In the work of artist Laura Stack synthetic and organic forms coexist. Cell structures multiply, fade, and regenerate while colorful geometric shapes casually float nearby. It's a strangely abstract world that intriguingly manages to combine the complexity of biology with the rigidity of geometry and other mathematics.

Stack currently works as an art instructor at the College of Visual Arts, and is also a member of the Rosalux Gallery, which recently celebrated 10 years as a collective gallery space.

There are no pop-culture icons featured in Tina Blondell's portraits. Instead, she chooses to  capture regular folks in a moment in time. Recent pieces have included a gleeful female drummer ready to jam, a man casually enjoying a beer, and a family in swimsuits, the bulging belly of the mother suggesting that there will be a new addition any day now. They are the folks you sit next to in a bar, you pass on the sidewalk, and you smile at while riding the bus. They are Midwestern performers, parents, and craftsmen (sometimes they are all of the above). Some occasionally dress like super heroes, others prefer to chill on a couch. The subjects of her oil paintings are varied, and sometimes even unexpected, yet her works often contain narratives that are familiar.

Some of these works are currently on display in "Lace and Gunpowder," a group exhibition at the Bloomington Art Center pairing male and female artists in their medium of choice. Meanwhile, Blondell plans to continue her series celebrating the average American, and she plans to eventually expand her collection to include people from all over the country.