Current Exhibits
June 29 – October 7, 2023
The Bottle Works has been celebrating the legacy of Steve Ditko for two years now, and we aren’t done, but the talent in the Ditko family tree runs deep. We are excited to showcase the work of Steve’s brother Patrick S. and nephew Patrick J. in Concentric!
Concentric features architectural drawings and traditional Byzantine icons by Patrick S. Ditko and pen and ink drawings and sculpture by Patrick J. Ditko. This father and son duo creates together and individually on all kinds of projects. The majority of their work is in ink, and when you add legendary comic book creator Steve Ditko in the gene pool, it would be hard to think of anything other than ink in their blood.
Circles of creativity
A father and son art exhibit connecting ripples of ink from comic book legend Steve Ditko through their lives.
more at patrickjditko.com
People & Pop-Culture
an exhibit by Matt Lamb & Sons
August 24 – October 7
Experience the art of our Creative Director, Matt Lamb, and his sons!
Matt’s pop-culture inspired pen, ink, and marker work mixed with his charcoal renderings from live models will adorn the walls of the Art Works Main Gallery from August 24 – October 7.
Join us for the opening reception on August 24 from 6-8. Light refreshments will be served and Strings & Bellows will be performing live.
Artist’s Statement
“I have been inspired by thesplashy pages of comic books for most of my life. I started recreating theimages on the pages of my favorite books, usually Spider-Man or the Avengers,at the age of 10, and I have never looked back. I love bringing heroes to lifeon the page. In high school I maintained the love of comic books, but I alsostarted exploring fine art.
In college, I quickly discovered that drawing people is where my passion lies. Landscapes and abstract work didn’t appeal to me, and I spent my college years taking every live model class I could. During that time, I also discovered a love for charcoal as a medium. Something about the feel of the charcoal on the paper, and inevitably in my hands, and the process of working from life in charcoal has always appealed to me. In recent years, I have found that while I still love drawing from life, the end result of a live model session isn’t always enough for me, and I began exploring the space around the models. The empty page would jump to life in my mind, inspired by my love for pop-culture and all things sci-fi and fantasy. The next thing I knew, I was adding a dragon, or putting wings on the figure, and moving into an entirely different creative process. I was taking what I had observed from life and adding a level of fantasy to the piece. The results are what you see on the walls in this exhibit. Some traditional figurative work, mixed with a series of fantasy inspired creations.
My love for heroes never subsided, and to this day if you attend a Club Works Art Meet Up or catch me with a little down time, chances are I am drawing Spider-Man or my own creation, the Bodacious Buckethead, or a more recent creation, Captain Bottle Works. I have had the tremendous pleasure of working with an amazing author in Lenny Schwartz, and fellow artists Glenn Klimeck, and K. Brandon Wilton a creator owned project coming out of the Bottle Works called “The Legacy of Captain Bottle Works.” This endeavor was really a passion project and my first time truly experiencing the creation of a project through visual storytelling. I also had the pleasure of working with student artists Ariana Skebeck and Garrett Murphy on a few pages of the book and helping to foster their artistictalents.
Hopefully this explains a bit about what you will see on the walls in People &Pop-Culture. The exhibit is a mix of my portrait work, some of which crosses into the realm of fantasy, as well as my love for the printed media of superheroes and all things pop-culture. You will also see a few pieces from my sons, Logan & Jace. I wanted to include them because as much as I have loved art my entire life, I have never experienced more joy than in watching them learn to create and find their own artistic paths.”
Gatekeeper
an exhibit by Barry Poglein
August 24 – October 7
The art of Barry Poglein will be on display in the Tulip building’s Black Box Gallery from August 24 – October 7! Explore the art inspired by 50 years of family and friends by one of our areas retired art teachers.
Artist Statement
Life is a circle.
Of all the definitions of Art that I have encountered, the best
is from the perspective of the art psychotherapist.
“Art is a direct representation of the inner self at the
time of creation.”
We live in a manufactured environment. Everything
that we come in contact with was made or modified by
someone. I have contributed with the construction of our
world through my art.
Every piece that you view in this exhibit is a
representation of who I was at the time it was made. I have
made footnotes to accompany each series. These brief
explanations will lead you from my young married life in the
booklet 1982 and before, through the 50 years of family and
friends in an attempt to render the world around and within.
Being little difference between musical expression and
visual artwork, you will find that many of my pieces begin
where they end. Roll the marble, roll it
again, roll it again.
Life is a circle. – Barry Poglein
Please note that the Bottle Works engages in photography and recording of programs and events for its own print and online publication/promotional purposes. Staff and volunteers will make every effort to notify members of the public when filming and/or photography is taking place. Please notify a staff member/volunteer if you do not want to be photographed or filmed.