Unbound with Karen Tichy and Alicia Forestall-Boehm

A few weekends ago I visited Oliva Gallery to see Karen Tichy and Alicia Forestall-Boehm‘s exhibit. The two encaustic artists collaborated on this 2-person show, and the end result is wonderful.

The artists explore paper, fiber, encaustic, and other materials in this singular collaboration created for display at the Oliva Gallery.

Some previously seen works work beautifully with the pieces created specifically for this show, and the color harmony is lovely as well. The pair named their exhibit: “Unbound: Exploring Possibilities.”

UNBOUND: exploring possibilities includes a new collaborative art installation that comes from the artistic partnership between Karen and Alicia.

It was wonderful to see Karen, who lives abroad for part of the year, and see her new dimensional paper and encaustic creations up close.

I also caught up with Alicia, whom I haven’t seen in a while either.

Their play on textures and depth is inspiring and mesmerizing.

The pair was hosting a mini-workshop and the attendees were creating beautiful pieces.

Oliva Gallery is located at 3816 W Armitage Avenue in Chicago. The show closes May 11, so take this week to swing by!

Oliva Gallery is contemporary art gallery in Logan Square opened in 2016. The gallery is open by appointment. Visit www.olivagallery.com for more details.

The shadows cast by this piece by Alicia feel metaphorical by the subject it tackles, the 2017 deaths by gun violence in Chicago.