Synchronicity Gallery
For a number of years this was the Synchronicity Gallery's website.
The gallery showed the original work of many outstanding Michigan artists in a wide variety of media.
Content is from the site's 1999-2008 archived pages.
If you have inadvertently arrived here while looking for the Synchronicity Gallery, their current website is found at: http://www.synchronicityartgallery.com/ where you will find all the most up-to-date news.
An observation: The longevity of Synchronicity Gallery is a testament to the quality of the artists represented at the gallery and the dedication of the original owners and the gallery's new owner, David Thomasma, who bought the gallery in 2012. I have a number of lovely pieces of art, both paintings and sculptural objects that my wife and I have bought at the Synchronicity Gallery over the past twenty years. We have also given as gifts art pieces we have bought at the gallery. Just last winter, my wife expanded our collection with a striking painting for our daughter's new home overlooking Lake Michigan. The painting, with its vivid colors and bold design, became a focal point in their modern, open living/dining room. In addition to this, we were delighted to find an stunning collection of sterling silver rings at the gallery, showcasing intricate designs and craftsmanship. These rings, much like the other art pieces, reflect the unique artistic vision promoted by Synchronicity Gallery. The painting's palette harmonized beautifully with these rings, showing how diverse art forms can complement each other and create a cohesive aesthetic experience. This artistic synergy was evident in the photographs our daughter sent us, where the elegance of the painting in the dining area and the gleam of the sterling silver rings captured a scene worthy of a feature in Architectural Digest.
Synchronicity Gallery
6671 Western Ave., PO Box 338
Glen Arbor, MI 49636
Phone: 231-334-4732
CIRCA 1999 - 2008
Welcome to the Synchronicity Art Gallery. We show the original work of 95 outstanding Michigan artists in a wide variety of media. We are located in the village of Glen Arbor in the heart of Lake Michigan's Sleeping Bear National Lakeshore, 25 miles northwest of Traverse City. On these pages we have featured some of our artists with examples of their work that you may purchase just by giving us a call. Please enjoy the art - and then come and visit us in person.
| Syn-chro-ni-ci-ty: 1. A meaningful coincidence. 2. Seemingly unrelated people, places, things or ideas which come together in a significant way. 3. A serendipitous discovery of art that touches the soul. |
We stepped into the gallery business one "synchronicity" at a time. We never planned to spend our retirement in business, but from the day we bought the cozy little house in downtown Glen Arbor with enough space among the trees in front to build a beautiful, contemporary gallery, the way was clear and the universe was helpful. We did very well the first year, and sales have increased significantly each year since. Our artists are thrilled and our visitors are enthusiastic.
We opened Synchronicity on Memorial Day weekend, 1996, in our wonderful new building designed as a gallery by Traverse City architect Jon Walter. It has very high, cathedral ceilings with lots of windows for natural light making it a bright, pleasant, welcoming place to display art.
People from all over the country vacation in Glen Arbor. We see customers in the gallery from nearly every state and many other countries each year. The season in Glen Arbor is pretty much summer only, so for our first three years we have opened Memorial Day and stopped daily hours on Labor Day, remaining open weekends in September and October.
But this is about to change. We have exciting news for this coming summer. We are doubling the size of the gallery by expanding into the three-bedroom house which is attached behind. We have opened up the interior of the house for display space and this leads to a beautiful perennial garden for sculpture in the back. We may have so many people come to Synchronicity now that we'll have to stay open through December.
Come and see us, and make "a serendipitous discovery of art that touches your soul."
Marion and Dick DeVinney
Here's our list of artists. These are the talented people who make the gallery such a great place to visit. They are some of the best in Michigan. We have a large variety of medium and style with something for everyone's good taste. New artists this year are in bold print.
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Oils and Acrylics Mixed Media |
Pastel |
Sculpture Jewelry Bold Print indicates new this season. |
May 2008 Gallery News
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Thirteenth Season We are opening on May 10, the Saturday before Mother's Day for our thirteenth season. We again have new work by your favorite artists and have added some new ones. As always we have new, fresh and exciting work for you to enjoy. All 95 of our Michigan artists will have original work on display all season. We have added four new artists and have two artists returning after a few years off. The new artists' names are in bold print on the"Our Artists" page. As always we are providing a variety of fine art for our customers and browsers to enjoy. New Artists We are adding two new watercolor artists Hours & Extended Season We will again be open every day from May 10 until the end of October. We will then be open weekends in November and December and the week between Christmas and New Years. We tried this last year and it was successful enough to do it again. Our hours are 10-5 Monday thru Saturday and 11-4 on Sunday. |
Three of Our Artists Featured in Magazine. Watercolor Magazine, published by the American Artists Magazine, had feature articles on three of our artists recently. The winter 2008 edition had an article on Sy Ellens and the spring 2008 edition had articles on Bruce McCombs and Linda Baker. We will add these to our library of articles and awards for our artists and will have them at the desk. Our Great 2008 staff We are fortunate to have a very capable and experienced staff to handle the day to day operations for us. Armand Merizon Documentary A documentary about the life and work of Armand Merizon came out in September 2005 and is available on DVD. The gallary has them for $20.00. |
Artist Awards Our artists continue to win awards, have one person shows, get into new galleries and be featured in national magazines. All of these are posted on the awards window in the gallery as we hear about them. The Gallery is Still For Sale We are optimistic about selling the gallery this year. The interest we had last year was more serious than the year before. The timing just was not right for several people who were very interested. Services Available We provide many services for our customers. You may not know all of them, so we are listing them for you. If you have questions, please ask. Gift Wrapping |
May 2006 Gallery News
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Eleventh Season We are opening on May 13, the Saturday before Mother's Day, for our eleventh season. We again have new work by your favorite artists, and have added some new ones. As always we have new, fresh and exciting work for you to enjoy. All 106 of our Michigan artists will have original work on display all season. We have added 12 new artists. Their names are in bold print on the artists' page. As always we are providing a variety of fine art for our customers and browsers to enjoy. The Gallery is For Sale After building, growing and operating the gallery for ten years we are ready to retire from our second career. As we approach our 70's we are ready to relax and enjoy living in Glen Arbor in the summer. Gallery Artists Featured The Forest Hills Fine Art Center Artist-in-Residence program featured gallery artists for three of the their six months season. Roger Timermanis was the featured artist in January. Mary Brodbeck was the featured artist in February, and in May they will feature Mary & Don Doezema. |
Fall For Art in Leelanau The first "Fall for Art in Leelanau"gallery tour took place the second weekend in October and was a big success. By visiting all 22 galleries on the tour, participants were elegible to enter a drawing for prizes from area galleries and artists. The drawing took place at Black Star Farms in Suttons Bay. Participating galleries had refreshments and demonstrations. It was such a success that a second annual Leelanau Tour is planned for October 6, 7 and 8. Put it on your calendar now and plan for a fun weekend checking out all of the Leelanau County galleries. More information will be available at participating galleries this summer. Armand Merizon Documentary A documentary about the life and work of Armand Merizon came out in September 2005 and is availble on DVD. The gallery has them for $20.00 Gallery Artists in the News Our artists continue to win awards and show nationally. Here are some accomplishments that we know about. There are probably more. Wanda Anderson had work in the National Collage Society Postcard Exhibit at the Lincoln Center in New York City in 2005. Mary Brodbeck won an award in the Boulder Art Association/Longmont Artists Guild Members Show. The juror was from China. Jack R. Brouwer had his work accepted in the "Art for the Parks" exhibit in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, in 2005. His work also was at the barnsite Gallery & Studio Invitational in Door County, Wisconsin. Deborah Hoover received first place in the 2-D category at the Village Fair in Rochester, MI, an honorable mention in watercolor at the Boston Mills Art Fair in Ohio, and a painting was accepted into the Transparent Watercolor Society of America exhibition at the Elmhurst Arts Museum in Illinois. Christy DeHoog Johnson had a solo exhibit January to June 2006 at TaigMarks, Inc., Elkhart, Indiana. She also was in the Great Lakes Drawing Biennial Juried regional exhibition at the Ford Gallery at Eastern Michigan University and an invitational group exhibition at Kendall College of Art and Design in Grand Rapids. |
Our Great 2006 Staff Marion and Dick are planning on working less this year so you may not see them as often. We have a very capable staff who will be taking on more responsibility. Tommie Mattson, in her eighth year with us, will be managing the gallery. She will work Monday through Thursday. Susan Steadman, in her second year with us, will increase her days to Sunday, Monday, Thursday and Friday. Carolyn Hudson, new this year, will work Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday. She is one of our artists and has been showing her work with us since 1996. She now lives in Empire. More About our Artists Carl Forslund and Annie Morgan were awarded honorable mentions at the 2006 Celebration Show in Grand Rapids. Fifteen other gallery artists were accepted into the show. Carolyn Hudson had piece selected as the 2005 Glen Arbor Art Association poster. Annie Morgan was the subject of an article in the spring 2005 issue of Watercolor Magazine. She also received an award for a piece in the 19th annual West Michigan Regional Show. Mary Reusch as awarded an Artist-in-Residence at the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore for last August where she concentrated on plein air painting. Sharon Snoeyink was awarded first place at the Kansas City Doll Show in both 2004 and 2005. Ryan VanderLey won Best of Show at the Grand Haven Winterfest juried competition in 2005. He also exhibited at Neocon in Chicago, the Lowell Regional Competition and Celebration in Grand Rapids. |
Featured Artists Circa 2006
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Debra Reid Jenkins |
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Debra received her formal training at Kendall School of Design and Aquinas College in Grand Rapids, Mi. Her painting also has been influenced by oriental art. Her figurative series of people on beaches are her response to the Japanese sumi (ink) brushwork. Her work is some of the most popular in our gallery. |
In 1989 Debra was elected a Signature Member of the Pastel Society of America. She also is a member of theSociety of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators, the Knickerbockers Artists of New York and the American Portrait Society. You can purchase in the gallyer three of the many children's books she has illustrated. |
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Roger Timermanis
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Born in England, Roger's early training was at the North Oxfordshire Technical College and School of Art at Banbury. He completed his studies at the Kendall School of Design in Grand Rapids, Michigan
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Roger is represented in many private and corporate collections in West Michigan. The city of Grand Rapids includes one of his works in its collection. He also has produced illustrations for Howard Miller, Hayworth, Meijer and Steelcase corporations. |
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Carl Forslund |
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Carl is a graduate of the University of Michigan. He studied art and wood technology and spent many years in his family furniture business in Grand Rapids while continuing to paint. After retirement he discovered pastels and has been working in the medium ever since. | Carl is a signature member of the Pastel Society of America, and a member of the Pastel Society of the West Coast, the Degas Pastel Society and the Southeaster Pastel Society. |
| Judy Geerts | ||
| Judy's art studies were at Muskegon Comm. College, where she studied ceramics, design and drawing. She attended the Chicago School of Art Institute's summer program at Oxbow, and has been mentored by John Wrenn, a Wisconsin raku artist specializing in the copper matte process. | Judy has done workshops with Robert Piepenburg, James Lawton, David Stabley and Rebecca Harvey. She has been accepted in many juried art shows in Holland, Grand Rapids, Grand Haven, Lowell and Muskegon. | |
| Elaine Dalcher | ||
 Elaine's work |
Elaine received her Master's in Fine Arts degree in painting from Western Michigan University. Her B.A. is from Grand Valley State University. Her work is in exhibits throughout Michigan and in collections in Michigan, Connecticut and Switzerland. | Most of Elaine's oils are big, bright and bold. She uses broad lines, minimum detail and unusual colors for dramatic impact. She also does wonderful little gems that don't stay in the gallery long. |
| Jack R. Brouwer | ||
| After a successful career in advertising, Jack retired to paint full time. His finely-honed technique with transparent watercolor brings vivid color, exacting detail and a sure sense of design and composition to his work. | Jack's national recognition includes being elected a signature member of the American Watercolor Society in New York, the National Watercolor Society in California and the Midwest Watercolor Society. His work was selected for the Art for the Parks Competition in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. | |
| Carolyn Hudson | ||
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Carolyn is a native of Lancaster, PA. Her early artistic experience was with the rural landscapes of the Adirondack Region of upstate New York. She has a bachelor of arts from Waynesburg College. She has lived in Kalamazoo for the past 20 years and has developed a strong interest in the Michigan lakeshore, especially the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Park. | Carolyn's medium of choice is the colored pencil. Once a child's toy, the colored pencil is gaining respect as an artistic tool. In Carolyn's talented hands, it can produce wonderful colors and fine detail. |
| Tom Kendall | ||
| Tom has a master's degree in ceramics from Illinois State University. He has been chair of the ceramics dept. and was director of the school at the Kalamazoo Institute of Arts from 1973-96. He has done workshops at Michigan State University, Eastern Illionois and Central Michigan Universities, Merrimac College, Valparaiso University and the Art Institute of Chicago. | Tom is a full-time studio potter in Plainwell and is well-known in the Kalamazoo area also as a teacher, and juror. His work is distinctive for its glistening colors and classic shapes. It may be seen at the Smithsonian Institution, and in the state collections of Michigan and Illinois, and the University of Illinois. | |
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Jeff Condon
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Jeff earned a BFA degree in painting and drawing at Kendall College of Art & Design in Grand Rapids.He has commissioned works at the Herman Miller Corporate Offices, the MTV Network Green Room, Mackinac Island Governor's Mansion and the Steelcase Corporation's New York Showroom. | Jeff says, "My love for color, interiors, shape and form has inspired my most recent group of paintings and drawings. My work has a certain close up and cropped look, bringing the viewer into a scene to recall a feeling or space the viewer may have experienced. |
May 2004 Gallery News
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Ninth Season We are opening again on May 8, the Saturday before Mother's Day. Did You Know? Five of our artists have been featured in one person shows at the Grand Rapids Art Museum. Armand Merizon 1986 Del Michel Show at the Dennos |
Gallery Artists News Lynn Strough had a one person show at Terryberry Gallery in Grand Rapids in December. She also won second prize in the Celebration Show in Grand Rapids and First prize in the Lowell regional show. Mark Carlson has been selected for the Hiawatha Artist in Residence Program. He will spend the month of August on Grand Island in the Upper Peninsula. Lynne O'Rourke had a show at the Terryberry Gallery in March along with her two children who also are artists. It was called, "All in the Family." Wanda Anderson had a show at the Traverse City Library last fall. Ladislav Hanka and Mary Brodbeck are featured in a traveling show, "Reflections of Superior; Artists Under Sail." Selene Marsteiner won Best of Show at the Celebrate Michigan 2003 show in Lansing last year. She has had a piece selected for the "Art and Justice" show at the Colfax Cultural Center in South Bend, IN, for the third consecutive year. Sharon Snoeyink recently was awarded first place and a merit award at the Kansas City Doll Show. Janet Teunis won an honorable mention at the Celebration Show in Grand Rapids. Patrick Thomas and Abbey Fitzpatrick have been featured in shows at Hatties in Suttons Bay.
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Art Consultant Available Jody Arens, one of our part time employees, has taken on the role of art consultant. She is available to go to homes and businesses to help select art to fit your space and your taste. As you know, we carry many styles, subjects and sizes so can provide original art to enhance almost any situation. Jody will be happy to advise you on appropriate work and try things in your space. National Magazines Have Featured Gallery Artists Nine of our artists have had articles about them and their work in national or international magazines. American Artist Pastel Artist International The Artist Magazine Watercolor Basics Watercolor Magazine Pastel Journal International Fine Art Collector
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Winter 2000 Gallery News
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OPENING 2001 Look for the gallery to open earlier We are very excited about the new
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SUCCESSFUL FIFTH SEASON COMING TO AN END. Synchronicity Gallery has enjoyed We are trying out the Christmas Season MORE AWARDS FOR Wanda Anderson won a top Festival Jan Upp won the Mary Jane Anway Jim Markle took the Best Two Lori McElrath-Eslick's "The Potter" Hazel Palmer was given a Purchase Eric Nykamp was given a Purchase |
GALLERY ARTISTS WIN AWARDS Many of our artists have won Carl Forslund has been featured Connie Kuhnle was featured in Brenda Mattson has had a piece Jack Brouwer had a piece Carolyn Hudson had one of her Gerald Moore won First Place in theAll Michigan Show in |