Alchemy & Artistry Exhibit

Exploring the line between abstraction and representation, the Alchemy & Artistry exhibition is a feast for the senses.

Large-scale watercolors by award-winning Ann Arbor artist Rocco Pisto capture a spontaneous moment in time and place. His abstractions meld color and form with expressive landscapes and urban settings to create something altogether unique and delightful. Rocco is President Emeritus of the Michigan Watercolor Society and holds both a Signature Member and Great Lakes Fellow designation in that group. He also holds membership in the National Watercolor Society, International Society of Experimental Artist (ISEA) and the Brighton Art Guild. Rocco has spent over 50 years as an artist, focused primarily on abstract watercolor painting. Rocco earned a Bachelor of Fine Art degree from Eastern Michigan University in 1974 with post-baccalaureate studies and Master of Fine Art work at both Wayne State University and Eastern Michigan University. As a graduate student, Rocco was granted a teaching fellowship.

Gina Pisto (Rocco’s daughter) is a ceramic artist currently living in Kansas City, Missouri. She completed her Masters of Fine Arts in Ceramics at Ohio University in 2022 and has exhibited her work nationally in various group and solo exhibitions. She has been awarded recognition from the National Council on Education for the Ceramic Arts (NCECA) and the Michigan Ceramic Art Association (MCAA). Pisto is an adjunct professor at Benedictine College in Atchison, KS, and recently finished a two-year residency at Belger Crane Yard Studios, where she also teaches community classes and private lessons. Pisto’s work explores the transportive potential of objects as they relate to notions of memory and collecting. Her sculptural work pushes the medium to extremes while the contrasting light/dark themes and Baroque stylings allude to ancient rituals. Reminders of life, and death, are woven throughout the work within the sculpted flowers, bones, animals, insects, fruit, shells, and timepieces – exploring metaphors and inviting the viewer to look deeper to connect the present to the past.

Blacksmith Arthur Johns has owned and operated Arthur Johns Forge & Design Studio for over twenty-five years. Located in southwest Saginaw county, Arthur’s work ranges from architectural and functional items to sculptural pieces. Arthur’s work is unique and completely handmade, utilizing both traditional and contemporary metalsmithing and blacksmithing techniques. Arthur holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from Wayne State University and a Master of Fine Arts degree from Southern Illinois University Carbondale. He has worked professionally as an artist blacksmith for over thirty years in a variety of workshops both in the United States and abroad.

Rochelle Aultman, of Coleman Michigan, spent her childhood daydreaming in nature. Her immersive abstract paintings use texture and movement to translate the sense and spirit she feels in a particular moment or space. Rochelle interprets her experience in nature for us in a way that intrigues and inspires – prompting a different emotion with each viewing. Richly colored, dreamlike, and grounded in the natural world, her work invites us to reconnect with the world around us without judgement or expectation.

Opening reception is May 9th from 5:00 pm – 7:00 pm. Refreshments will be served; admission is free.