby Township, Jeanne Poulet of Livonia, Vianna Szabo of Romeo, Robert Vegiletti of Southfield and Reka Zoltan of Ann Arbor.

The result is an exhibit both powerful in subject matter and the various ways each artist brought this classical genre to life.  “The Body Eclectic” exhibit opens the mind to think about the variety of images of the human form encountered every day — magazine ads, photographs of friends and family, even one’s own reflection — in a whole new light. 

“The Body Eclectic ‘07” exhibition runs through Feb. 23 at the Lawrence Street Gallery, 22620 Woodward Ave. in Ferndale.  Gallery hours are noon-5 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday.  For more information, visit www.lawrencestreetgallery.com.