Commons Gallery

Rip Russell

Rip Russell is a Fluid Artist from Iowa City who works with acrylic paint. Paint Pouring techniques are as varied as the imaginations of the artists. Paint is mixed with a pouring medium and poured onto a canvas, tiles, or any other receptive surface. The fun begins with all the different ways that the paint can be applied! There are dozens of different application styles. The paint is then tilted to cover the canvas, leaving unique patterns, colors, and designs! After seeing a few local Acrylic Pour abstracts, Russell researched the process and decided to try his hand at it. He finds it thrilling and challenging to play with color, technique, and flow to create a one-of-a-kind piece of art. As a recent retiree from The University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics, Russell is enjoying getting to know this process and expanding his knowledge and ability. Russell's other pastimes include metal detecting, playing pool, and acting in local theater productions.

Connie Sherman

Connie Sherman lives in Iowa City and is fond of learning about and experimenting with all Art Mediums, especially anything paper related.  Her Paper Marbling technique was learned through workshops at Minnesota Center for Book Arts and her experimentation continues in her basement studio. 

Harper Folsom

Harper Folsom is an artist from Hiawatha and a recent graduate of Coe College. She focuses primarily on papermaking and bookbinding, and teaches through the Eastern Iowa Arts Academy. Pysanky are real, hollow eggs dyed with a wax-resist method in a traditional Ukrainian style. The word pysanky is derived from the Ukrainian word pysaty, which means "to write." Harper has been crafting pysanky for over a decade, and teaching hands-on workshops since 2016.