Marilyn Propp’s series Notes from the Sea reflects the clash/coexistence between the industrial and natural worlds, where industrial debris and fragments of sea life are entangled, often morphing into one another, and machine parts disrupt the free-flowing undersea life. Fueled by her concerns about environmentally destructive practices (devastation of coral reefs, plastic debris, and oil spills), she creates relief prints and collage on hand-made paper, to present images of beauty while offering reflections on destruction.

Handmade paper reflects both the undersea world and the way paper is made. It’s a watery material in which wet pulp is formed, drained, and pressed. Pigmented pulp, pushed through a grid, creates a textured surface like fish scales. Installed 3 inches from the wall, Propp’s layered works appear to float, creating the impression of glimpses into the depths of the sea.

Marilyn Propp is a recent transplant from Chicago to Kenosha, WI, and is adjunct faculty at Carthage College. She is co-founder of Anchor Graphics, Chicago and the Center for Collaborative Research, soon to be opening in Milwaukee. Her work is in the collections of the Mary and Leigh Block Museum of Art; Davis Museum and Cultural Center, Wellesley College; DePaul University Museum, Chicago; Summer Palace, Saudi Arabia; Amnesty International, NYC; Old St. Patrick's Church, Chicago; Hallmark Collection and the AT&T Collection, Kansas City; and private collections throughout the U.S. Exhibitions include Dorsky Gallery Curatorial Projects, NYC; Illinois Wesleyan University, Bloomington, IL; Galeria AP, Universidad Veracruzana, Xalapa, Mexico; Neiman Gallery, Columbia University, NYC; Printworks, Chicago; and the Kenosha Public Museum, WI. Visiting Artist positions and Residencies include Cill Rialaig, County Kerry, Ireland; Universidad Veracruzana, Mexico; University of Iowa, Iowa City; Southern Illinois University, Edwardsville; Louisiana Tech University; Jentel Artist Residency, Wyoming, and a Ragdale Artist Residency, Illinois. Among her awards are Illinois Arts Council Grants, an Adolph and Esther Gottlieb Foundation Grant, and the 2019 RAM Fellowship Award. Concurrently, her work is in a solo show at RAM’s Wustum Museum of Fine Art, Racine.

For more information, visit www.proppjonesstudio.com

Opening for Doors Open Milwaukee: September 28th and 29th, 10am-5pm.

Gallery Night Reception: Friday, October 18, 5-9pm; and Gallery Day: October 19th, 1-5pm.