"The Magic of my World" Reception

Saturday, June 1st, from 1-3 pm

Kristine Kelly, Featured Artist Show

Artist Statement

I have worked with glass for 25 years. I took a class at adult education in Santa Barbara and I was hooked. Glass is magical and transformative. It has depth and is luminescent. I have been in that class for 25 years now and it has been a wild and marvelous journey. 

I started doing landscapes about eight years ago and took classes from world renowned instructors. This took me on a new path and I have never looked back. I am inspired by local nature- the foothills of Southern California and the marine life near the Channel Islands. I am a nationally recognized award winner in the field of glass fusion. 

I frequently make my landscapes in a tray called a dam in which I make layers of colored glass. I then fire my piece in a kiln up to a top temperature of 1500F. This technique creates several layers and adds depth to my work. 

When I open my kiln, I am always amazed at the transformation of my glass pieces. It is like magic to me so I have titled my show, “The Magic of my World”. I am hoping that others can share this magic with me when they view my art.

Kristine Kelly 

Featured Artist

Chris Jeszeck

"Pouring My Art Out"

May 2 through May 26

The Lompoc Valley Art Association’s Cypress Gallery will be featuring "Landscapes and Gemstones!", an artist show by Joe Gliebe-Goetz.   The show will be on exhibit from August 3 - August 31, 2023.

Joe grew up in Southern California. After retiring and at first living in Visalia, Joe and his wife moved to Lompoc to be back on the coast. Joe finds that the local beauty and climate is perfect for plein air painting. In addition, he deeply appreciates the varied experience of a very friendly group of talented local artists.

“Landscapes and Gemstones” are my most common themes. In my older paintings one sees more realism and attempts to hold to natural form and color. However, I began experimenting with color and impressionist style several years ago. I have worked with various forms of media such as acrylic, oil, watercolor, charcoal, pastels and scratchboard. Most of my paintings are in acrylic.  My formal training in art was in the area of technical illustrating which I appreciate for the sense of perspective accuracy it gave me. It shows up in my landscapes and scenes with architecture. My more recent paintings include more techniques of impressionism than in the past, but I am sure it will evolve more over time. Many of my apparent abstract patterns are based on natural patterns found in stones.

Over the last 10 years I have merged my second area of art, lapidary, with my first love, painting. Lapidary art is the cutting and polishing of gemstones. There is a constant search for natural patterns of color and beauty that is usually seen small in a ring or pendant. However, l just have this urge to share it large. It’s not much different than how artists who do enlarged views from small scenes in nature. I like how the stone holds my focus while I attempt to build on the patterns of color in a way that supports and enhances. I am very pleased how this has moved my art in unique directions. I am proud to have a perpetual desire to learn and innovate.

A little more about my lapidary, you will find some of my wire-wrapped stones. I tend to make it more about the stone than the wire. So it’s usually not too fancy, but the stones are first rate. Many of them are local and I always try to give the name on the label. My gemstone miniatures are always based on a gemstone that usually I let inspire me on how the painting should go. I never paint stones, even though I do try to match the color and pattern in the stones. Each time it seems to take me in a different direction. I deeply value how the miniatures are my favorite place to test ideas that often later inspire a large painting. For those that love stones, I hope I have found a new way to share their unique beauty.”

Please come by and check out the show and meet the artist.  A reception that is open to the public will be held on August 5, 1-3pm. The Cypress Gallery is at 119 East Cypress Avenue, Lompoc, across from the Museum.  

The Lompoc Valley Arts Association is a 501(c)(3) non-profit, committed to expanding and supporting access and exposure to the arts in the Lompoc and Santa Ynez Valley. LVAA sponsors arts programs, events, communications, and other efforts that mutually benefit artists, businesses, residents and visitors to our Valley. To learn more about the arts in the Valley, visit our website www.lompocart.org and Like our Facebook page “Cypress Gallery”

Photo Credits

• “Pigeon Point” by Joe Gliebe-Goetz

• “Pele Rising” by Joe Gliebe-Goetz

• “Coast Range Sundown” by Joe Gliebe-Goetz

• WHO: Lompoc Valley Art Association

• WHAT: Kristine Kelly, Featured Artist Show

• WHERE: Cypress Gallery, 119 E. Cypress, Lompoc, CA 93436

• WHEN: June 01 -July 02, 2023

The Lompoc Valley Art Association's Cypress Gallery will be featuring "California Pathways”, an artist show by Kristine Kelly. The show will be on exhibit from June 01 -July 02, 2023.

Please come by to check out the show and meet the artist at her reception on June 04 from 2 to 4pm. The Cypress Gallery is at 119 East Cypress Avenue, Lompoc, across from the Lompoc Museum.

“I came to art later in life. In 1994, I took a class on glass fusing from the Santa Barbara Adult Education program and I was hooked.

I love layering glass to create new depths and colors and I want my work to tell a story. I love when observers tell me they can imagine walking into one of my pieces and I frequently include a path or steps to help lead them in. 

I am inspired by the nature of marine and plant life on the Central Coast as well as the mountain scenery of the Sierras. Recently, I have concentrated on creating pieces based on California landmarks. Working with glass is my passion and I continue to take classes to learn new techniques.” 

-Kristine Kelly 

The Lompoc Valley Arts Association is a 501(c)(3) non-profit, committed to expanding and supporting access and exposure to the arts in the Lompoc and Santa Ynez Valley. LVAA sponsors arts programs, events, communications, and other efforts that mutually benefit artists, businesses, residents and visitors to our Valley. To learn more about the arts in the Valley, visit our website www.lompocart.org and Like our Facebook page "Cypress Gallery”

Photos by Astrid Nelson