Still Life art is a captivating genre that invites viewers to appreciate the beauty and significance of ordinary objects carefully arranged and captured in a static composition. Stillness in Motion is an exhibition that seeks to showcase the beauty, diversity, and complexity of still life art throughout history to modern day representation. This show allows artists to speak through inanimate objects using their specific style and choice of symbolism. This act of artistic creation invites viewers to appreciate the quiet beauty of everyday objects and the stories they tell, providing a space for introspection, contemplation, and connection. 

The relationship we hold with our everyday devices hold a multitude of layers. Our inanimate objects hold memories, experiences, and emotions. A still life can stand in the simplest form of celebrating our everyday material goods. A still life can also tell a story of a timeless testament to our shared or personal experiences as mortal beings. Our lives are fast paced and constantly in motion, and at times hard to conceptualize. When we allow ourselves to take a moment and experience hush, we may find it easier to process life as we know it. Stillness in Motion is intended to evoke that same feeling, transforming our perception of the world around us.

Stillness in Motion will give the spotlight to artists from the greater Cincinnati, Ohio region. The goal of the pieces showcased in this exhibition is to reflect timeless aspects of everyday life. Each work carries a unique message intended to evoke familiar and/or new emotions and memories. With every wall of this exhibition offering up classic and modern still-life art, it will be easy for patrons to find something new that will leave them feeling inspired.

This Fall, 1628 is proud to give a spotlight to 21 talented artists from the Cincinnati, Dayton, and Northern Kentucky area in our exhibition, Stillness in Motion: Still Life Art and its Reflection on Human Existence. This show features artists including Susan Milinkovich, Trisha Raymond, and Darren Kall.

Susan Milinkovich began photographing with her father when she got her first Brownie camera as a child. Her dad gave her the gift of “seeing” a photograph and both parents gave her a love of nature and an appreciation for the beauty to be found in our everyday world. While Susan enjoys capturing the larger landscapes, it is the intimate details of a landscape, structure or flower that draws her attention. Susan has participated in FotoFocus and exhibits at numerous galleries in Cincinnati. She shares her passion for photography by teaching classes and workshops on a variety of photography topics.

“I’m a photographer because it allows me to connect with the beauty of the world around me, to feel like I am a part of something bigger than myself, and to visually communicate that experience with others through my photographs. Elliot Porter said, “Photography is an art of observation. It has little to do with the things you see and everything to do with the way you see them.” I like to explore a scene and look for shapes, lines, colors, textures, patterns and light. I like to find something unique in a scene and then share that photographically with others who might not see the world in the same way. These small details help to tell a story and often create a sense of awe at the beauty and diversity of our world. Awe is what stops us in our tracks, takes our breath away and makes us feel utterly alive.”

Trisha Raymond is a landscape painter originally from Northern Michigan with a background in Art History, a love for all things vintage, and a constant ache in her soul for exploring the outdoors. Currently residing in Cincinnati and raising three young kids, she loves Jesus, playing sports, and reading.

“My art style is all about the natural world and color. The natural world is never static; it is ever-changing, eroding, decaying and growing. There is never a lack of inspiration when we look deeply. I love that each and every moment in nature is unique, holy, and fleeting, and I try to capture this feeling through applying and removing layers, often quickly and including scripture throughout.”

Darren Kall was born in New Jersey and lived in New Hampshire, North Carolina, and Washington state, before settling in Ohio. He lives here with his wife, a native daughter of the Midwest, and their clearly Pacific Northwest-born son. Darren studied art at Rutgers College in their interdisciplinary program, consisting of training in painting, drawing, art history, printmaking, photography, and sculpture. He specializes in site-specific commissions for individuals, corporations, and public art. Locally you can visit two of his commissioned public artworks at the Brookville and Old North Dayton locations of the Dayton Metro Library as part of the ReImagining Works collaboration with the Dayton Art Institute.

“My approach is to start with an idea, then choose the processes and media to transform that idea into artwork. ‘Everyday Objects’ is a montage of 12 photos I created in 2023 from a two-day photo shoot I did in Seattle, Washington in 2005. I stopped people on the street who were carrying objects and asked them to pose with their object covering their face. My idea was to portray people anonymously by hiding their faces, and yet capture a full expression of their personality and individuality by the object they carried, how they posed, and what they wore. The objects they carried were mostly unnoticed accessories to their everyday activities, but gained significance when they replaced their faces: A still life of objects with people as the props.”

The Fall 2023 Exhibition will be on display August 28th – November 16th, 2023.

Multiple pieces in this exhibition are for sale. If you are interested in purchasing any artwork from the show, please contact us at art@1628ltd.com.