ELIZABETH MONKS HACK, Cypress Gallery Reporter
October is the month wherein we dip into another world, of change and fantasy. The air turns crisp, nights are suddenly cold and clear, foliage flies through the sky on a brisk wind, pumpkins grin and witches take wing. In “Playing with Weaving, Playing with Light,” a show at the Cypress Gallery by natural materials artists Kathy Badrak and Karen Osland, one will experience the magic that is October. The front gallery has been transformed into an enchanted sylvan world, where sprites and fairies might flit among carved gourds lit from within, hide in hanging lanterns and woven branches bedecked with whimsical treasures.
Both artists find inspiration in their beloved “found treasures” of nature – shells, stones, sticks, needles, branches – and use them as the starting point for works of art. Kathy Badrak is a glass artist who discovered the beauty and flexibility of gourd art. The cast shadows created by the addition of light are integral to her pieces. An aesthetic constant in her work is the juxtaposition of shiny, metallic elements with the neutral, soft texture of natural objects. In In many of her pieces, metallic paint, threads, glass and ceramic glazes make an exciting appearance next to jute, untreated gourd surfaces, and twigs.
Karen Osland is a creative basket weaver and experienced naturalist who has a working relationship with the world from which she culls her materials. Ethnobotany is her primary interest. She uses her knowledge of native California plants and basketry to foster connections to our environment. Osland has led interpretive hikes and taught classes in her field for decades, making exquisite artworks from local materials in the process. In an intriguing piece “Palm Inflorescence” she has woven the dried, flowering branches of a palm into itself; creating a little human intervention and art.
Oranges and blues and blacks on the main gallery walls set the season’s mood, with plenty of pumpkin-themed artwork too. “Dia de los Muertos” by Gil Andersen is a four-tiled ceramic piece on which Day of the Dead figures – skeletons, demons and humans – celebrate the holiday with abandon. Debby Fuller’s photograph “Alley” is a crisp, almost searing study of the complementary colors blue and orange, depicting a timeworn shed’s peeling paint.
Art can be serious; art can be fun! Trish Campbell is an artist who continually demonstrates this. In her painting “Contemplation” a horse stands in a circle of light surrounded by lush and shadowy nature, while her dog “Love” is an outlandish convex fellow, whose nose wants to pop out of the picture plane. Penny Lee portrays her personality-plus dogs as curious travelers in various locale; in one acrylic, “Bruno/Bloodhound” manfully brays before a eucalyptus grove. Lee Hill’s “Chilling,” depicting a stately, lovable bear surveying his domain, won the People’s Choice Award last month. It’s another testament to an artist’s desire to depict whimsy as well as beauty. Don’t miss a second chance to see this fine painting. Don’t miss this month’s show!
Our gift items include an abundance of Joellen Chrones’ “Sugarless Treats” glass works and stitchery by Terry Taylor. Karen Osland has wonderful basket “starts” for sale. The Cypress Gallery is located at 119 East Cypress Avenue, Lompoc. We are operated by the members of the Lompoc Valley Art Association, a 501c(3) non-profit organization, committed to expanding and supporting access and exposure to the arts in the Lompoc and Santa Ynez Valley. Contact us: www.lompocart.org, Facebook/Cypress Gallery, (805) 737-1129.
PICTURE CAPTIONS
Photos by Bill Morson
Alley by Debby Fuller
Bloodhound, Bruno by Penny Lee
Contemplation by Trish Campbell
Dia de los Muertos by Gil Andersen
Elderberry and Gourd Weaving by Kathy Badrak
Palm Infloresence by Karen Osland
Chillin' by Lee Hill