Gallery owner Bill Niemeyer brings artists Dave Seeley and Jeremy Caniglia to Carmel
Since its opening in March, Bill Niemeyer, owner of Carmel’s Atlas Fantasy Art House, has been working to bring fantasy and science fiction artists to Central Indiana. The artists visit the gallery, meet the public and give a demonstration. These events have begun to slowly cement Central Indiana as a center for the art of the fantastic.
“It’s kind of like an art movement,” said Niemeyer. “It’s all about bringing awareness to this kind of art in the Midwest. The artists are more than happy to come out and represent the art.”
Dave Seeley, a digital artist and painter who has worked with Lucasfilm and Wizards of the Coast, appeared at Niemeyer’s event last Saturday at Shiraz Wine Experience & Art Café in Carmel. This appearance was the first of two Niemeyer has scheduled for the month of August.
“I was an architect for about a dozen years. When my wife and I found out she was pregnant, I decided I wanted to be a more active parent and made the jump to art,” said Seeley. “Art has been my main gig for almost 16 years now.”
Seeley’s art is a unique blend of dramatic architecture, photorealistic characters and painterly images. The result is a blend of styles that is as visually striking as it is detailed.
“Almost everything I do starts with photo collage. I have a stylistic range with things that look more painted and things that look more photorealistic,” said Seeley. “I love chaos in images.”
Jeremy Caniglia, a gothic painter, is the second artist appearing this month. Over the years, he has worked with Stephen King, Ray Bradbury and many other great fantasy authors.
“Caniglia has a darker side to most of his art. It tends to be a darker type of realism. I wouldn’t even necessarily always call it fantasy art,” said Niemeyer.
Caniglia’s style is considerably darker and more organic than that of Seeley. A number of his paintings emphasize life, death, and moments of extreme emotion, triumph and defeat.
With these types of events, Niemeyer has created a community of art lovers that have come to embrace the world of fantasy and science fiction art.
“You are seeing much more of this art today. More collectors are moving towards this kind of art. Most of it is now part of pop culture. These artists have done book covers, album art and film work that is very recognizable,” said Niemeyer.
Artist Jeremy Caniglia is giving a lecture on the history of the art of the fantastic at 4 p.m. this Saturday at Shiraz Wine Experience & Art Café (404 W. Main St., Carmel). Caniglia and Seeley’s art is currently on display at the Atlas Fantasy Art House (246 W. Main St., Carmel).
