Color Never Had it So Good is the title of an exhibition featuring the polymer clay works of Layl McDill and the ink and acrylic paintings of Anna Karena.

McDill creates sculptures from polymer clay and found objects.  She uses the magical technique of millefiori, a process developed by the Egyptians to place tiny images into rods of glass called canes, creating a virtual palette of pictures that cover all of her pieces.  Stories have been a theme in McDill’s work since she began her career in 1993. Her pieces carry elements of life’s narratives, and she has also explored storytelling as a performer and as a way to engage with others.  McDill hopes to create art that leads others to come up with their own stories.  She recently completed a commission for the Masonic Institute for the Developing Brain at the University of Minnesota.

Karena paints with a vibrant palette of acrylics and inks. She approaches the canvas with no plan or idea in mind, working intuitively by making marks or spreading paint randomly.  She describes her process as a dance, in which she moves and responds to each new mark and color until she begins to see a direction emerge.  This keeps her art honest, true, and authentic. The resulting work leads to self-acceptance and inner peace.  She invites us to view her paintings with an open heart and mind, allowing the work to fill us, as we too find our steps in a dance of self-discovery and acceptance.