When you think about it, our entire world, every organism, every object is composed of a system of layers. Artwork included, especially the work of process driven artist Pam Saturday. Employing layer upon layer of paint and other media, the artist creates a universe in which we see only a fraction of reality.
Bold stripes and other forms may dominate, but for the close observer, there are small glimpses and surprises waiting to be discovered. Colors peek and peer from beneath their blankets of paint and we have no idea how much there is to be unearthed.
I may have mentioned before how enchanting I’m finding our new temporary home. Eureka’s Victorian architecture is very well preserved, many of the buildings have been lovingly restored or revamped. There is such beauty, grace and elegance to be found in every detail. The work of Bainbridge Island artist Kathe Fraga recalls the fanciful beauty of those departed days.
Modern frescoed canvases bring to mind Chinoisserie wallpaper, layers of reminders of sweet lives and loves of the past. Dark, smudged edges reinforce that feeling of antiquity, yet Fraga’s painterly style and composition give the work a modern edge. Like wearing your grandmother’s pearls with a biker jacket. Sweet but not saccharine.
To see more of Kathe Fraga‘s work, make sure you check out her website. You can see her work in person at a number of representing galleries, including one of my favorites, Gallery Orange in New Orleans. Oh and she is now offering gorgeous pillows featuring her imagery!
This planet we live on is an incredible example of a delicate balancing. I’m always amazed to read stories about the ripple effect one tiny plant or micro organism may have on an entire eco-culture. Often it is man whose hand begins the tidal wave. In her work, New Orleans artist Hannah Chalew explores the tenuous relationship between nature and the built environment.
Much like the work of Jess Riva Cooper, Chalew examines the idea of the built environment being overtaken and pushed back to the earth. So often it is man and his development that does the encroaching, providing an interesting juxtaposition when plant life is given the opportunity to reclaim what was.
As human types, we are in a constant state of flux. Even when we think we aren’t moving, we are constantly evolving in this direction or that. In these paintings by Los Angeles artist Allison Miller, we see the evolution of her process, the results leaving me feeling slightly off kilter in the best possible way.
In order to gain a fresh perspective on their work, many artists will turn their canvases on their sides or upside down. But they don’t always leave them that way to continue painting. Miller allows those twists and turns to be evident in the final painting– leaving us with paint that defies gravity by dripping up and compositions that delight no matter which way the canvas is turned.
As people, we too are molded and shaped as our circumstances twist and turn, allowing us to be carved into our most recent incarnation. But soon, our human canvas will rotate once again and we’ll add yet another layer to our composition.
Every day, every life is made of small, seemingly insignificant moments. Sometimes, the importance of those moments isn’t revealed until later. I was thinking on this dynamic when pouring over the work of California artist Marti Somers. Somers’ richly textured work is filled with layer upon layer of paint and ephemera, the artist revealing forgotten moments as she deconstructs the surface.
Like a worn scrapbook, we see snatches of life, of moments and memories revealed in the paneled surfaces. A treasure once forgotten, a glimpse of a flower we were too busy to notice at the time. Book pages and receipts reveal a life lived busily, while birds and teapots remind us to sit and to savor, all will be well.
Let’s switch gears a bit, shall we? Looking back over this week’s posts so far, I’ve been in a bit of a nature-obsessed-state, so how about we throw in something different? I spotted the the work of this artist last week on the Little Paper Planes blog and knew I wanted to feature her work pronto! In these mixed media pieces, Gianna Commito is creating a playground of planes and patterns.
Just a simple shift in line creates a skewed perspective that leads us down the path to another inverted plane and then to another and another. It’s like a geometric rabbit hole that I am happy to get lost in! There’s a natural correlation to cityscapes and architecture, but I see parallels to the natural world as well ( there I go again! ). Towering cliffs and slot canyons, redwood burls and nurse logs. We are all just planes resting on top of more planes.
You guys, we are loving our new little town so much! Since we arrived, everyone’s been telling me how many artists there are here in Eureka and that we must check out the monthly art walk, ArtsAlive. It was a perfect, beautiful evening and it seemed like everyone in Humboldt County was in downtown Eureka, enjoying the spectacular weather and taking it all in.
I knew there were a few galleries I needed to check out but what I didn’t know was that so there were so many artists with studios downtown and a great many of them were open that night! I do so love a peek inside artists’ studios! After checking out the mesmerizing work of Isabelle Staehle at The Black Faun, we wandered through the studios & Hall Gallery at C Street. Large, high ceilinged, open beam studios with tons of light? Yes, please. Mr. F asked if I would like a studio like one of these.. uh yeah, let’s find a way to make that happen! Lots of people wandering through the halls, and a nice variety of work to be found, from abstract expressionist to folk art inspired to traditional landscapes. Truly a cornucopia of artsiness!
We also wandered through the studios at the Center for Insane Artists. How could we resist checking it out with a name like that? Alas, I’ve been unable to find any info for them online. But a handful of the studios were open, some interesting work to be found there, for sure!
My favorite stop was First Street Gallery, HSU’s non-profit, off campus art gallery. No cameras were allowed, but I HAD to share these shows with you, so I pulled images from their website. Currently, the exhibition space is broken up into two shows, one featuring the work of artist and Stanford University professor Gail Wight, on loan from Patricia Sweetow Gallery. Wight’s work is an elegant combination of beauty and science, her burned vellum drawings inspired by a 1948 pharmacological study of spiders and her composite digital prints, all drew my eye with their intricate simplicity.
The other half of the gallery was taken over by three North Coast artists, Seana Burden, Jeff Jordan, and Jesse Wiedel in their group exhibition, Laughter in Darkness. The works of these three artists combine traditional landscape and dream-like imagery often providing commentary on contemporary culture. I was especially drawn to Burden’s “Boob” paintings in which she creates a fantastical land in which all the subversive messages we are sent each day are much more blatant.
seana burden, jesse wiedel, and jeff jordan
Like most good art walks, we weren’t able to get to everything, but what we did see gave Mr. F and I lots to chat about over a glass of wine ( or 3! ) at the end of the night. I hope you’ll check out the websites of these artists and galleries– so much wonderful talent in this area. I feel so lucky to be here, even if for just a short while.
Gail Wight, Seana Burden, Jesse Wiedel and Jeff Jordan images via HSU website. All other images by Artsy Forager.
I am daily amazed by the talent I find in my foraging each day. But occasionally, I see one painting by an artist, think “oh that’s nice!”, then go to their website to be completely blown away. The work of Spanish-born New York based artist Pepa Prieto astounded me with her visual movement, texture and lively sense of composition. I can’t get enough!
There is so much going on, so many corners and nooks to explore in each piece, each one is like a virtual fun house and I want to get lost in them all! The artist paints these pieces intuitively, evoking a particular memory or moment in time, “a detailed snapshot of my inner dialogue”. What a beautiful conversation she is having.
To see more of Pepa Prieto‘s work, and you know you want to, please visit her website. Happy weekend, Artsies! What are you up to? We’ll be checking out Eureka’s local ArtWalk on Saturday, excited to share my finds with you next week!
The forecast for last Saturday in Eureka was cloudy and rainy, so Mr. F and I planned to spend a leisurely day drinking coffee and catching up on work in a downtown coffee shop. And we did, for a few hours.. until we noticed that the rain didn’t seem to be coming and the sun was shining! So we decided ditched work to spend the afternoon doing a little more exploring around Old Town Eureka. We tasted grains at the local brew shop, browsed a dusty antique shop and a fun little vintage clothing boutique. As we were about to grab a burger & hit up Mr. F’s favorite Eureka watering hole, I spotted an open sign at Sewell Gallery and was so pleased at what we found inside.
Sewell Gallery exclusively features the work of Humboldt County artists and showcases some of the best the region has to offer in a large and inviting space. The current show, up for just a few more days, features the work of textile artist April Sproule . She creates these amazingly intricate contemporary quilt designs– I was especially drawn to the graphic quality found in her monochromatic work.
In addition to the featured exhibition, Mr. F and I found a wide range of mediums and styles to peruse. We both loved these ceramic pieces by Shannon Sullivan— gorgeously crafted and temptingly priced!
ceramics by Shannon Sullivan
Of course, you know I can’t resist abstract paintings and these two were calling to me across the sunlit gallery..
It was just the perfect day to wander through a gallery! We’ll definitely be putting Sewell on our list of places to stop in occasionally.
It’s looking pretty likely that Mr. F and I could be in Eureka at least through the summer and I’m more excited about that prospect than ever. With the largest concentration of artists per capita in all of California, Humboldt County has so much to offer and discover!
If you ever happen to be in Eureka, make sure to put in a stop at Sewell Gallery! Coming up Saturday is my first Eureka Arts Alive event. Stay tuned for more on that next week!
As many artists know, much of the time, art making is a matter of knowing when enough is enough. Or even when enough is just a bit too much. In her work, New York artist Miya Ando is creating pure moments of simply just enough.
By working in a process in which she hand-dyes metallic surfaces, Ando creates pieces with an incredible sense of stillness and light. Translucent layers of color reflect not just the light without but the light within. By keeping the compositions simple, the work is free from distraction, allowing the viewer to fall into its spell, to meditate on the purity of color and transformative power of light.
