Variety of art exhibits featured this month by Noblesville Creates

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In October, Noblesville Creates will showcase artists Skye VanWinkle, Craig Mullins, and Michael Levine, along with the Dreamscape & Belief exhibit at the Judge Stone House. Additionally, Noblesville Creates will present the Members Only Exhibit at Noblesville City Hall.

Details on exhibit locations, dates, receptions, and featured artists can be found below.

Judge Stone House
Dreamscape & Belief

In a dreamscape, which is a strange or mysterious landscape or scene often characteristic of dreams, there are no rules. Up can be down, color can be more or less vivid, physics and perspective can change with your mind’s will – your perception of the world is open to imagination. Dreams can help us process our abstract emotions, can be indicative of our belief systems, and can even teach us about ourselves and others.

Dreamscape & Belief showcases works that reflect how art can connect us spiritually.

You can view the full exhibit, Dreamscape & Belief, through Oct. 25 in the Judge Stone House gallery. The Noblesville Creates on 8th campus is open Wednesday through Friday from noon to 5 p.m. and Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Stephenson House
Skye VanWinkle

Some memories live in boxes. Others hang on walls. For artist Skye VanWinkle, inspiration has always been close to home in the grain of polaroids, the flicker of family expressions, and the enduring impact of a creative parent.

“I grew up with art all around me,” she recalls. Her father, a full-time social worker and part-time artist, filled their home with his work. “He was my first influence.”

That early exposure led VanWinkle to pursue a degree in art from Purdue University, later continuing at the Herron School of Art and Design to earn her teaching certification. She spent 23 years teaching art before stepping away from the classroom to devote herself fully to her own studio practice in Kokomo.

Her upcoming exhibit, Portraits of Memories, is a deeply personal exploration of emotion, family, and realism. It marks a shift away from earlier cityscape work, what she describes as “hard to put emotion into,” and toward expressive portraiture rooted in candid, unguarded moments. Working primarily in acrylic on canvas, VanWinkle uses texture, pattern, and scale to heighten the emotional depth of her subjects.

“I wanted to focus on people’s faces, on what they’re feeling,” she said. “What better subject than family?”

Nostalgia is captured through a lens of warmth and reverence. Drawing from old family photographs, particularly the unposed snapshots of the 1960s, ‘70s, and ‘80s, VanWinkle channels the spirit of expressionist painters like Alice Neel. “There’s something so honest in those casual photos,” she said. “They weren’t curated. They just happened.”

Each painting reflects that authenticity, bringing the viewer into intimate proximity with her subjects – often mid-laugh, mid-thought, or mid-moment. With layered textures and rich surfaces, her portraits feel both timeless and familiar, like memories you didn’t realize you’d forgotten.

See the full exhibit, Portraits of Memories, in the Stephenson House Gallery at the Noblesville Creates campus through Oct. 25. The full campus is open for exploration Wednesday to Friday from noon to 5 p.m. and Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Four Day Ray
Craig Mullins

It is easy to overlook the profound role color plays in our daily lives. A shade of blue might calm us, a burst of red may energize, while soft neutrals can quietly soothe. For artist Craig Mullins, color isn’t just an element of design – it’s the foundation of his creative process. His upcoming exhibit, COLORS, invites viewers to experience how palettes alone can transform time, emotion, and perspective.

Mullins’ career path began in architecture, earning his Bachelor of Architecture from Ball State University’s College of Architecture and Planning. That training instilled a precision with perspective and form, but it also sharpened his sensitivity to color. Today, his work fuses the structural clarity of an architect with the expressive freedom of an artist, resulting in pieces that balance order and emotion.

At the heart of COLORS lies Mullins’ three guiding principles: subject matter, composition, and, above all, color. Over the years, he has grown more experimental, embracing bold color relationships that challenge and captivate the eye. He explains, “An artist can use the same subject matter and composition over and over, but with a change in the colors, the painting can change in a very dramatic way.”

For Mullins, the exploration of color is deeply personal. Through years of experimentation, he has developed a palette of over 200 mixed hues that appear consistently throughout his work. Each choice, whether subtle or striking, becomes a deliberate expression of mood and meaning. COLORS reflects this journey, showcasing how shifts in tone and shade can alter not only a canvas, but also the way we experience it.

This exhibition offers viewers the opportunity to immerse themselves in the power of color and its ability to influence feeling, memory, and perception.

You can view the full COLORS exhibit from Oct. 8 to Dec. 27 at Four Day Ray Brewing, 11671 Lantern Road, Fishers, Sunday and Monday from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., Tuesday through Thursday from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., and Friday and Saturday from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. You can meet Mullins at his free public reception; date and time to be determined.

Meyer Najem
Michael Levine

Michael Levine’s path as an artist began decades ago, not in a studio, but at a kitchen table, where a paper mâché project with his aunt sparked an early curiosity. A retired neurologist, he has long balanced the analytical with the artistic. His upcoming exhibit, Paintings Thus Far, offers a rich cross-section of work that explores contrast, volume, and the nuanced dance between light and shadow.

Although his art remained a quiet passion for years, the past decade has seen Michael dedicate himself more fully to the craft. With a home studio and a steady routine of workshops and critiques, he’s embraced the identity of a lifelong learner. “I’ve always painted,” he said, “but the past seven or eight years have been much more serious. There’s always something new to figure out.” From traditional classes to online mentorships and weekly drawing sessions with the Hamilton County Artists’ Association, Levine continues to refine his skills and deepen his artistic voice.

At the heart of his work is a commitment to form, value, and atmosphere. Whether working in charcoal, oils, or pastel, he’s driven by the pursuit of depth on a two-dimensional surface. “I love the challenge of creating 3D images on a flat page,” he said. “I’m always pushing and pulling light and shadow.” This is especially evident in his newest charcoal work, which emphasizes stark tonal contrast, and in his oil paintings, where large, confident strokes build planes of light and structure.

The exhibit spans several media and moments in time. Still lifes, landscapes, and soft pastel florals highlight his exploration of composition, while a strong undercurrent of abstract realism ties it all together. “It’s not about hyper-detail,” Levine said. “It’s about movement. Mood. The way light shapes a subject.” With each piece, he invites viewers to slow down and notice the drama in a seemingly simple scene – a curve of light on a vase, the shadow stretching across a table.

Ultimately, Levine said he sees painting as an ongoing investigation. “Every piece should have a problem you want to solve,” he notes. That sense of inquiry drives his process and defines his practice, not just as an artist, but as a thinker. “The more I do, the more curious I become.”

See the full exhibit, Paintings Thus Far, now through Dec. 26. This exhibit is viewable at the Meyer Najem 2nd floor gallery, 11787 Lantern Road, Fishers, Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. You can meet Levine during his free public open house reception from 5 to 8 p.m. Friday, Nov. 14.

Noblesville City Hall
Noblesville Creates Artist Members

We shine a spotlight on our Artist Members in this annual exhibit, the Members Only Exhibit. This annual exhibit shines a spotlight on our Learn, Promote, Showcase, and Lead level Artist Members. Additionally, this exhibit includes work by Juried Members of the Hamilton County Artists’ Association in celebration of our organization’s continued partnership.

Noblesville Creates Artist Members lift each other up, advance the communities they take part in, and are incredibly talented. They hold offices, raise families, sing, dance, paint, sculpt, weave, weld, carve, draw, cook, photograph, film, act, and so much more. October is all about celebrating them in their artistic glory.

You can view the full exhibit, Members Only Exhibit, through Oct. 24 at Noblesville City Hall. Visitors can stop by the gallery Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.