Keith Downie and Tom Tomasek bring their work together in an exhibition that documents and celebrates the typical, the unnoticed and the nondescript spaces and places of Michigan.
Keith Downie paints Michigan’s places, always including a typical, nondescript Michigan house. He calls them Real Estate Paintings. The houses he paints are ubiquitous in western Michigan. They are so numerous that we don’t examine them individually; we don’t discriminate between them. Why would would we? Downie says they are “not extraordinary, but very much at the center of the slow motion drama that is the economic and political landscape of Michigan.” That is why he paints them.
Tom Tomasek takes a similar approach to Michigan’s spaces. While growing up in rural Michigan, he was instilled with an appreciation for the land that surrounded him. While traditional landscape paintings have documented many glorious places, he feels that all the views are equally important. The work assembled in this exhibit pays homage to the “less than spectacular” places that are often an overlooked part of daily life.

Join us for the opening reception on Thursday, May 25 from 6 to 8pm. Enjoy wine, light snacks and conversations with the artists.