Women are at the center of artworks created by the two artists whose works are featured in Crossings’ September exhibit. Sandy Bot-Miller creates representations of the Great Mother and Leisa Luis Grill tackles Shakespearean characters in works showing Sept. 4-30. A public reception is Sat., Sept. 8, from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.
Bot-Miller, of St. Cloud, has been involved with a women’s spirituality group for 30 years, and says that many of the figures in her art represent diverse characteristics of the Great Mother and ideas such as the human need for connection and acceptance. Initially a fiber artist, in 2007 Bot-Miller began using metal knitting needles to etch illustration boards. She layers oil pastels on the raised surfaces and allows them to dry before lightly varnishing them.
Luis Grill’s work also is inspired by long-time associations, this time in theater. In the series of work on display at Crossings, she depicts several female characters drawn from Shakespeare’s plays.
“The challenge is to convey the real emotion utilizing only visual cues. What is usually apparent in Shakespeare’s masterful spoken words as conveyed by an actor must be captured in a fold of cloth, a glance, a posture, the play of light and dark on flat canvas,” she said.