This exhibition features works by four very successful artists who all grew up in St. Louis, and some received their education here as well, but moved on to have careers elsewhere, primarily New York and California. "Roots" is an opportunity to consider what was spawned in the St. Louis community and perhaps contributed to the success of these very active and respected artists.

Julia Fernandez-Pol is a Los Angeles-based artist who holds a master's in fine arts from Boston University and a bachelor's degree from Washington University in St. Louis. Julia Fernandez-Pol describes her work as “driven by interest in creating a world that originates from specific, dynamic forms found universally in nature.” Fernandez-Pol is fascinated with beauty unto decadence. She particularly studies natural occurring growths, patterns, and structures as the basis for her subjects. Her works feature abstracted macroscopic and microscopic landscapes, centered on themes of circularity, regeneration, accumulation, and decay. Fernandez-Pol works in hand-painted etching, monotype print, sculpture, gouache, and drawing, but is perhaps best known for her oil paintings with thick impasto, sometimes so heavily applied that it obscures the canvas’s edges.

Gregg Louis (1983-) is a multidisciplinary artist who works in a myriad of mediums including, sculpture, painting, drawing, video, and installation. Louis was born in Saint Louis, Missouri, and received his B.F.A from Missouri State University and his M.F.A from the School of Visual Arts in New York City. His work often focuses on the blurry edge between representation and abstraction and draws from several art historical movements such as surrealism, pop art, and conceptualism.

In 2009, Louis was an artist-in-residence at the Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture. Solo exhibitions include Monaco, Saint Louis; NH Galería, Cartagena; Nohra Haime Gallery, New York; Hverfisgallerí, Reykjavik; Hotel Maria Kapel, Hoorn Netherlands (collaboration). Select group exhibitions include Frieze, London; Vienna Contemporary, Vienna; ARTBO, Bogata; Nohra Haime Gallery, New York; Postmaster Gallery, New York; Galerist, Istanbul; Here Art Center, New York; Interstate Projects, Brooklyn; and Los Caminos, Saint Louis. The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Sculpture Magazine, and several other prominent online publications and journals have covered his work.

Annette Morris is a British artist living in the Languedoc area of the south of France. From the narrow streets of local villages to the vast panoramas of vineyards, mountains & coastline, this area is an endless source of inspiration for her. She has a passion for light and for colour, and she uses the wonderful properties of watercolour to create artwork with a unique energy and sense of place. In addition to developing her art, she also loves teaching, helping, and inspiring people to live more creative lives.

An Artist Member of the Artists Association of Nantucket, Caroline Weld shows her landscape and still life/abstract oil paintings on Nantucket Island. She studied Fine Art at the School for the Arts at Boston University. Not quite ready to immerse in fine art, she worked to receive her Master of Arts in Teaching in Chicago, moved to The Big Apple, and became an elementary school teacher in New York City for over a decade. During her time as a teacher, she extended herself into her design interests. Caroline's design sense re-immersed in her love of jewelry design. Her jewelry joined color combinations and construction, and she sold her designs at Nantucket Looms. Her color and construction sense led her back to oil painting.

Caroline comes from a traveled St. Louis family that has summered and appreciated art on Nantucket since the 1940s. Through her family's travels, the enclave of Montecito in Santa Barbara, and the French culture entwined with perfect Nantucket lighting are some elements that have poured inspiration into her art. Nantucket has been home since 2013. During this time, Caroline has opened herself up to see what she still has inside herself as an artist. She has embraced the local art community through workshops and talks. And, of course, becoming friends. Dog walks and Sunday drives are where she finds her composition- color combined with contrasts and textures of the landscape.