Blue Moon’s new show features art about vintage golf clubs

GRAYSLAKE – The Blue Moon Gallery in Grayslake welcomes graphic designer and fine artist Trace Chiodo this month as its newest featured guest artist.

Chiodo was born in Kenosha, Wisconsin, and is the founder of Racine-based Chiodo Design, an independent design firm located in the historic Racine Arts and Business Center. It serves national and global clients with award-winning design creativity and expertise, according to the news release.

As a fine artist, Chiodo has participated in many juried and invitational exhibitions. His work can be found in many private collections.

Chiodo is presenting digital illustrations at the Blue Moon Gallery in a new exhibition centered around the world of golf. The exhibition opens July 22 and is on view through Sept. 10. Titled “The Striking Faces of Golf,” the exhibition features a unique and highly aesthetic collection of abstract illustrations depicting the striking face surfaces of vintage wooden golf clubs.

Drawing from his vast experiences in all things related to golf, Chiodo explores line, shape and color to characterize the individual beauty of each club. The illustrations are distilled down to a minimalistic form, which creates a stunning geometric visual language evoking nostalgic memories of playing golf with traditional wooden clubs.

“My passion for golf started with a driver given to me by my brother when I was just 2 years old,” Chiodo said. “Since then, I have been immersed in nearly all aspects of the game … from picking up range balls and caddying to winning junior tournaments and becoming assistant superintendent at a championship level course. Now, as an artist, I am collaborating with the world-renowned Kohler golf courses.”

Other new guest artists presenting artwork at the gallery this month include Colleen Steenhagen of Kenosha, Wisconsin, and Kristin Ashley of Lake Bluff.

Steenhagen is exhibiting her collections of spirit sticks, story stones and watercolor prints plus new one-of-a-kind “Spirit Hues” pendants made from burned, painted, waxed and embellished driftwood handpicked by the artist from the shores of Lake Michigan. Steenhagen’s art will be at the gallery through Aug. 20.

Ashley is presenting a one-night-only pop-up show from 6 to 9 p.m. July 22 of nature-inspired photo montages featuring her photography of beautiful local flora and fauna. Ashley’s montages, influenced by her lifelong interest in myth and archetypes, are rich in color and symbolism.

Mimi Peterson, co-founder of the Vital Art Project in Racine, Wisconsin, and a multi-disciplinary visual artist, continues her exhibition of eco-art assemblages on canvas through Aug. 6. Her work features imaginary terrains in a kaleidoscope of colors commenting on both borders as well as environmental challenges.

Painter Frank Fitzgerald of Lindenhurst continues his exhibition of colorful, fairytale-like compositions from his latest series “Fantastic Fungi and Fabulous Flora” through Aug. 6.

The gallery is hosting an opening reception from 6 to 9 p.m. July 22. Patrons can meet the guest artists, enjoy live music from Lake Bluff musician Jim Kendros on keyboards and explore paintings, drawings and sculptures from the gallery’s 2023 Collective Artists who show year-round: John Kirktpatrick, Juli Janovicz, Kathleen Heitmann, Michael Litewski and Kendra Kett.

The event is free and open to the public.

The gallery is located at 18620 Belvidere Road in Grayslake. It also will be open to the public from 1 to 4 p.m. July 23. The gallery, which is open from 1 to 4 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays, can ship artwork to buyers nationwide.

For information, call Blue Moon Gallery director Kendra Kett at 224-388-7948 or visit www.thebluemoongallery.com.