2016 ARTISTS
2017 ARTISTS
Meet Eryn Gartley
Eryn Gartley, age 18 and a recent 2017 graduate of Imlay City, is currently attending Oakland Community College. She is planning on obtaining an art education degree from Western Michigan University after she finishes her basic classes at OCC. Her plan is to become an art teacher. Eryn enjoys painting landscapes and seascapes, as well as sculpting pieces out of clay. She is also interested in learning about the different art forms and styles.
Commissioned
Mission
Perhaps my favorite thing to do it paint seascapes. I love taking details of what I image the sunset or sunrise to look like and then creating my own unique seascapes. I have only been to the sea once, but it has been something that has had my attention since I was little. I start most of my seascapes from a photo I find and then run with the colors in the photo to make my own version of either calm, turbulent, or treacherous waters.
150 North Main Street (back of building)
Eryn Gartley - artist
The First Eleven
This was the first painting I finished of my five works for Imlay City’s, Art in Action. While bowling, maybe a year ago, I realized I had never drawn anything bowling related. Bowling has been a big part of my life the last few years, and to not have incorporated it into my art took me by surprise. First, I did a mini-canvas similar to this work as a project for my high school art class my senior year and when the DDA hired me, my first idea was to expand upon that mini bowling picture.
270 South Cedar Street
Eryn Gartley, artist
Ode to Georgia
"Ode to Georgia,” is summed up in the title. It’s a painting like works a famous artist named Georgia O’Keefe, painted. I have always been a fan of O’Keefe, and I wanted to do a work similar to her extreme close-ups on flowers. I then took the idea and instead of lots of tiny details like in Georgia O’Keefe’s flower works, I wanted an image that would stand out with bold colors. I wanted to create an eye catching image that instantly made people think of flowers, but not one type in particular.
335 East Third Street
Eryn Gartley, artist
Irma
When I started this work, hurricane Irma was just starting to form in the Atlantic. It was during the time when they had no idea that it would actually hit land. My painting depicts a projected path of Irma, one of the very first predictions made of a guess it may hit land. The idea was presented to me when I had no ideas wandering in my brain, I had a friend suggest to me, “paint a hurricane.” At first I had turned them down. Then, when I got home I looked up photos just to see what could come of the idea, and I was hooked…
387 East Third Street
Eryn Gartley, artist
Leap
I have an interest in frogs, and when I have the chance to paint in my two favorite color schemes it makes painting that much more interesting. I love blues and greens, so painting with them brings a much more enjoyable atmosphere for me. This piece ties in with two other works of mine. I have a poison dart frog sculpture and a colored pencil work. I will probably be using frogs in my artwork for years to come because it's something that I enjoy. The title came to me as I was thinking about the size difference between my beginning art work from when I was younger, to the size I now paint and the ‘leaps and bounds’ of a difference there is.
230 East Third Street
Eryn Gartley, artist