by
Elizabeth Monks Hack
Step right up! We’ve got a really big show! Throughout the month of October, the Cypress Gallery hosts “Square Perspectives,” which can be enjoyed as a series of variety acts. Around seventy-five works of art, all within the identical 12 x 12 inch format, are sure to delight, entertain and even confound the viewer. With creatives, there is something about a rigid mandate that sets them off exploring a range of inventive possibilities.
The Lompoc Valley Art Association typically sponsors a community-wide “Call for Artists” for its fall exhibition. This time around, the Cypress Gallery team decided upon the unique concept of having the artists submit small work of identical size, but of any media. Our local artists responded to the challenge, and have provided us with a positively engaging show.
Several artists conceived of work outside of the traditional flat picture plane. A mixed media, three-dimensional collage piece, “Music In My Mouth” by Aaron Crocker is probably the most surprising of all, for it rotates, and emits sound. Bamboo artist Beverly Messenger-Harte created “Through the Narrows to the Beautiful Within,” a labyrinth of small bamboo pieces for the viewer to explore and perhaps use as a spiritual exercise. “Dunking Pumpkin,”a meticulously hand-tied fishing lure surrounded by nautical rope and mounted on rough boards, is the unique brainchild of Stephen Scolari. Its colors of bright orange and violet are as striking as its concept.
The abstract piece “Texture Expressed” by Sam Easton is an exquisite painted “mosaic” of textures, pieced with equally sized vertical shapes and harmonized colors. Jennifer Chavoya Moreno has submitted detailed, wonderfully executed realist paintings. In “Fern River,” light, color and detail of place are rendered in waxed gouache, creating an uncanny effect. Lee Hill, taking an opposite approach, surprises us with a whimsical rendition of the signs and symbols of Americana. “Circus” and “Road Trip” are brightly colored paintings with graphic design motifs. “Diana” by Edward Heintz presents a breezy, beautiful WWII era woman in watercolor.
This writer would love to go on and on about each artwork, but it is better that you come in to enjoy this spectacle of creativity for yourself! Celebrate the Cypress Gallery’s 30th anniversary with us. A reception for the public will be held on Sunday, October 13, from 1:00 – 3:00 pm.
Get a jump on your holiday shopping during your visit. Our gift shop is filled with affordable, quality handmade gifts and cards. Take home a “square perspective” to fit into your interior decor. They are small, portable, adaptable, and will provide you with your daily dose of beauty and entertainment.
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PHOTO CAPTIONS
Photos by Jasmine Gonzalez
1. Aaron Crocker “Music in My Mouth”
2. Beverly Messenger-Harte “Bamboo Labyrinth Assemblage”
3. Steve Scolari “Dunking Pumpkin”
4. Sam Easton “Texture Expressed”
5. Jennifer Chavoya Moreno “Fern River”
6. Lee Hill “Circus”
7. Edward Heintz “Diana”