by: Amanda Trei
This July, the artists of the Cypress Gallery appear to have taken Maya Angelou’s quote, "Try to be a rainbow in someone's cloud", as a personal challenge to fill the walls with vibrant displays of color that give your brain no other option but to release ‘happy-chemicals’.
When you walk into the gallery, expect to be amazed by Chris Jeszeck’s “Pouring My Art Out” featured show. Where she finds the perfect balance between the wild, unpredictable nature of fluid acrylics and the grounding precision of realism with a range of subjects.
To the untrained eye, fluid art might look accidental, but Jeszeck operates in the sweet spot between spontaneity and intention. Rather than fighting the chaos, she embraces the unexpected patterns that bloom on the canvas, using a deliberate color palette to harmonize them. She then weaves realistic subjects into these natural swirls, creating a visual landscape where raw movement and precise detail beautifully coexist.
Jeszeck’s acrylic “Azure Duende” features a flamenco dancer with colors as flowy as her dress swirling around her, matching what I imagine is the energy flowing through her body as she dances. I must say, this piece gets my vote to be featured on Santa Barbara’s 2027 Fiesta poster.
If sealife is more your speed, you’ll love her “Armed and Bubbly” acrylic of an octopus resting amongst colorful coral.
Her acrylic “Contemplation” offers a moody yet bright portrait of a woman who appears to ponder her options. The relaxed expression on her face seems to indicate a calm peace that leads me to believe she’s ready for whatever comes.
“Blast From The Past” might bring a touch of nostalgia to Lisa Frank fans and Ford Mustang lovers alike, although the pony in Chris’s colorful acrylic painting has far more horsepower than any of the horses on my Lisa Frank school folders.
Back in the main gallery, Neil Anderson’s oil painting “Beattie Park #16” has the ability to evoke feelings of “home” for those who grew up in Lompoc. I know this because my mother said, “Oh my goodness, this reminds me of home” when she saw the painting while visiting town last week.
Katya Orlovie made her Cypress Gallery debut. Her watercolor “Day Off” reminds me of a vibey day off from work, where the living room becomes a sanctuary — free from expectations of the outside world.
C. Woods brings her signature texture to "Convergence," an acrylic koi pond that I’m choosing to believe was painted by moonlight. While she is well known for her mastery of the palette knife, her seamless blending here leaves you wondering exactly where the blade ends and the brush begins.
We round off the walk through with a mixed media collage from Manic Creative's Jasmine Gonzalez, titled “Barks Against Booms.” Gonzalez flips the script by channeling a dog's perspective, turning the artwork into a visual canine protest against our increasingly busy launch schedule. It perfectly captures how local pets view the loud, sky-shaking booms that come with modern rocket activity.
These are just a few highlights from July's exhibit. Visit Cypress Gallery, 119 E. Cypress Ave., Thursday through Sunday, 11 a.m.–4 p.m., to see what else awaits.
The Cypress Gallery is operated by 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. Find us online at facebook.com/CypressGallery or www.lompocart.org.
CAPTIONS
1. Chris Jeszeck (L-R) "Cerulean Threshold" Acrylic, "Jupiter Sunrise" Acrylic, "Weightlessness" Acrylic, "Flight Of Fancy" Acrylic, "Tidal Memory" Acrylic
2. Chris Jeszeck "Azure Duende" Acrylic
3. Chris Jeszeck “Armed and Bubbly” Acrylic
4. Chris Jeszeck “Contemplation” Acrylic
5. Chris Jeszeck “Blast From the Past” Acrylic
6. Neil Anderson “Beattie Park #16” Oil
7. Katya Orlovie “Day Off” Watercolor
8. C. Wood “Convergence” Acrylic
9. Jasmine Gonzalez Manic Creative “Barks Against Booms” Mixed Media Collage