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IN COUNTLESS MULTITUDES

Works by Blake Lenoir

“The birds poured in in countless multitudes…The air was literally filled with pigeons; the light of noon-day was obscured as by an eclipse, the dung fell in spots, not unlike melting flakes of snow; and the continued buzz of wings had a tendency to lull my senses to repose.” - from John J. Audubon’s Birds of America

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   Blake Lenoir’s wilderness drawings are both celebrations and laments. From the Amazon rainforest to the wetlands of our own Calumet region, the artist helps us lose ourselves in the vivid color and diversity of world ecosystems. He also reminds us of all that has already been lost. Looking over Atlas Mountains, a huge drawing depicting the highland jungles of Morocco, Lenoir picks out different species: “There’s a Northern Bald Ibis… Aleppo Pines… the Barbary Lion, only found in captivity now… the Wild Ox, extinct… Pistachio Trees...”

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   Creatures extinct and still surviving coexist in Lenoir’s work, all packed together tightly enough to feel the warmth of one another’s breath. Predator and prey lie side-by-side. Each large-scale Lenoir drawing takes several months to complete. He studies a biome, sketching individual creatures and educating himself about their web of relationships, before setting to fit the whole bursting ensemble into a composition. The drawings are layered - pencil, pen, marker, all topped with colored pencil mark-making so thick and saturated that it could be mistaken for paint.

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   Beyond the borders of the drawings, Lenoir’s life is devoted to nature. A member of the Audubon Society and the Sierra Club, he’s also a diligent farmer at Urban Growers Collective’s Clara Schaffer Park in South Chicago. Lenoir started a Miami Tribal Garden in the park, growing many crops traditional to the peoples that originally inhabited the Calumet region - orange squash, white corn, echinacea, milkweeds, among many others. As Lenoir puts it, “Nature is a passion. It’s my culture, pastime, and religion.”

Shop this exhibition

Art from the show is available for purchase and ready for pick-up or shipping.

BL__My Flower Garden__15x22_CP on Paper
PXL_20230201_205811508
PXL_20230128_215224718
BL__River of Roots__9x12_CP on paper
BL__Fairies of the Savannah__9x12_CP on Paper
BL_Herons_8x10039
BL__Bride of the Prairie__9x12_CP on Paper
BL_MudPuppy_6x8081
BL_Grebe_9x12038
BL_Gorillas_9x7082
BL__Wolves of the Pacific__14x17_CP on Paper
BL__Galapagos of the North__20x30_CP on Paper
BL__Africa's Eden__CP on Board
BL_Tiger'sPrey
7.BL_Indian Everglades20x30_2022
BL_Elephants
6.BL_Atlas Mts.2022_25.75x36.25_2022
BL_BabyPlover_5x7085
BL_PloverFleet_5x7088
BL_LonePlover_9x7084
BL_SandpipersShore_6x8012
BL_PloverSunset_7x9079
BL_FlyingFlock_9x7083
BL_PloverWaterinHole_9x7087
BL_SandpipersForest_6x8010
BL_SandpipersNest_6x8011
BL_PloverReeds_5x7086
BL_SandpipersFlying_6x8013

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Project Onward believes we can inspire change by using art to promote empathy and reduce the stigma of mental illness and developmental disabilities. We seek to improve the self-image of artists by emphasizing the social and economic value of their work.

 

You can directly contribute to this belief and help improve the lives of each Project Onward artist by purchasing their work. Our online shop is open 24/7, and half of the sale for each original piece goes directly to the artist.

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Project Onward is an independent 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that seeks to promote art as a powerful tool for understanding and valuing the real and potential contributions of our national population with disabilities.

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Project Onward provides equitable access along with diversity to create a more inclusive environment for its employees, board, volunteers, and artists accessibility to thrive in a space that promotes creativity and growth.

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Bridgeport Art Center

1200 W. 35th St., 4th Floor

Chicago, IL 60609

(773) 940-2992

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