The atmosphere was mellow, inviting and warm. Soft couches rested against the brick walls which neighbored earthy green and burnt brown drywall.

To the right of the couches, tables and customers was a pack of aliens of all shapes, sizes and colors. Robots gathered in throngs, glaring at all who walk by. A monkey in a throwback space helmet smiled a sneaky smile, snickering at those shocked at the head right next to it that was tearing to pieces.

The place was Fieldstone Winery in Rochester Hills. The occasion was the reception to premier the artwork of Michigan mixed media artists Adam Klimek and Anthony Callis.

Friends, family and contemporaries gathered there on Jan. 13 to celebrate with the artists as they premiered their latest gallery, “Eye for an Eye.”

There was a reception which included finger foods, dessert and free wine tasting courtesy of Fieldstone, and guests were able to interact with the artists, who featured over 20 of their paintings.

 

Collaboration is key

Klimek and Callis are both graduates of the College of Creative Studies in Detroit, which is where they first met and began to collaborate.

Though they have done solo pieces in the past, working together is the key to their latest works, which took around three months to complete.

“Each piece is completely collaborative, and each and every piece has a bit of us,” Klimek said. “We have done a few collaborative pieces in the past and we have gotten a lot of response from them, so we said lets to a whole show of them.”

Callis explained the process of the collaborations differed, too. Sometimes he would paint the background and Klimek would finish it off. Other times they would work simultaneously on a project.

 

Finding inspiration

The themes of “Eye for an Eye,” according to both Klimek and Callis, deal with anything from music to mystery, drawing from a well of throwback sci-fi movies and legends.

“We have a lot of music influence, space, technology, the unknown … Bigfoot, aliens, that kind of stuff,” Klimek said.

Each piece of the gallery, though it follows that common theme, is different in its own way, according to Callis.

“We came up with the same themes throughout, but we let the actual process of making them tell the story of each piece,” Callis said. “If you get up close to it and look, you will see there are a lot of different stories going on.”

The gallery was co-hosted by Firebrick Gallery. Firebrick is an art gallery, gift shop and studio. It displays works of Michigan artists and it also offers courses, internships, workshops and private tutoring for artist of all skills.

Christine Laikind, Firebrick owner, thought it would be great to collaborate with Fieldstone to host galleries.

“Wine and art go well together,” Laikind said.

For more info on Klimek and Callis, visit their website at www.cinema3956.com.  

Contact senior reporter Jordan Gonzalez  via e-mail at [email protected]

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