Chico Art Center kicks off our 65th year with artworks by artists that support our organization with their membership. Whether an artist is a novice or pro, it is always a courageous and generous act to make one’s personal creation public for all to see. Visitors have a chance to see what studio artists, both regional and national offer up.
Virtual Gallery Reception: Sunday, January 24, 4:00 PM
This exhibition is made possible by the generous support of the artist, Cris Guenter.
Annai Smith, “Ode to Joy”, oil on canvas, 20x24”, $400. This past year has been a contemplation of “joy” for me. What does it mean to have joy and how do I have it? After much reflection I’ve come to realize that joy isn’t a fleeting emotion like happiness that comes and goes with possession of things or circumstance but a deep state of being, a contentment with my life, myself, and a feeling of peace. I long for that, I believe we all do. I’ve discovered ways to help me achieve that feeling of joy but it is something I work on daily. I painted a series of wild, loose, unencumbered abstract flowers as a symbol of joy for me. Vibrancy, growth in sometimes uncomfortable or unusual circumstance, and yet full of life and hope!
Richard Robinson, "California Break", collage on board, 16"x 20", $350.
Cris Guenter, "Levee", Digital oil, 10x 14”, NFS. This oil painting was done in fall 2020 in Wildwood Park in Chico, CA looking east across the levee into Upper Bidwell Park. With a nod to Thiebaud, I played with the creaminess of the paint and textures that could be created with bold strokes.
Christine Evans, "A View with a Room, 20-20", Oil and oil pastel, wax, 72”x 44”, $3000. I would describe my process as visual jazz. My paintings invite participation because of their patterns, form, color and texture. I combine elements to create rhythms, at times placing representational objects within the composition. As a result, my paintings work like jazz, stirring feelings without narration.
Nicolai Larsen, "Bumpass Hell", gouache on board, 20x 30", $5000. An excursion into the volcanic world of Lassen Peak painted with gouache on tinted museum board.
Gouache is a water-based medium like watercolor except it is opaque and not transparent. Traditional watercolors are usually painted on white paper so that light will reflect off the surface and through the paint colors directly to the eye. With gouache, whites and light colors are obtained with the addition of Chinese white allowing the artist to paint on a darker surface such as tinted museum board.
Adele Etcheverry Sheets, "Ladies’ Rendezvous”, oil on linen panel, 8x10”, $175 framed. My intention is to paint these three beautiful cyclamens in a new US trending style, which I admire. Disrupted Realism started on the East coast in Philadelphia. Artists in the San Francisco Bay Area quickly absorbed it. Through the past year, I have experimented with Disrupted Realism. I like the idea of keeping realism but also distorting it to tell an interesting story. Currently, I am developing a collection of works that I intend to post to my OSAT virtual gallery in May 2021.
Richard Whitehead "Sacramento River", acrylic on canvas, 24"x30", $800. Freely painted acrylic interpretation of a view of the Sacramento River.
Jim Lawrence, "The Pinto", Acrylic on canvas, 16"x20", $400. I've been wanting to paint a landscape for a while but my attempts with a brush were not very successful, so I tried a pallet knife. The approach I took was to start at the top and work my way down the scene, finishing the painting as I went. One tab of paint at a time, one tree at a time, it felt a little like a meditation practice. I think I've found my inspiration for a while.
Dolores Mitchell, "Dreamscape No. One", Oil on canvas, 24x30", $750. I finished this painting on New Year's Eve, 2021. My goal was to create a buoyant image to celebrate the beginning of 2021.
Fay Grundvig,
"Sun Rise", Oil on Canvas, 20x24" with frame, $600. When the North Complex fire swept across our hills, we were evacuated from our home for three weeks. When we returned to our property we were beyond overjoyed to see our house still standing. It was untouched despite the destruction of our outbuildings and vegetation. I painted this canvas almost immediately, being so thankful that our home was spared and that I had a studio. It represents that hope must rise just as the sun rises every day.
Lisa Freeman-Wood, "Everlasting Pea", watercolor on paper, 11x14", NFS. Everlasting Pea is a non-native vine that grows wild profusely in my area and on my property. They are invasive and almost impossible to remove. Deer eat the vines. The flowers are white to pink.
Elaine Davis, "Put the Kettle On...Yellow Satin", oil on panel, 9"x12", $650. I enjoy amplifying and examining the objects and scenes of everyday life, as well as studying the human face and figure.
To me, they are all worthy of more than a moment's look.
Bill Flake, Lidded Vessel, High-fire stoneware, 8 1/2" x 6 1/2 ", $165.
Carolyn McLeod, "Shadows and Ginkgo Leaves", Photograph on Wrap Canvas, 24x 15", $200. I took this photograph a year ago last fall. My goal was to take an interesting photo of the Stansbury home, but what caught my interest was the ginkgo leaves on the pavement
and the shadows from the fence. It is a simple but striking photo, that has recently received a national award.
Jason Tannen, "1942 Inspiration", archival pigment print, 17in x 21in (framed), $65. For over thirty years, I’ve photographed the urban environment. I’m particularly interested in the urban landscape of signs, symbols and pictures-in-pictures, along with curious or eccentric juxtapositions. Focusing on images without people or street action allows the images to be free-floating, without reference to a particular period or era. I work in color to explore the visual and material erosion that comes with time, the elements, or human intervention: colors that have bleached or are reduced to blues and reds, surfaces that have cracked, are peeling, or have been vandalized.
Richard Lea, Arch Side Table; 2 drawers, 15" wide, 24"long, 27"high; maple, wenge (80 hours to complete); $1600. My lifelong passion has been to design and build one-of-a-kind pieces of furniture and accessories that are pleasing to the eye and will last for generations.
Dan Fregin, "With wings' cambers, a rose arose", 11 x 14", $190. In appreciation of a 43 year career of flying made possible by the cambered tops of wings, I continue to see these shapes in many other things. So I used as many of these shapes as practical to paint this one from our yard.
Sofia Whitehead, "Sweetie", wall hanging, fabric, 8.5 x 8.5", $27. Color makes me happy. My art aims to bring whimsy and wonder in everyone's life.
Lori Stevens, Untitled, Cold Wax and Photography, 24 x 16 x 2.5", $300. During these days of pandemic, I found solace in moving colors and textures into emotive surfaces around a window of clouds, signifying the beauty what we all still have access to and of life in general.
Karma Boyer, "Happy Cows on Table Mountain", photography on canvas, 20x30", $200 .
Reta Rickmers, "Blue Door", acrylic on canvas, 36x48", $900. I've been enjoying working big. This is my 3rd 36x48 door painting inspired by my trip to Merida, Yucatan. I love the layers of history hidden in the paint.
Mark Gailey, "Praveen with Big Hair", graphite on paper, medium size drawing, NFS. This is one of my all time favorite drawings. It is of a long time Chico World Beat dancer who is now a mainstay in the Portland dance scene. I think the drawing works both as a pensive portrait and an expressive figure study. Hair is notoriously difficult to draw, but I think I was able to catch it this time during this inspired figure drawing session.
Ruth Hall, "Paradise Pine", Mixed Media, 38 x 24", $80. Some year the pines will be gone.
Carol Preble-Miles, “Summer Trip to Lassen Volcanic", Giclee Print of Transparent Watercolor, 15 x 11”, $190.
Erin Wells, "Geared Up for Tea, Porcelain, 6x6x8" , $185. Mini Tea Pots are a creative challenge and a wonderful expression of my mood when I am working on them. Sometimes they are super serious and very proper and sometimes they are just a bit off.. either way, they work and are really fun to do.
April Richards-Senior, "Simson Ranch", Watercolor (giclee print), 11x 15", $75. This painting was begun during a private visit to the Simson Ranch to remember the lives of Burt and Marge Simson, who have now passed away, and who operated the dairy and rice farm partially shown in the painting. The artist has been a friend of several generations of the Simson Family. An attempt was made to show the remote beauty of the location and preserve memories of a proud farming family. The original is in the collection of a member of the Simson Family.
Gitta Brewster, "Sutter Buttes Flyover", Acrylic on canvas, 36x36", $500.
Nancy Beliveau, "Pelican Trio", acrylic on canvas, 37x 27” (frame included), $350. Pelicans are a favorite of mine. They are ungainly until you see them fly and dive.
Grizzelle Canter, "The Year Was 2020", Charcoal on Paper, 14 X 17", NFS. As we all grieve and are in disbelief for the loss of over 320,000 Souls lost in our Country, and the many more around the world during the Year 2020 due to the Covid Pandemic, we will continue to hope and work for a better tomorrow!
Joan North, "Cyclone", Botswana agate & sterling, size 8. $150. I like shapes that remind me of life situations (my “Metaphors in Metal” series, for example), starkly simple shapes, and combinations that draw your surprised eye. I love contrast in form and similarity in color. Incorporating stones into metal designs delights me. I dream of new designs, smiling in my sleep. Most of all, I want each piece to intrigue the viewer.
