Opening October 17, ZIA Gallery is pleased to present the dynamic collage/paintings by Michael Cutlip and meditative photography of John Vlahakis. The Event Runs through November 18.

John Vlahakis maintains a keen interest in our environment and the human experience. Talking about his work Vlahakis says, “Environmental landscapes are one of my passions in photography. The focus on environmental landscapes tells a story of our human existence and the impact we have on our natural environment. Some of what I shoot is to highlight for others, the incredible natural beauty that surrounds us. Additionally, urban landscapes can point out how well we are maintaining or trashing our own contributions to the natural world. Shooting landscapes for me is always taking into consideration just how large of an image I can produce. I’m not solely creating “big” images for the sake of big, but more for the ability to convey the grandeur of the landscapes beauty to the viewer of the image.” John works in both film and digital formats. His works can be found in the National Hellenic Museum, Chicago, IL and in corporate collections such as Thompson and Coburn and Sparrow Trading, as well as many private collections. Vlahakis is a member of the American Society of Media Photographers. He is also a daily blogger at http://www.earthyreport.com/.

Kenneth Baker, Art Critic of The San Francisco Chronicle, says about Michael Cutlip’s new works in collage and painting, “Stuff piles up in everyone’s life and memory, but few, even among collage makers, can reorder it as artfully as Berkeleyan Michael Cutlip.” With this exhibition Michael Cutlip introduces a new direction of vibrantly expressive, non-objective collage and mixed media panel paintings. Gone are the overtly whimsical images. Present is the out-pouring of the creative impulse and a masterly use of collage. Cutlip’s work is in collections such as Microsoft, Triton Museum of Art, David and Lucile Packard Foundation, and Sutter Health among others.

John Vlahakis and Michael Cutlip
October 17 – November 14, 2015
Reception: Saturday October 17, 5-7pm
548 Chestnut St., Winnetka, IL