COFFEE BREAK

I pour your cup with the greatest care,
But the coffee splatters everywhere.
I’m not as old as I might seem,
But I think you’d better pour your cream.
Rick Lyttle

SCROLL DOWN  ¶ 10:30 AM

  AT THE GALLERIES

Five dramatic photos by Richard Blair, including his now famous one of Clayton and Joe casting a net plus a sylvian scene of Paper Mill Creek, that I’ve not seen before, are on display this month at the Point Reyes Book Store.

The show is part of the promotion for Point Reyes Visions Guidebook which will soon be available. The book, produced by Richard and his partner, Kathleen Goodwin, has 62 photos and a waterproof map. I’ve had a glimpse of the galleys, and I can promise that the book will be informative and handy. It’s the right size to slip in a day back along with a guide to West Marin birds or flowers.

Although the book won’t go on sale until next month, advance copies will on hand for a reception at the store at 3 p.m. July 25. Kathleen will give a talk and both will be on hand to greet their many fans.

SCROLL DOWN  ¶ 8:35 AM

  AT THE GALLERIES

It's remarkable that a group of artists with work as diverse as that of Point Reyes Open Studios could have a show that displays so much unity. The group is featured this month in the Music Room at Toby's in Point Reyes Station.

One reason for the success of the show is the space itself. The room is airy, well-lit, and just plain comfortable, but clearly, the people who hung this show, knew what they were doing. Also, because each of the 31 artists could enter just one piece, the work is pretty much on the same scale – large.

All this said, however, when you look at the work one piece at a time, you will be struck by the diversity in the group and find it extremely stimulating.

Look at Richard Blair's photo "Sheridan Square at Dawn," which might make you think of a Edward Hopper painting, and then look at Igor Sazevich's oil "Mujeres," which has a Odilon Redon flavor, and you'll be struck with infinite ways of dealing with the urban scene. And you might include Mark Kriss's "Studebaker with Suspicious Cargo," a dye ink print with pencil, as an enigmatic city-scape, or at a stretch, Joe Blumenthal's monotype "Wall VII." It fits in the municipal mix, but it also works as pure abstraction.

And how many ways can you deal with the human figure? Look at Patricia Bannerman's strong black and white photo "Belly Dancer on Parade," at Suzanne Haddon's stunning "In Her Dreams," done with sumi ink on an intricate collage background, or Lynn Sawyer's whimsical "Dart Board," an oil with foreshortened people serving as "darts," and you'll be convinced that the options for dealing with the human form are infinite.

The three-dimensional work also proclaims strength in diversity.
Trey Gerfers' "Radio Control," recycled from old speaker and receiver cabinets, is about the same height as Bruce Mitchell's curly redwood "Sentinel." And both are wood, milled or carved, but there the similarities end. Gerfers' piece is actually functional. The rheostat-controlled back-lighting in the cabinets could serve as night-lights. Mitchell's piece wouldn't even make a good hatrack, nor should it.

Two vases, Donna Haar and Daniel Bletterman's hand thrown porcelain, 19 inches high, with it's muted tans and grays, suggests Victorian elegance. John Levy's salt fired "Butterfly Ikebana," 12 by 12 by 4, couldn't be more different in color, shape, texture and inspiration. Carolyn Mean's teapot with a subtle oak ash glaze and traditional shape, complete with bamboo handle, claims the middle ground between the previous two pieces.

Floral work is represented by Nancy Stein's hand-colored mezzotint "July Garden," Alice Rantos's acrylic "Jimson Weed" and Philip Greene's colored photo "Digitalis." The botanical inspiration is the only reason they share the same paragraph.

Catherine Old's allegorical "Chen – the Arousing," is perhaps the most enigmatic piece of the show. A 20 by 24-inched acrylic and mixed media, it depicts a happy and oblivious canary, threatened from below by the rising head of a skeletal snake. Meanwhile, Lauri Sturdivant wins honors for the only still-life. Her small and intimate "Teacup 9," a mixed-media collage, suggest the memory of a comfortable café with soft music.

Nudging toward abstraction, is Jan Davidson's "Inland Sea," a 20 by 16 acrylic, with houses, water and other forms that make it a landscape, all be it, a dream-like and compelling one.

Pure abstracts are presented in Paula Fava's "Meditation Madella," a mixed media painting depicting a gold, solar disc on a juicy, highly-textured red field; Molly Prier's "Illumination," a collage exploring contrasting textures and setting buff tones against reds, and Lorraine Almeida's "Solar Energy", a strongly structured iconic painting on a 24-inch square panel that plays delightfully with interlocking, geometric forms.

Landscapes outnumber all other entries, but they don't break the unity. They simply sustain the continuity of quality work. Sita Mulligan's pastel "Tide Line, Agate Beach," sets a tone of serenity with admirable technique. Kathleen Goodwin's "Mount St. Helena from Mount Tamalpais" lifts you above the fog and gives an exhilarating sense of height. Susan Gonzalez' "Indian Beach," an oil on canvas, puts you on the spot with strong perspective and a rich, sunny pallet.

Irwin Segal's "Heart's Desire," a computer generated painting shows a masterful command of composition and excellent use of contrasting values. Gary Smith's "River Willows," a pastel on monotype, glows with atmospheric light and rich color, and in Marty Knapp's photo "Winter Ebb Tide, Point Reyes" you can recognize the season immediately and enjoy it.

Jean Atwood's "Cloud," a 36 by 24-inch acrylic is dramatic both in its contrast and saturated color. Krystal Allen's "Curve #1," a 36-inch square oil, put's you joyfully on the Point Reyes Petaluma Road. Both these paintings bespeak consummate skill. Of my own work, "Pines, Cliffs and Bays," a 20 by 15-inch drypoint, I can only say it is gratifying to be in such excellent company.


The show, staged in conjunction with July 4th Open Studios, will nevertheless remain at Toby's through the month with a closing reception from 1 to 4, Saturday, July 31.

In the old gallery at Toby's this month you will find some superior etchings by the masterful Andrew Alan Totman of Sydney, Australia. Totman, who received his Master of Fine Art degree at University of San Diego, now teaches printmaking at National Art School, East Sydney, and lectures at the Northern Sydney Institute's Sydney Gallery School.

It is a joy to see his work in Point Reyes. These are all small etchings, rarely larger that 8-inches square, but one relates to the other like the verses in a well-constructed poem. They all display precise control of aquatint values and draw their composition from the playful repetitions of familiar forms, such as ladders, gable walls of houses, towers, hands and so on. Some are printed on a pale yellow field, but most are simply pulled from a single inking of black. I particularly like "Magic" and "Rhythm" in which simple use of hands produces memorable images.

SCROLL DOWN  ¶ 2:00 AM