Multiplicity exhibit features messages in art
Each art piece at Creative 360’s Multiplicity exhibit tells a unique story and are connected by the love of a mother and her daughters. Local artists Carol Speltz of Bay City, Alayne Speltz of Luddington and Chandra Jewell of Midland collaborated for the first time to present 59 pieces that are near and dear to their hearts.
Carol has appreciated art since she sketched and painted as a kid. After serving 20 years as the director at Pinecrest Farms and taking care of her own family, Carol joined Creative 360’s staff. Not only did she serve as the nonprofit’s executive director from 2012-2014, but she stepped in as its interim director from January to July 2020, until its current executive director, Laura Vosejpka took over.
“It was good to get into art. It was good to see how people experience creativity. It was very good to help endorse programs that help people express themselves,” Carol said.
“She’s been an amazing mentor to me besides everything else she is. She kept this place going through some pretty difficult times,” said Vosejpka. “She’s so talented and her daughters are talented as well.”
Carol doesn’t consider herself an artist but as someone who plays and experiments with different medias. Her favorite artforms are photography and painting scenes in nature. At home, she has a shed where she has encouraged her children and grandchildren to play and paint.
“My daughters didn’t really need that much encouragement. My sons (Nathan and Jason) are pretty talented, too,” Carol said.
Creativity thrived in the Speltz household. Alayne explained how she enjoyed making dollhouses for her Barbies and decorating the makeshift walls. She also credited her relatives who gifted her art supplies throughout her early years.
“It was great growing up knowing that I was encouraged to have an artistic voice,” Alayne said. “Everyone is creative, and they need to nurture that in themselves. There’s not a single person out there who can’t create from their heart if they allow it. I think a lot of us are conditioned out of that place. I was lucky enough to have encouragement the whole time.”
Alayne continued to follow her passion and took a couple of art classes at Delta College before transferring to the Penny W. Stamps School of Art & Design at the University of Michigan. There she stared a major in photography but switched to general studies which included ceramics, fibers, photography, printmaking and metalsmithing. Now she primarily works with painting, metalwork and photography.
“I fell in love with all the different processes. My art isn’t about a process, it’s about exploring everything,” Alayne said.
Jewell’s interest in art was sparked in high school when she took a course in photography.
“I took a class in 11th grade and I fell in love with the dark room and the process and everything about photography,” Jewell said.
Jewell continued to dabble in photography until she began a family. Once her kids were older, she got a job at a photography studio taking family and senior portraits. Eventually, she fashioned her own style.
Messages behind the mediums
Carol, Alayne and Chandra have their own approaches to their work and unique focus areas, but each revolves around the natural environment in one way or another. For Carol, watching clouds and bees float by are some of her favorite pastimes. Her favorite piece in Multiplicity is “Faded Storm,” depicting waves and rainclouds.
“I like nature. All my life, I have found solace in the woods,” Carol said. “As an adult, I hope I have passed on some of that onto my family and grandchildren. I hope I’ve passed on that love of nature and the need to be conservative, being concerned about protecting the environment.”
When choosing her projects, Alayne described how she processes her ideas in her mind and filters them through her heart based on what’s important to her. She puts her whole heart into every piece whether it is the materials used or the subject matter. A mixed media series, “Values,” “Broken Trust” and “Injured and Exposed” takes articles about difficult subjects and shows them in a new light. Alayne stressed the importance of searching for beauty in the world and shifting perspectives.
“There are so many things that are beautiful in the world. Especially now during times that are dark I really strive to bring things from the dark into the light,” Alayne stated.
Another piece of Alayne’s, “Green Fish #1 Anita and Annette” was for an Earth Day celebration in Luddington. All the materials from the fish scales made from mattress springs to fins constructed out of commercial shelving are recycled, none of it was bought new.
“I like to play. I like to go to the reclaimed recycle places and find objects to make art with so I’m not participating in the endless materialistic dump that is prevalent today,” Alayne stated.
Growing up with horses and goats, wildlife is special to Jewell. She has traveled to Aruba to photograph wild donkeys, goats and dogs on the island and is offering her services to help raise funds for their conservation. She’s currently following two herds of wild horses in Colorado and the Outer Banks, North Carolina.
Another area Jewell focuses on is on humanity itself. Having worked for The Arnold Center and built relationships with individuals with disabilities, Jewell has become an advocate for mental health and strives to represent those with physical and mental disabilities as she would anyone else. Her favorite picture in the exhibit is “Desolate Descent I” which represents how a conversation can be difficult when a person is unable to hear and participate.
“I’m starting to be a little more focused on what I can do with the talents and the skills that I’ve inherited to make people notice something,” Jewell said.
Family matters
Although Carol, Alayne and Jewell have seen and talked about each other’s work, Multiplicity is the first time they have worked together to present their art in one place. Carol is honored by the opportunity, and Alayne is glad to showcase how their creativity stemmed from family support. Jewell praised the efforts of Creative 360 Curator Colleen Reed, saying she presented the pieces in a way that defined their differences but also highlighted the similar themes and textures throughout the whole exhibit.
“Our mom is so important to us. It’s a very prominent feeling to think that we can sit here and look at all this talent we’ve all had and know that it’s partially from her. It’s the way she raised us, it’s what she exposed us to, it’s the genes she passed on. It means a lot,” Jewell stated.
Multiplicity is available to view both in-person in Creative 360’s gallery and online at becreative360.org. The exhibit continues through Sunday, April 25 and admission is free. To learn more about the artists and see more of their work, visit chandrajewell.com, starlighthealingarts.com or email [email protected].
