Summer is the season of boundless possibilities and pure joy. As the days get longer, the city of Cincinnati comes alive through the hearts of its residents. The energy in the air is strong; it brings people together to create memories in smiles and laughter. There’s so much to appreciate – from being around those who bring joy to exploring the vibrant colors of freshly bloomed flora.

There’s no better way to embrace this positivity than through art. The city has been blessed with a thriving creative culture, offering up talented artists that have the same goal as the summer breeze: to bring smiles to everyone’s faces. The purpose of the Saturation exhibition is to use vibrant colors to bring a sense of brightness and positivity to those who enter. Featuring art created by local artists, viewers are able to experience an environment full of laughter and an overall feeling of cheerfulness.

The pieces showcased in this exhibition capture the vibrant aspects of modern pop culture as well as the free-spirited energy captured by artists. Each work carries a unique message intended to evoke a smile, a laugh, fond memories or even just an “Oh Wow!” reaction. With every wall of this exhibition offering up color and excitement, it’s easy for patrons to find something new that will leave them feeling energized and inspired.

This summer, 1628 is proud to give a spotlight to 19 talented artists from the Cincinnati, Dayton, and Northern Kentucky area in our exhibition, Saturation: An Exploration of Vibrancy. This show features artists including David Flege, Thomas Osorio, Michael Delaney, and Matt Eckerle.

Flege (fl-egg-y)  first developed a taste for art when he ate half a box of crayons at age 3. After graduating from college with a Bachelor’s Degree in Fine Arts from Columbus College of Art and Design, he pursued a successful and lucrative career as an illustrator in the advertising industry. Influenced by Chuck Close, Sargent, Rauschenberg and Wyeth (all 3), Flege has developed a unique style in acrylic painting he calls “Eclectic Expressionism”. He has received awards, ribbons, and “cash and praises” while exhibiting his work around the globe. His passion for painting has proved to be much more palatable than his taste for CRAYOLA. 

“I am a creative and visual thinker with ADHD. I can always be found with a pen in one hand and a sketchbook in the other. Some of my favorite ideas come to me in my dreams. I archive EVERYTHING. “Eclectic” would be the best way to describe my creative style. Acrylics are my go-to medium because, like me, they are versatile. I can easily dry-brush, spray, spatter, and layer. My color palate is a little more intense and chromatic. Turquoise, violets, metallics and day-glo can turn a solo into a symphony. I worked for years in a hyper-realistic style, but have recently explored more expressive brush-work dealing with less drawing and more form; a “Sargent-influence”. My advertising background has given me the discipline to execute with deadlines in mind. I would be honored to enhance the walls of your office or home in such a way that stimulates and inspires.”

Thomas Osorio is a Cincinnati based digital artist who works with glitch, collage, A.I., and painting. He has shown in galleries and venues in NYC, Chicago, Cincinnati, and online. He received his MFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago in 2018, and currently teaches at the Art Academy of Cincinnati.

“My work focuses on themes of subjectivity in ones interpretation of their own reality and the world around them. I like to play off ideas related to dreams, psychology, philosophy, religion, and 60’s counter-culture to create abstract collage-like pieces. These aim to disorient a viewer and make them enter into a place of contemplation about different ways people interpret the world around them based upon their spirituality, mental health, trauma, or past experiences.”

Michael Delaney is an artist, landscaper, interior designer, carpenter, real estate investor, traveler, and lover of music.

The classic popsicle is vibrant, fun, and reminds you of being a kid during summer! Time to argue which flavor is the best…. Red, white, or blue!

Matt Eckerle is a local High School Art Teacher at Notre Dame Academy. He loves teaching Art and is most impressed, appreciative of and inspired by the process of making Art. Matt creates works mainly with mixed media or by the process of screen printing but he also loves to use any kind of drawing medium or paint. When Matt is not teaching or working on Art, he spends his time playing music in a band called Shadwell. Matt lives in Northern Kentucky with his wonderful wife Gina and their brilliantly talented daughter Grace (who is also an Art Major).

“I have always known that I wanted to teach Art, so with that in mind I tried to learn as many processes as possible. I tend to gravitate towards mixed media as well as screen printing. My current body of work is entitled “Pulse” and it comes from watching the heart monitor that was hooked up to my father while he was in the ICU weeks before his passing in 2008. I remember watching each breath go by and hoping for the next and then the next and then the next. It was then that it hit me how essential each and every breath, second, moment, minute, hour, day, week, month, year is in a person’s life. Each moment, from celebrating the birth of a child, mourning the loss of a loved one, or something as simple as going for a walk or getting a cup of coffee at your favorite coffee shop holds significance. Without them, our lives are incomplete. I visualized that as a series of small strips of color, which can be seen in all of the pieces in the “Pulse” series. I see that each strip of color could represent a moment in a life and if that strip of color is removed, the piece is incomplete making each strip of color (each moment in a life) essential.”

The Summer 2023 Exhibition will be on display May 22nd – August 24th, 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.