November 3, 2004
Art show real family affair
'It's All Relative' features brother-sister and niece-nephew artists
By Carol South
Herald contributing writer
Two sibling pairs are throwing an art show this month at the Traverse Area District Library.
The multi-media show features brother and sister Leon Lichty and Emily Lichty Woods along with their niece and nephew, also siblings, Marilyn Hueller and Martin Hueller.
Each of the three visual artists, Lichty, Woods and Marilyn Hueller have about ten pieces displayed on the walls of the library's main meeting room. Original arrangements by Martin Hueller, a classical guitarist currently living in Lima, Peru, will play in the room when it is not in use for other gatherings.
Marilyn Hueller and Woods had been discussing a gene-based effort for about a year, thinking it would be a great idea. Woods, a self-described working artist, is a retired art teacher and veteran of numerous shows. She is pleased to share the show with relatives.
"It's great to be with family," said Woods, who taught for 20 years in the Traverse City Area Public Schools until she retired five years ago. "It's good for Leon, he's been taking pictures and never been in a show."
An opportunistic photographer who always has his camera ready, Lichty worked as a picture framer for more than 20 years. The Traverse City native has been absorbed in digital photography since retiring three years ago.
A self-taught photographer, decades ago he worked in 35mm film but took a long hiatus from it. Buying a Canon Powershot G2 three years ago, he relishes the increased artistic possibilities and challenges of the digital technology.
"It's one thing to do the photography, it's another to work with it on the computer," said Lichty, who processes the images on personal computer and prints them out at home.
Lichty's vibrant images in the show range from a close up of a motorcycle engine to flowers to numerous outdoor scenes.
"Deciding [what to include in the show] is the hardest part," he said. "Hopefully, what I like, they like."
Marilyn Hueller has had single photographs included in Traverse Area Arts Council shows in the past but It's All Relative is the first time she's show a compilation of her work.
A freelance graphic designer who graduated from Kendall College of Art and Design, Hueller brought ten photographs featuring children, downtown Traverse City or lakeshore scenes. All the images are black and white, taken with a 35-mm camera.
"I pretty much use all black and white, I've taken a lot of color pictures and I just like black and white better," she noted. "It seems to be a better way of communicating to me."
Whimsical, playful and inventive describe the range of paintings displayed by Woods. Working out of her home-based studio in Traverse City, Woods uses a mix of acrylic and mixed media to express her unique style and interests.
"Houses, I paint lots of houses - or shelters, as I refer to them," said Woods, who brought an eclectic sample of her work. "I don't stick with one subject matter but they do have certain themes to them. I love bugs, too."
As a working artist, Woods is always creating new pieces or modifying ones that she said 'have stayed around the house too long.' Having a show is the icing on the cake for her, this one more so because of sharing the walls with close relatives.
"I do my artwork no matter what, so I'm not the kind of person who needs one," she noted. "I'm always changing something, seeing what I can do."
The It's All Relative show's open house is scheduled for Saturday, November 6, from 2-4 p.m. at the Traverse Area District Library's main meeting room. The event is free and open to the public.