Artist and musician Constance Volk believes getting lost is not necessarily a bad thing. Sometimes, it is where the most interesting discoveries happen.
“I am almost constantly lost and found in the same breath,” Volk said, describing the inspiration behind her exhibition, “GET LOST,” at the Beverly Arts Center.
The collection of paintings invites visitors to travel through landscapes and labyrinths while experiencing an original musical composition created specifically for the show. Bringing together her passions for visual art and music, Volk has created an experience that explores the comforting and confusing sides of life through color, movement and sound.
Located at 2407 W. 111th St. in Chicago, the Beverly Arts Center hosted an opening reception Thursday, Nov. 12, featuring an evening of art and music.
A graduate of DePaul University, where she studied flute performance, Volk approaches her visual artwork with the same curiosity and creativity that have shaped her musical career.
Her paintings took on their distinctive appearance after she began experimenting with reactive oil, a liquid, oil-based paint that creates marble-like patterns as it cures.
“I fell down the rabbit hole of reactive-oil, a liquid, oil-based paint that marbles as it cures,” Volk said.
Her fascination with the material led her to experiment with ways to control its unpredictable movement while preserving the patterns that made it so appealing.
“In trying to control this alluring material, I developed a technique involving raised edges to confine the flow during the curing process,” Volk said. “This technique, which I call ‘channeling,’ has become an identifying element of my work.”
The technique became a signature of Volk’s artwork, allowing her to guide the paint into intricate patterns and designs. The resulting paintings feature organic forms and winding pathways that encourage visitors to look closer and explore the details within each piece.
Music is equally important to the exhibition. Rather than treating it as background accompaniment, Volk created an original 43-minute sound installation that became another part of the storytelling.
The composition is based on four hours of recorded flute improvisation, the Aleator by Charles Waldman and an electric Aeolian wind harp by Chris Vaisvil.
Volk explained that the musical installation was created to complement the labyrinth imagery throughout the collection and reflect her own experiences navigating life.
“It is called GET LOST and is meant to evoke sensations both comforting and confusing, as I find life to be, represented here by the labyrinth, where I am almost constantly lost and found in the same breath,” Volk said.
A musician specializing in contemporary performance, Volk brings an extensive background to the project. She is a member of Ensemble Dal Niente, the Grossman Ensemble and the Chicago Wind Project. She also was featured on Third Coast Percussion’s album “Aguas da Amazonia” by Philip Glass and toured internationally with Third Coast Percussion and Twyla Tharp Dance for Tharp’s Diamond Jubilee.
Alongside her musical career, Volk continues to develop her visual art, pushing the limits of materials and exploring the possibilities of interactivity. Her paintings and illustrations draw inspiration from natural forms and organic patterns while revealing intricate puzzles. Her work also has been exhibited at Bridgeport Art Center, ARC Gallery and the Old Town Art Fair.
Throughout the Beverly Arts Center exhibition, Volk brings the two disciplines together in a personal way. She performed live and prerecorded versions of her musical composition during the opening reception, allowing visitors to experience the relationship between the paintings and the sounds that inspired them.
She also offered a special Flute Tour on Saturday, Nov. 21, giving visitors a different way to experience the collection. Rather than walking through the gallery and explaining each piece, Volk played music about the paintings, letting her flute communicate what words could not.
“GET LOST” remains on display at the Beverly Arts Center through Saturday, Dec. 5. A closing event is scheduled for that day, with doors opening at 2 p.m. and music beginning at 3 p.m.
