THE OPENING

The Nature of Things opened with a good steady crowd to the very end of the evening. Along with the interested public, many friends and family members attended to support the artists so it was a wonderful time for talking art, techniques, and simply catching up.

The show is beautiful with many thanks going to  Jay Haskins, print-maker and Northwinds Arts Center's gallery manager, whose eye for placement and grouping of artists' work as he hangs a show is exceptional (hanging help from Don Tiller. It is one of his paintings that graces the front of the Northwind Arts Gallery - see photo).

Our work goes very well together so it flows with a nice continuity to it. The four of us all have an affinity and reverence for the natural and mysterious. You will notice that crows, ravens, various other birds, dogs, and other wonderful animals appear in our work in various scenarios evoking emotion and laughter.

The two pieces I posted previously on March 12th, Looking For a Place to Call Home, and March 24th, Seeking Reflection, sold the day before so it opened up and moved the energy to generate more sales for me, Rae, Ellen and Kathleen. Ellen Reichart sold 2 pieces opening night. We're holding visions of more red dots for Kathleen Snow and Rae Belkin and all of us for that matter. We all worked diligently to make this show as beautiful as it is.

If you are in the area I hope you can get by the gallery. For more info on the Northwind Arts Center click here.

Thanks to all who came out to see the show Saturday during the opening and throughout the duration of the show...May 4 through 27, 2012.

THE NATURE OF THINGS

It always seems that when time is running short that imminent deadline rushes up and starts circling around me. But considering the limitations I am faced with I have made some studio time to get some new work done...two of which you can see in my last two previous posts.
The first weekend in May will be the opening of THE NATURE OF THINGS at Northwind Art Center in Port Townsend, WA. If you are in the area stop by for the opening on May 5th or sometime during the weeks this show will hang...May 4-27. I am delighted to show once again with these three talented artists, Rae Belkin, Ellen Reichart and Kathleen Snow (our wonderful curator). This is the second showing of our work together and the previous one in 2010 was very well received so our hope is to dazzle the viewers again this time around.
I hope to see you there.
Return here for another visit again soon to see more new works.

What follows is the press release for The Nature Of Things...

The Nature of Things

Northwind Arts Center presents The Nature of Things, showcasing the work of four Northwest artists who draw their inspiration from their relationship to the world around them. Rae Belkin, Linda Jarvis, Ellen Reichart and Kathleen Snow work in a variety of media including painting, drawing, assemblage and printmaking. Their unique works range from the poetic to the humorous. The show runs from May 4 through May 27, 2012 at Northwind Arts Center, 2409 W. Jefferson St., Port Townsend WA

Rae Belkin grew up is Minneapolis, Minnesota, looking forward to the Walter Foster drawing books she would receive as gifts from an aunt.  She has painted (for over 35 years) subjects as diverse as portraits to landscapes to chickens. A journey which started from art books, continued as an art major in college, led to her currently creating art using mixed media.  From once capturing a moment in time with a photo-realistic approach, she now captures thoughts and concepts with a unique style incorporating handmade papers, paint, ink, and acrylic mediums on canvas and paper.  Her work is held in private collections throughout the United States and in Europe.  Rae has also participated in many invitational exhibitions and garnered numerous awards.

For “The Nature of Things”, Rae is continuing the theme of birds (mostly crows) in unusual landscapes.  She likes the idea that they have other perches besides the ordinary tree.  Just to liven things up a bit, she has also added to the mix a surprise appearance of a rabbit and some geckos.

Linda Jarvis lives in a woodsy, rural area, drawing her inspiration from nature. “As an artist I have felt a personal responsibility to relay some sort of emotion by way of my work. My hope throughout my career has been to trigger an elemental awareness to our natural world, the delicate stability of our environment and the wildlife that live within,” she states. “It is this sense of interconnectedness that moves me to create work from observations of our natural surroundings.” Her fascination with animals, their interactions with each other, even with humans, their personal idiosyncrasies bring both beauty and humor to her painting, assemblage and sculpture. She works in mixed media, using acrylic, pastel, graphite and colored pencils, and gives new life to various collected found elements.

“I relish the opportunity to witness someone truly being pulled in, transfixed by a piece that perhaps portrays a crow manipulating an object in some way that bears witness to it’s amazing intelligence or, in a dream, the ability to grow wings and fly with avian creatures. If I’ve aroused laughter or thoughtfulness I sense I have touched their center to pause in their imagination for just a moment.”

Ellen Reichart is a painter and printmaker whose inspiration comes from her reverence for nature, the impact of relationships, universal patterns that connect, and the constantly changing nuances and light patterns of the Pacific Northwest.  Reichart works from memory and allows experimentation and dream images to guide her during the printmaking process.  She enjoys the surprise each time she pulls the paper from the plate and a reversed image emerges.  Though most her prints are monotypes, ( one time prints),  she will often run the same paper through the press numerous times, adding or removing inks and shapes from the plate to create movement and texture.  The artist is drawn to the challenge of merging inner and outer worlds.  Her works are often described as haunting.  

Kathleen Snow had worked in multiple media from fiber to polymer to painting, but her 30 year fascination with printmaking is her primary passion. “The endless variety of techniques from etching and lithograph to monoprints and relief printing provide constant challenge and stimulation.” Snow draws on inspiration from the life and landscape around her, images and forms evolving from realistic to abstract. Her current work reflects her continuing relationship to her neighborhood crows, cycles of growth, and her recent travels to Central America.

There will be an artist’s reception at Gallery Walk, Saturday May 5, from 5:30- 8:00 pm. The artists will give a talk on Sunday, May 6, at 1:00 pm at the Arts Center. Northwind is open Thursday through Monday, noon to 5PM.

MORE BIRDS OF A FEATHER

In this photo I am shown sitting with the three fellow accomplished artist-friends I exhibited with in BIRDS OF A FEATHER as we shared our artistic backgrounds, approaches and techniques. The Artist Talk, which took place on a Sunday afternoon, was part of the education process Northwind Art Center provides the community. We each expressed our artistic experiences with some of our insights and methodology on one or more of the pieces we were displaying. I expounded on the piece in a previous post, DREAMS OF FLIGHT, as well as the other previously pieces you can see if you scroll down. During the presentation there were inquisitive questions from the attendees which allowed for more revelation of our work. One of the participants was Ned Schumann, founder of one of our oldest local Internet Service Providers on the Olympic Peninsula, OlympusNet, which started in 1993. He was filming the event and also took this photo (above) of us while we spoke. We are, from left to right: Kate Snow, Ellen Reichart, me and Rae Belkin. I will be posting other shots he captured of my work from this exhibit at a later date. Stay tuned. Remember to enlarge the image, click on the photo.

MASQUERADE GONE A-FOWL

Like most of my pieces, this piece metamorphosed and evolved as I created it. The mallard hen is painted on heavy vellum then cut out and set off the background. I was going to put the mask over the mallards head, but thought why cover her up after giving her life. So I decided to suspend the raven mask from string and add more dimension that made it look more 3D in it's form . . . it hangs over the matte. Ultimately, this title came to me after it had been completed. I was riding as passenger in the car with my husband when it hit me. I said out loud, "Oh! I think I've got it! Of course!". It rang a bell in my head so clear, it could be nothing other than MASQUERADE GONE A-FOWL. Playing with words creating a visual pun can be a lot of fun. Attempting to achieve that play on words successfully can only be known when I see the reaction in the viewers eyes, on their face or in their laughter. Therein showing me that the imagining effort and ultimate outcome was worth it. This is part of the BIRDS OF A FEATHER exhibit with Rae Blekin, Ellen Reichart and Kate Snow (see post below) at The NorthWind Art Center that hangs through July.

BIRDS OF A FEATHER

From July 2nd through August 1st our local art center, Northwind Arts Center, will host an invitational show: BIRDS OF A FEATHER. Myself, (Linda Jarvis) Rae Belkin, Ellen Reichart and Kathleen Snow are presenting works in a variety a media. All four of us share an affinity for using imagery and themes related to animals and the natural world exploring various ideas often conveying a sense of mystery and humor. I am looking forward to my work hanging out, so to speak, with these other wonderful artist's work.

If you live near or around the Olympic Peninsula area I hope you can join us for the BIRDS OF A FEATHER Walk-Through, Friday, July 2 at 10 a.m. and the Opening Reception, Saturday, July 3, 5:30 - 8 p.m., at the Northwind Arts Center - 2904 Jefferson Street, Port Townsend.

The image of the piece above the map is titled IDENTITY THEFT. It has always intrigued me how blue jays can mimic various bird's songs and/or calls in the attempt to fool the other birds and scare them from their nests. It stirred up in my mind this image of a blue jay trying to steal the identity of a crow. It always puts a smile on my face when I hear a blue jay mocking other birds and I think to myself, how clever is that! But, then again, how deceiving. That being said, crows are very clever and intelligent in their own right. Seeing this piece in person will give you the full monty and energy of what it is depicting and the embellishments on the frame. Perhaps you will have the opportunity to get by the gallery during the shows duration through July. Remember to click on the image for a larger view and don't forget to stop back to find new posts now and then. Thank you for your interest.