If we act - Googlewill test an ultra-fast Internet connection in Topeka!

Plans by Google to test an ultra-fast Internet connection to a
limited number of trial locations across the United States has sparked
a push by a Topeka group to gain the company's interest in the capital
city.

"Our goal is to get 20,000 people in two weeks," said Jared Starkey,
a Topeka software developer and one of the people behind Think Big
Topeka.

The group boasts more than 3,000 Facebook members and is growing at
hundreds per day. Their goal: To gather enough community and local
government support to bring Google's fiber network experiment to Topeka.

"It's so cool to me that I know people are getting excited about
this," Starkey said. "I know that any place in the country, getting
people to actually do anything is like pulling teeth. There are more
than 2,400 people in our group right now, and there are 50 to 100
people actively going out and telling people about this."

To see the rest of the article go to:

Google plan sparks area interest | CJOnline.com

SouthWindArtGallery.com

Artist John Gary Brown - Lawrence, Kansas

SouthWind Gallery Featuring Works by Artist John Gary Brown.
John Gary Brown is an award-winning artist who has been featured in numerous magazines including Architectural Digest, Smithsonian, Arts Line and the Santa Fean. His work also has been published in several books including Soul in the Stone and Gardens of Revelation. This Kansas artist is an accomplished painter whose work is highly prized by collectors worldwide and we’re very pleased to include his paintings in our newest exhibit, Landscapes in the Abstract.

John Gary Brown, who divides his time between his homes in Kansas and Colorado, is one of 33 artists in this “mega-exhibit” which features painters from Arizona, Colorado, Kansas, New Mexico, Washington, and Canada. 

John Gary is able to transcend place in his abstract landscapes.  It can be said that his paintings reach beyond the need for object and provide the viewer with a visual field expectant of inner dialogue and exploration. His multilayered technique, which consists of adding and subtracting layers of the oil paint, is filled with placid color transitions in contrast to dynamic liner absorption of light and pigment. His compositions provoke reflections of the cosmos and the internal landscape of thought.

John Gary Brown says this about his work:  “I believe man’s marks upon the earth are superficial and fleeting, and I try to depict and celebrate what is truly elemental in the landscape—the breathing of life into great watery vistas, seen through shifting, atmospheric veils, or the falling of sunlight onto undisturbed dust.”

For more go to www.SouthWindArtGallery.com

Artist Don Tiller - Port Townsend, Washington

SouthWind Gallery Would Like to Introduce You To Artist Don Tiller.

While selecting artists for our newest show, Landscapes in the Abstract, we discovered this artist from Port Townsend, Washington, and found his work very exciting. We invited Don to share his work with our patrons and are delighted that he accepted. This is the first time Don has shown in Kansas and we hope you’ll visit our gallery and see these wonderful paintings in person. 

His pallet offers the lively color of fluid acrylics, which are used in a layering and glazing technique creating dimension and depth in the painting, and adding to the reverb of the sinuous regular lines and patterns within his pieces.

Influenced by the Fauvist movement—with a touch of whimsy, Don Tiller’s rural landscapes contrast nature’s chaos with a balance of geometric repetition. Don says: “I have given my interpretation of man’s attempt to initiate order in nature.”

The Landscapes in the Abstract exhibit, which features 33 artists from throughout the U.S. and Canada, runs now through March 15, 2010.

For more go to www.SouthWindArtGallery.com

Acquiring art is a capital idea - KansasCity.com

by Jaclyn Banash

There’s Art, and then there’s art. Art with a capital A is original, unique and can be a valuable collector’s piece. Then there’s lowercase art, or what I refer to as decorative art.

We have all seen the prints available at Z Gallerie and Bed, Bath & Beyond. This decorative art can be nice and certainly fills a purpose. But Art can transform your living space and bring energy into your home and life.

The first thought most of us have when discussing Art is that you have to be a bit snobbish or upper crust to enjoy it. That’s definitely not true.

You might buy a piece of decorative art because the colors match your sofa or bedspread. But when you buy Art, you often base the rest of your space around it. This is what I did after purchasing my first piece.

I met Leslie Neumann, an amazing artist, at her home in Aripeka, Fla., and she took me upstairs to her studio where we enjoyed an evening of viewing many of her encaustic (hot wax) and oil paintings. All of her pieces moved me, but there was one in particular that resonated deeply. I knew I had to have it, but at the time I could not afford it (yet another difference between Art and art).

Months passed, and I was developing the design of my living room. After deliberating on plans and adding pieces slowly to the room, I realized I had unconsciously built the room around that piece of Art from my memory of it. Leslie and I had kept in contact, and she knew of my deep desire to acquire her painting. She offered to let me make payments, and I finally took the plunge.

It has been only a few months since I have paid it off and had it hanging on my wall, but already it has had a profound impact on my life.

If you are considering investing in Art, here is some food for thought. Art is not wall decoration. It has an energy that sends a message to viewers and lets them interact with it. Great Art holds up over time and will continue to satisfy and move you, whereas decorative art can become static or invisible over time.

Much of this, of course, is dependent upon the artist. If the artist works in the realm of meaningful subject matter and is in touch with grand concepts, his or her work will transcend aesthetics, and you will find yourself with a piece that creates a visceral response every time you see it.

The way I see it, the right piece of Art can bring life to your interior and fulfillment to your soul — creating a deeper meaning to the term interior design.

Read more: Acquiring art is a capital idea - KansasCity.com

New Show “Landscapes in the Abstract” Opens Feb. 5

SouthWind Gallery Is Pleased to Present…
“Landscapes in the Abstract”
A group show featuring the work of 33 artists from throughout the U.S. and Canada.
Exhibit runs February 5, 2010 – March 15, 2010

Gallery Hours: Monday – Friday, 10:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m. and Saturday, 10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.

Artists’ Reception:
Friday, Feb. 5, 2010, 6:00 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.

Landscapes in the Abstract is the title of our annual all-abstract exhibit featuring the work of 33 artists from Arizona, Colorado, Kansas, New Mexico, Texas, Washington, and Canada.

This year’s all-abstract show focuses on the landscape, but rather than literal translations, the artists interpret nature in fresh and powerful abstract forms that capture atmosphere and mood instead of detail The artists’ have used shape, color, texture and line that elicits both contemplation and excitement for the viewer.

The stylistic variety in Landscapes in the Abstract is highly engaging with 33 artists participating, each using his or her own visual impressions and emotions to create works of art. The paintings in the exhibit include all mediums from acrylic to oils, to watercolor and encaustic, as well as mixed media pieces.

Landscapes in the Abstract Artists:
Janet Bailey, Ed Balda, Carol A. Bradbury, Steve Denny, Dana Hassett, Mike Henry, Phillip Hershberger, Linda Humphries, Cally Krallman, Michelle Leivan, Jancy Pettit, Beverly Radefeld, and Barbara Waterman-Peters (Topeka, KS); John Gary Brown, Jane R. Flanders, Robert Sudlow, and Joanie Whitenight (Lawrence, KS); James Pringle Cook (Tucson, AZ); Gary Ozias (Downs, KS); Debra J. Groesser (Ralston, NE); Nicole and Wes Hyde (Denver, CO); Stephen Kilborn (Taos, NM); Alyson, KinKade (Loveland, CO); Scott Lennox (Ft. Worth, TX); Mary Binford Miller (Eldorado, KS); Neil Patterson (Alberta, Canada); Jim Rigg (Manhattan, KS); Don Tiller (Port Townsend, WA).

Pieces can be seen on our website: www.SouthWindArtGallery.com

Collection - "The Faces of the Madonna"

In The Loft - Showing through January 15th, 2010


Artist Janlyn Nesbett-Tucker has created several pieces featuring Madonna and Child. These iconic pieces are as vibrant as they are thought provoking. For more go to SouthWind Art Gallery - Artist Profile

 Artist Comments:

There is nothing more beautiful than the relationship between a mother and child. I remember looking into the eyes of my first-born child as I held her in my arms.

The overwhelming feelings were beyond words. I think back to that day and often wonder how Mary must have felt knowing that she had just given birth to the Savior.

I am awe inspired by the beauty and innocence of this blessed woman who is one of the most adored religious figures in the world.  Images of the Madonna have transcended the centuries. Today, Mary remains the epitome of an exemplary mother, a guiding light in her family - loving, encouraging, patient, and kind.

In my collection, The Faces of the Madonna, I have tried to capture the expressions of love Mary must have experienced when she first gazed into the face of her child.

Preview Online >>

“Two for the Road” - Stan Herd & Debra Groesser

An exhibit of New Works by

Stan Herd & Debra Groesser

Exhibit runs Dec. 4, 2009 – Jan. 15, 2010.

Stan Herd first made a name for himself with his gigantic “earthworks” created in Kansas and throughout the world. Today, he continues to create in a genre that he virtually pioneered, but is widely recognized as a master painter as well. His murals grace the walls of many public buildings in Kansas, and his paintings are collected by corporations and individuals worldwide. Throughout his distinguished career, he has received many accolades and awards for his art. A multi-talented artist, Stan also has branched out into other art forms including lithography, serigraphy, printing, etching, sculpture and filmmaking during the past several years. (Read more…)
 

Debra Groesser was born in England and has lived in the Ralston, Nebraska area since 1970. She received her BFA degree in painting from Bellevue University, Bellevue, Nebraska. Debra paints a wide variety of subjects from landscapes and figurative to still life and wildlife. Inspired by her studies with such renowned artists as Kevin Macpherson, Scott Christensen, Kim English, Kenn Backhaus and John Cosby, Debra's main focus is plein air landscape painting in oils. Her artwork hangs in numerous private and corporate collections locally and nationally. (Read more…)


Gallery Hours:
Monday-Friday 10:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m., and Saturday, 10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
www.SouthWindArtGallery.com