It's May

by Elizabeth Monks Hack,

The month of May is a celebration of spring, whether or not we dance around the Maypole or leave flowers at a neighbor’s door. Everywhere the flowers emerge, and soon we’ll see crops begin to sprout and mustard festoon the hillsides. It’s a time for the human spirit to dance with joy. The Cypress Gallery welcomes you to a joyful dance in paint with artist Chris Jeszeck. Her May exhibit “Pigments of My Imagination” is a celebration of all the colors of the rainbow, and of life’s abundance.

Jeszeck specializes in the technique of “acrylic pours,” which she often embellishes with an array of realistically painted animals, people, insects, flowers and fruit – whatever the poured paint inspires – although she often plans the pour around a realistic theme. A favorite of mine is the delirious “Oops,” a tumbling wine glass whose burgundy contents swirl around it. 

The unfettered use of color is a hallmark of Jeszeck’s work. Her pure abstractions demonstrate its expressive power. Coupled with the elaborate movement of cascading and coagulating paint, these works effect strong emotional statements. We feel the disturbed chaos of “Displacement,” and the prideful beauty of “Peacock Panache.” Some works are light and airy, in which veils of paint unfurl and float. Others are dense works, full of “accidental” detail and intrigue. Rich monochromes sing of biochemical origins; a synergy of animal, vegetable, mineral, and paint, and the artist of course.

“Ice Cave” is another favorite, in which Jeszeck uses the “cloud pour” technique with satin enamel paint, mixed into an undisclosed medium. The frosty effect is lovely. One original technique the artist developed, combining a “ring pour” with a “ribbon pour” over it, produces works of visual and psychological depth, evident in “Enigma.” Jeszeck has also produced a YouTube channel in which she demonstrates a variety of methods, as well as a clothing line embellished with her artistry. Enjoy the work of this imaginative and skillful artist, through May 29.

Our main gallery offers even more visual delights. The sunsets and silhouettes of summer are on display in Susanne Schenks’s photographs and Claudette Carlton’s watercolors. The setting sun shines atop car hoods is Schenk’s gorgeous “Sunset Reflections,” and on wet sand in Carlton’s “Paddle Board Sunset,” depicting a young couple walking towards the ocean at the end of day. In “Heron on the Rocks” photographer Tom Chrones has captured a heron hiding behind rocks at the ocean’s door, leaving the viewer to imagine just what the stalked creature is stalking.

If I’ve said it before I have to repeat it – a Monet will set you back more than most of us can make in a lifetime, but at the Cypress Gallery you will find Impressionism at affordable prices. Impressionism, Expressionism, Surrealism, Abstraction, Realism, Fantasy – we have contemporary versions of it all. Neil Andersson and Deborah Breedon are showing small, glorious plein-air landscapes this month; Diane Atturio a beautiful array of watercolor calla lilies; and Linda Gooch’s “Petite Syrah,” in which a confident blue jay looks out over vineyards, is a Santa Rita Hills keepsake.

The Cypress Gallery specializes in gifts that are also original art. New to the gallery is Joe Goetz, who has created marvelous gemstone refrigerator magnets mounted on a painted wood backgrounds. We offer handmade and unique jewelry, works in fused glass, hats, bags, cards and more. It’s May. Make art a part of your life this month. Dance for joy!

The Cypress Gallery is operated by the members of the Lompoc Valley Art Association, a 501c(3) non-profit organization, committed to expanding and supporting access to the arts in the Lompoc and Santa Ynez Valleys. 119 East Cypress Avenue, Lompoc. Thursday – Sunday, 11:00 am – 4:00 pm, or call for an appointment (805) 737-1129 lompocart.org  facebook.com/CypressGallery

All photos by Bill Morson

Glory in the Flower

Floribunda! The Cypress Gallery welcomes you to an alternate reality of abundant flowers this month. The word floribunda itself refers to a class of clustered roses that bloom in profusion, but its Latin root means “many flowering” or “flowering freely,” words that aptly describe featured artist Vicki Andersen’s exhibition “Glory in the Flower.” The blooms in profusion are what surprise and delight the viewer upon entering the show. Alongside the roses are daisies, bougainvillea, bachelor buttons, sweet peas, poppies and more. Andersen is a versatile artist who paints a variety of subjects, but she has chosen the month of April to focus on work that all of us are more than ready for. Color, vibrancy, positivity and joy, embodied in the world of the flower.

In compositions that seem to burst out of picture plane, the artist arranges her blooms in their natural context. Fences in brilliant sunlight and shade are bedecked with roses. An old rail fence is the visual support of purple Mexican sage, exploding like fireworks across it. The highlight of the exhibition is the eponymous “Glory in the Flower,” a tenderly portrayed young girl standing in a Lompoc flower field of bachelor buttons and sweet peas. Her small arm reaches up to hold onto her sunhat as she gazes into the row of flowers, because, being Lompoc, it must be windy.  The delicate visual tension is lovely.

Vicki Andersen is a founding member of the Lompoc Valley Art Association, the Lompoc Mural Society, Gallery Los Olivos and the Lompoc Valley Arts Council. She is well known for her boundless energy, generosity and dedication to the arts. In 2017 she received the Leadership in the Arts Award from the Santa Barbara County Arts Commission.

Boundless energy would be another way to describe Andersen’s work. Applied with palette knives and large brushes, the paint strokes seem to have a life of their own. Most of the paintings are sizable, but even the small works make an indelible statement. Their fuchsias, magentas, blue violets, golds, and bright greens, their deep shadows and sunlight, once they have left your retina, will stay long in your mind.

The individual styles and media of the artists of the main gallery are always a joy to behold, and to study. Note the details and soft quality of Chris Jeszeck’s “Glass Elegance,” a detailed work in colored pencil on a black background. Yours truly displays an exuberant but atypical floral of matilija poppies set against a yellow disc. Revel in the brushstrokes of our own Impressionist painters, Neil Andersson and C. Wood. Absorb the sumptuous surfaces of Bill Morson’s photographs, which are dye-infused aluminum, and give the illusion of an image and mat under glass, with an archival lifespan of 150 years!

The  Cypress Gallery is also a well-stocked and reasonably priced gift store. Handmade cards, prints, journals, jewelry, homewares and more are available. Visit us, take a little time to explore the works, vote for your favorite piece. Enjoy the March People’s Choice artwork by Linda Gooch. All works in the gallery leave you with something wonderful.

The Cypress Gallery is operated by the members of the Lompoc Valley Art Association, a 501c(3) non-profit organization, committed to expanding and supporting access to the arts in the Lompoc and Santa Ynez Valleys. 119 East Cypress Avenue, Lompoc. Thursday – Sunday, 11:00 am – 4:00 pm, or call for an appointment (805) 737-1129 <lompocart.org>  <facebook.com/CypressGallery>

CREDITS       Photos by Bill Morson

  • Vicki Andersen , “Glory in the Flower”, Acrylic on canvas                  

  • Vicki Andersen, “Garden Wall”, Acrylic on canvas

  • Vicki Andersen, “Coronado Fence”, Acrylic on canvas

  • Chris Jeszeck, “Glass Elegance”, Colored pencil on black paper

  • Bill Morson, “Rainforest”, Digital photograph on dye-infused aluminum

  • Lynda Schiff, “Coral Pink Sand Dunes”, Digital photograph on canvas

  • Tom Chrones, “Stone Face”, Digital photograph

  • Steve Scolari, (Untitled), Mixed media on canvas

  • Beverly Messenger, “Bamboo Offering”, Bamboo, copper, ceramic and mirrored glass           

  • Neil Andersson, “Torrey Pine at Dusk”, Oil on canvas

  • Joellen Chrones, “Sugarless Treats”, Fused glass

  • C. Wood, “Waiting by the Road”, Oil on canvas

March of the Turtles

by Elizabeth Monks Hack

Not only do turtles march this March at the Cypress Gallery, they fly, roll over, deliver an Amazon package and dress for the ball. Unfortunately one or two have been trapped in the detritus of ocean trash, while yet another has morphed into a mound of colorful pom-poms. All of this shape-shifting is due to the inexhaustible creativity of our gallery artists and the Lompoc public, who have entered pieces in the community art project “March of the Turtles,” on display through, well, March. 

This show is the third iteration of an annual show that invites the public to decorate and otherwise transform a given wooden shape, provided  by the Lompoc Valley Art Association. Because of the pandemic, artists have had much more than the usual few months to create their works of art. The opening last weekend was the largest in recent history. Kids of all ages, adults included, thoroughly enjoyed the profusion of the intensely imaginative, four-legged creatures, while munching on bright green frosted turtle cupcakes with red licorice legs. 

Artists know how to astonish, be it with a cookie monster turtle enjoying his chocolate chip cookies, or with exquisite tooled gourds rendered as a turtle shell. A few of the many stand-outs in the show include Steve Scolari’s  carved walking stick, embellished by a turtle with a wood-burned design, and a copper-clad turtle with an array of turquoise stones on his shell, by Michelle Schaeger. The show’s piece de resistance is Kevin Thompson’s “Roll Over Beethoven,” referring not to Chuck Berry or a retirement account, but to an unfortunate musical turtle named Ludwig who has rolled onto his back. Fully three-dimensional, the turtle’s rosy cheeks and realistic skin and shell are a marvel. Naturalistic paintings and photographs of sea turtles by gallery artists are also on display. They seem to cast a sober eye on their whimsical cousins.

In the main gallery landscapes dominate, including two large, masterful pastels by Carol Wood. In “Poplar Drive” and “Los Alamos Vineyard” Wood captures an expanse of sunlit road with an economy of strokes and hues. Julia Nash’s freely stroked oil “Wandering Stream” is full of exuberance,  its clouds, water and trees dancing to the sounds of nature. The photograph “Spilled Gold” by Suzanne Schenck depicts the beauty of sunlight at the end of the day, falling into the rocks and water of the coastline. Claudette Carlton’s charming, unaffected watercolor style perfectly suits the old New England church she paints in “Deerfield Church,” choosing a delicate tone of red that complements the soft greens of the foliage.

As always, the Cypress Gallery is also a gift store full of handmade cards, journals, jewelry and...turtles! Catch a turtle before they crawl back to sea at the end of the month. Witty, beautiful, amazing - most are for sale and looking for a good home. 

The Cypress Gallery is operated by the members of the Lompoc Valley Art Association, a 501c(3) non-profit organization, committed to expanding and supporting access to the arts in the Lompoc and Santa Ynez Valleys. 119 East Cypress Avenue, Lompoc. Thursday – Sunday, 11:00 am – 4:00 pm, or call for an appointment (805) 737-1129 <lompocart.org>  <facebook.com/CypressGallery>

CREDITS

Photos by Bill Morson

  • Kevin Thompson “Roll Over Beethoven”  Photo by Bill Morson

  • Michelle Schaeger “Turquoise Turtle” Photo by Wyn Hack

  • “March of the Turtles” Display photos by Wyn Hack

  • Carol Wood “Poplar Drive” Photo by Bill Morson

  • Suzanne Schenck “Spilled Gold”



Gaze and Wonder

by Elizabeth Monks Hack

The newness of January has a childlike quality. It’s rain-washed fresh and full of possibilities. We want to look at the world as we did when we were very young; full of color, light and impressions, without judgment. A walk through the Cypress Gallery this month will bring you to that place if you let it. I was captivated by the variety of artworks on display, and found myself in that blissful state that allows us to gaze and wonder.

Instead of our usual featured artist, January showcases the work of all  members throughout the gallery. The work of art that seems to represent most clearly the concept of renewal is “Jalama Seagull” by our gallery photographer Bill Morson. It is a small print on aluminum. Its straightforward composition, of a seagull with outstretched wings against a piercing blue sky,   seems to glow with promise. Another Morson photograph, entitled “Haleakala Caldera,” shows the passage of eons of time. The vast rim of the extinct volcano on Maui holds worlds within it, and truly represents its name, which means “house of the sun.”

“Notes” by Kathy Badrak is an abstract piece that demonstrates the wonder of creativity, once you let go of the demands of realism. The artist has organized strokes of paint and found objects into a grid format, which happily play across the canvas like a song. Diane Atturio experiments in this vein with her intriguing collage “Eucalyptus.” The eucalyptus leaves mounted on bark cloth are comprised of paper and colored pencil, or are they? I never did decided which. The gum-nuts are real.

“Winter Sleep” by Steven Scolari, shows another side of the new year; the persistence of dark, cold weather. A small-scale vertical panel of bare trees against a moody sky, it speaks to those of us who can’t wrap our heads around renewal just yet. “The Old Theatre at Sunset” by yours truly received the People’s Choice ribbon for December. Re-looking at it in January seemed to give it new meaning.

Numerous works of glorious art, cards and gifts by your favorite gallery artists await your presence. Take a few minutes to revive your spirits, now that the holiday rush is over. Allow yourself to gaze and wonder.

The Cypress Gallery is operated by the members of the Lompoc Valley Art Association, a 501c(3) non-profit organization, committed to expanding and supporting access to the arts in the Lompoc and Santa Ynez Valleys. 119 East Cypress Avenue, Lompoc. Thursday – Sunday, 11:00 – 4:00 pm. (805) 737-1129 <lompocart.org> 

CREDITS

  • All photos by Bill Morson

  • Bill Morson “Jalama Seagull”

  • Kathy Badrak “Notes”

  • Diane Atturio “Eucalyptus”                                                                                                          

  • Steven Scolari “Winter Sleep”

  • Elizabeth Monks Hack “The Old Theatre at Sunset”

FALL Head over Heels

by Elizabeth Hack

Ravishing color and form reflecting the richness of autumn is on view this month at the Cypress Gallery. Add to that the lure of beauty and the wonder of marvelous places, and you might just find yourself in the state of desire. In his show “Paintings of Parks,” featured artist Neil Andersson has transformed the front gallery space into a jewel box of dazzling, covetable landscapes, beginning with the showstopper “Marsh with Gray Sky.” A large oil that depicts the wide lagoon at the mouth of the Santa Inez river at our own Ocean Beach Park, it is a supreme of example of an artist dedicated to capturing local beauty. Working the style of contemporary Impressionism,  Andersson represents a full range of moods and experiences in his work.

Andersson, Kiwanis Lake at Midday

Neil Andersson is a plein-air painter, going out weekly to various locations to paint onsite. He is frequently accompanied by fellow artists who also feel that communing directly with nature through their craft far outweighs the drawbacks. Weather conditions are not always optimal. The sun cannot be directly on the canvas, and positioning the easel is a constant concern. The works on display are the result of his painting outings in public parks, and demonstrate that Andersson has truly mastered the art of wrestling with the elements.

Every one of them is a delight, especially for those who have visited the familiar terrain. “Kiwanis Lake at Midday” recalls the gentle breeze and splashing of water birds. Smaller works take the viewer down the pleasant sunlit paths of La Purisima State Park and the Buellton Botanical Garden. Andersson orchestrates warm with cool colors, but all hues are subtly applied: his blues have tones of lilac, and his greens tones of yellow, his lilac have tones of gold. Fans of Impressionism will find in Andersson a contemporary master.

Works in the main gallery contain bursts of therapeutic fall color, be it in paintings, photographs or glass. Vicki Andersen has three large acrylics of her forays into Venice, Italy in which she channels Van Gogh and delivers such wonders as “Venetian Orange” and “Serenissima.” Yours truly has on display “Earth Centered,” a red-orange barn off Jalama Road, with the planet earth inside. Edward Heinitz has a marvelous illustrative watercolor of “George Washington” in profile, with apple-red cheeks. Rosalea Greenwood has stretched her wings a bit this month, with an abstract watercolor called “Luna Rose,” incorporating iridescence, splattered blue, red and violet paint into a mysterious moonlit night.

Artist Kristine Kelly creates gorgeous paintings on, or I should say within, glass, in which the elements of nature are created with various colors and particles fused together.  Beverly Messenger, whose prime motif is the enchantment of bamboo, presents a mixed media piece called “Bambuddha.” It could be described as a whimsical wall shrine of various elements, including bamboo, verdigris copper and crystals. Joelllen Chrones goes beyond the decorative with her glass utilitarian objects. Case in point: a blue and black divided plate is an abstract painting as well as a serving platter.

We hope you were able to stop by to see all the winners of our October Fall Show. We loved having the public vote! The People’s Choice award for September went to Lee Hill, for his portrait of a beloved old truck. Come by in November, select from our handmade unique gifts, vote for your favorite piece, and fall head over heels for art. Own it!

The Cypress Gallery is located at 119 E. Cypress Avenue, Lompoc. We are open Friday through Sunday, 11:00 – 4:00 pm, or by appointment: (805) 737-1129. The Cypress Gallery is a 501-3 C non-profit organization operated by the Lompoc Valley Art Associations. We observe current state-mandated Covid-19 requirements.

CAPTIONS (All photos by Bill Morson)

Cypress Gallery Fall Show

The Cypress Gallery tradition of the fall show is back! We’re happy about it! A call for entries to the general public was distributed in August, artists from every make and media brought in their works at the end of September, and a fine exhibition was hung at the beginning of October. A group showing without theme or context is always full of surprises, and this one is no exception. The variety of artist materials and approaches alone is worth a visit, but the galleries hold treasures that you just may want to own. 

In a break with convention the public is invited to vote for up to three of their favorite works of art. The voting will end on October 22, and ribbons will be attached to the winning artworks on October 23. Cash awards will be distributed at a reception on Sunday, October 24th, from 1:00 – 3:00 pm. at the gallery.

Both innovative and classic techniques are well-represented. Traditional painting media include oils, acrylics, watercolor, and gouache; each one used according to an artist’s style and personality. Like fingerprints, an artist’s work speaks of oneself as well as the image portrayed. “Nojoqui Falls” by Linda Gooch is a portrait of the artist gazing up at the familiar waterfall cascading along the rock face, rendered with delicate, realistic details and lustrous texture. “Squares and Rectangles” by Ayanna Weighill is equally delightful and delicate, but uses ink and watercolor in an abstract, playful manner reminiscent of Paul Klee. In Julia Nash’s “Lady Smoking” and Douglas Clark’s “One Angel,” the oil paint surface is thick, broadly-stroked and shiny, in alignment with their bold and unusual subjects. Steven Scolari blocks in his brush-dominant landscape “Untitled” with similar, purposeful strokes, but with a matte surface of water-based acrylic and gouache, creating a more somber mood. 

The camera in the hands of the creative photographer also takes on vastly different modes of expression. Lynda Schiff’s dazzling photograph “Spectacular Sunday,” of a young girl in the shimmering seashore tide, is traditionally composed but generates a chain reaction of emotion in the viewer’s mind. For her photograph “Maple Mandala,” Beverly Messenger-Harte arranged collected leaves into a mandala shape against  a textile-like background, gifting the viewer with a quiet, ever-present meditation. 

Chris Jeszeck takes her embellished acrylic “pour” technique to the next level. Her “Sayonara” and “Tangerine Trio” glow like jewels on the wall. Jeszeck’s attention to color and surface minutiae creates intricate works evocative of time and place, but leave much to the viewer’s imagination. 

Discovering the variety of ingenious media in the show is like walking through an Aladdin cave of wonders. “Llama Cats” by Julie Simons is a three-dimensional trio of chubby cats made of llama hair, and her charming piece “Cats in Action” is made of cat hair. Tammy Evans creates spectacular gourd sculptures, in which she carves, etches, slices, laces and embellishes gourds to create totemic works of art. “Horse Gourd” is both playful and talismanic. Lee Hill used vintage wood from Camp Cook, c. 1950, to construct a window frame, complete with sill, for his painting “Barn Owls.”  Kathy Badrak pursues the concept of art as play, with her whimsical book,“A Cottage to Play In.” Within each page is a surprise. “Summer Reflections” by Kristine Kelley is a lovely birch tree forest in layered glass. Monica Miehle has contributed fabulous hand-crafted body ornaments of agate, copper, green kyanite, and hand-crocheted silk to the show.

So few pencil drawings are exhibited these days that a fine drawing by Tania Navarrete, “A Student’s Point of View,” seems exotic, with its deep values and surreal take on a still-life subject.  

Our front rooms are replete with affordable gift items and works of art, so get a jump start on your holiday shopping, while you vote for your favorite pieces. It’s a great show. You be the judge!

The Cypress Gallery is located at 119 E. Cypress Avenue, Lompoc. We are open Friday through Sunday, 11:00 – 4:00 pm, or by appointment: (805) 737-1129. The Cypress Gallery is a 501-3 C non-profit organization operated by the Lompoc Valley Art Associations. We observe current state-mandated Covid-19 requirements.

Fall Show – Open Competition

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The Following Awards will be presented at the end of the Show:

  • First Place:   $100.00 Cash Award and Ribbon

  • Second Place:  $75.00 Cash Award and Ribbon

  • Third Place:   $50.00 Cash Award and Ribbon

Please Review This Checklist Before Submitting Your Artwork

  • Artwork must have been created in the last 24 months.

  • Submissions must never have been in any LVAA Show.

  • No copies or prints will be accepted.

  • Each artist is allowed two original works.

  • Sculpture is limited to 5 feet in height and 4 feet in width.

  • Hanging art must not exceed more than 48x48 inches.

  • The artist is responsible for any special installation that might be required.

  • Hanging artwork must be properly framed and must be wired, ready to hang.  The hanging wire ends must be wrapped with tape after double threading through the D rings (eye hooks are prohibited) .  The middle of the wire must be at least 2 inches below the top of the frame.  All other hangers will be rejected.

  • Works on paper should be under glass.

  • Wrap-around canvas must be painted on all visible surfaces.

  • Artists with artwork for sale must have a resale number or enter their artwork as not for sale, “NFS”.

2021 Fall Art Show Prospectus

DATE OF SHOW: October 1 – October 24. 2021

ENTRY DATE: Monday, September 27, 2021, from 11 am to 1 pm.

ELIGBILITY: Open to all artists, 18 years or older.  Membership in the Lompoc Valley Art Association is not required to enter.  A resale # issued by the California State Board of Equalization is required at ingathering if the entry is to be offered for sale.

ENTRY FORM: Fill out an entry form for each art piece submitted.

ENTRY FEE: Members $10.00 per art piece; Non-members $15.00 per art piece.

JUDGED SHOW: This will be a judged show with the community acting as the judges.  Visitors to the Cypress Gallery will vote on their favorites for first, second and third place.

SUBMISSION: Artwork must have been created in the last 24 months.  All hanging requirements must be met as stated in the Checklist.

SALES: Artists offering their artwork “For Sale” must have a resale number or enter their work as Not for Sale “NFS”.  Artwork sold during the show is subject to the established commission of LVAA.

INGATHERING PLACE, DATE AND TIME:  Please bring your entry to the Cypress Gallery, 119 E. Cypress Avenue on Monday September 27, 2021, between 11 am and 1 pm.  No entries will be accepted prior to 11am September 27.

PICK UP DATE:  Monday, October 25 between 10 am and noon.  Entries accepted into the show may not be removed prior to the end of the show.

FALL SHOW RECEPTION WITH AWARDS CEREMONY:  Sunday, October 24 from 1pm to 3 pm.  All artists and their guests are invited to attend.

Places to Go, People to Meet, Things to See

“A Walk Through the Cypress,” June 2021 

Elizabeth Monks Hack, Lompoc Valley Art Association


 The Cypress Gallery is back, with more members and new members exhibiting work. The beginning of summer days and the end times of the Covid-19 daze is celebrated with a variety of exuberant art. If a theme were to be selected for this month’s show it would be the inspiring travel quote “I’ve got places to go, people to meet and things to see,” thank goodness! 

A large boldly-stroked acrylic by Douglas Clark startles us as we enter. The torso of “The Dancer,” a Native American man in a ceremonial attire, pushes at the boundaries of the picture plane. His face, eyes peering through black paint and cascading feathers, confronts the viewer while the body turns away in action. Clark uses black paint and color dynamically throughout his work, outlining and overlaying resolute forms. In a similar work entitled “Chief” and also “Fremont Theater,” his style and commitment to subject matter offer the viewer a truly engaging experience.

I tend to regard a work of art as an experience, created by the artist, to provide enjoyment and communicate meaning, among other things. Art is not a world of passivity. In some art works the experiential aspect is quite apparent. In her series of “Moontree” giclees, Barbara Hannelore employs techniques of Australian indigenous painting to convey a dynamic world of the earth connected to the cosmos. Dots, patterned brush strokes and muted primary colors swirl in a vibrant dialogue. 

Photographers Tom Chrones and Bill Morson let us in on the private discussions of nature that we can only wonder about. Chrones’ carefully observed triptych “Watching, Yawning” represents an owl in various stages of dozing in a tree. Feathers and eucalyptus leaves create a masterful arrangement of pattern and design, as well as a simply delightful work of art. Morson’s enchanting “Sea Turtle” swims close to the surface, which leads me to believe that Bill was swimming close to the surface too!Light reflects the patterns of the turtle’s body above as he looks downward into the blue with a look of perfect nonchalance. Pattern and design are also a vital component of this piece’s excellence.

Take some time in front of Julia Nash’s “Moonlight.” Lushly painted trees in harmonious blues and greens bend to the will of the moon. Chris Jeszeck’s large, extraordinary acrylic pours, “Malachite” and “Iridescence,” provide us with the mileage of the universe while observing the intricacies of molecules. Yours truly shows a quasi-abstract work from her archives, entitled “Floating Bowl.” This one may keep you guessing.

As always, gift items from our talented artists happily cross over the boundaries of craft and art. “Up and Out,” a glass plate by Joellen Chrones is a sunburst in action; its upper half splits apart. This is just a taste of the excitement of the season to enjoy at our gallery this month. Start your summer adventure here with “things to see.” They are also here for you to own!  

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. We are located at 119 East Cypress Avenue, Lompoc, CA. We are open Friday – Sunday, 11:00 am to 4:00 pm. For appointments call (805) 736-3743 or (805) 705-5328. We implement all state mandated guidelines for a healthy gallery experience. Cypress Gallery news can be found on Facebook and at www.lompocart.org. (Photo credits below)



PHOTO CREDITS All by Bill Morson

“The Dancer” by Douglas Clark

“Moontree Moon” by Barbara Hannelore

“Sea Turtle” by Bill Morson

“Watching, Yawning” by Tom Chrones

“Floating Bowl” by Elizabeth Monks Hack

“Iridescence” by Chris Jeszeck

“Malachite” by Chris Jeszeck

“Up and Out” by Joellen Chrones



THE JOY OF ART

“A Walk Through the Cypress” Monthly Column

Pendant by Tony Zybell

Pendant by Tony Zybell

Elizabeth Monks Hack

May is for flowers, May is for Moms, May is already here. While we might not be ready to shout “Yay, it’s May!” there are some great works of art in the Cypress Gallery this month that are sure to bring you joy. The shining star of the show is the sun-soaked “Angie,” an acrylic painting by Diane Atturio of her daughter. The face and shoulders of a smiling young woman glow with yellow light, filtered through a large straw hat. Dominating the canvas, she stands in front of the ocean and a grove of palms, her hair wet from a swim. The purposeful brushstrokes and the easy smile of the woman appeal to us to join in on the happy dance of life. It is an invitation to enjoy the rest of the show.

A walk through the gallery reveals much that relates to mothers, including a delightful three-dimensional collage called “Mothers,” also by Atturio. Flowers, art reproductions and other bits of nostalgia recall tender memories of motherhood. Betsee Talavera displays a painting done awhile ago of her cherished mom as she often remembers her; hanging out clothes on the line. “The Laundress” creates a strong diagonal of the woman’s arms reaching up to pin the clothes, while in the opposite direction clothes wave in the breeze. It is a focused scene of action; a determined woman setting about her task. Colors vibrate in the sunlight.

“Angie” by Diane Atturio

“Angie” by Diane Atturio

Talavera demonstrates a mastery of brush and composition in two other paintings as well. “Morning Shadows Hendry’s Beach” and “Ojai Hills” have the uncanny effect of placing the viewer within their physical space. Both exploit contrasts of color and light and shade. In particular “Ojai Hills” has us walking in violet shade alongside a cool mountain stream, while gazing up at a yellow-green hillside flooded with sun and reflected in the water.

Our gallery photographers consistently contribute works of beauty and intrigue, by artists sensitive to the intimacy and immediacy of a scene made possible by the camera lens. Lynda Schiff’s piece “Watery Shadow Dance” plays with reality. It first appears to be an abstract design, but upon inspection, we find the ghosts of cavorting figures.

“Ojai Hills” by Betsee Talavera

“Ojai Hills” by Betsee Talavera

An exceptional treat this month is a handmade book by Beverly Ann Messenger, entitled “To Bamboo!” Messenger has created an anthology of poems written throughout the ages in honor of bamboo. The book has a stalk of bamboo on its spine and is printed on lovely green fiber-filled paper. Bamboo is beloved by poets for its numerous metaphors, including that of resiliency; its ability to bend but not break. Messenger has honored this phenomenon of nature with a true work of art.

If you are in need of a bouquet for a special mom this month, flowers by gallery artists Vicki Andersen, Claudette Carlton, Rosalea Greenwoord and Chris Jeszeck are found throughout the gallery, with the advantage of their staying permanently fresh. Cards and jewelry of exceptional quality and original design are available. Add a little joy to your day. Visit the Cypress Gallery during the month of May!

"Yellow-Pink Rose" by Claudette Carlton

"Yellow-Pink Rose" by Claudette Carlton

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. We are located at 119 East Cypress Avenue, Lompoc, CA. Our hours are Saturday and Sundays from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm. and by appointment. Call (805) 736-3743 or (805) 705-5328. We implement all state mandated guidelines for a healthy gallery experience. Cypress Gallery news can be found on Facebook and at www.lompocart.org.

PHOTOS CREDITS

“Angie” by Diane Atturio

“Ojai Hills” by Betsee Talavera

"Yellow-Pink Rose" by Claudette Carlton

Pendant by Tony Zybell

No Charge for Looking: The Free Flowing World of Art

by Elizabeth Monks Hack

White Fence with Daisies, Vicki Andersen

White Fence with Daisies, Vicki Andersen

 We are still masked and wondering – when shall we be released? Yet in spite of our confinement there are places where we remain free, as free as possible. One of them is in the world of nature. Another is in the world of art. Artists of the Cypress Gallery have courageously soldiered-on throughout the pandemic, and our doors are open for you to enjoy their creations. Through art you can journey to worlds familiar or unfamiliar to you. Through art you can take wing, as free as a bird to soar through the world of nature and the imagination.

Evening on the Beach, Penny Lee

Evening on the Beach, Penny Lee

Neil Andersson displays a selection of his works on an entire wall this month, enabling the viewer to roam through his world, depicting our local sites made glorious by his magical paintbrush. Andersson is also an accomplished musician, and I can't help but think his point and counterpoint of green and blue landscapes are harmonious selections from the great symphony of nature. This artist captures moments of the natural world with the veracity of Monet, in paintings that are worthy of study as well as enjoyment. His cobalt blues and sumptuous greens are especially captivating  in “Lagoon at Midday,” in which sky and land are reflected in a beauteous expanse of water.

Lagoon at Midday, Neil Andersson

Lagoon at Midday, Neil Andersson

One of my favorite paintings this month is Lee Hill's “Tienda,” of a street scene in Los Moches, Sinaloa, Mexico. It is a solid, physical work of art built with strongly rendered shapes and bold color. Red, yellow, blue, orange and green are set against whites and cool grays, in a delightful narrative of people going about their daily business. Another highlight is the work of Penny Lee, who specializes in portraits of beloved dogs. These pets are guaranteed to make you smile. Penny Lee uses color very much like Lee Hill; their palette is undiluted and expressive. In “Evening on the Beach,” a long horizontal seascape in purple and yellow, a very happy dog bounds in from the left towards the setting son. “Jake,” a Bernese Mountain Dog with his tongue out and contentment in his eyes, reclines in front of a Lompoc flower field. And speaking of flowers, Vicki Andersen's “White Fence with Daisies” is an exhilarating work of art; a large simple composition full of the bravura and energy of spring.

Jake, Penny Lee

Jake, Penny Lee

We have gifts! Betsee Talavera's  felted purses in subtle colors and simple shapes will add a stylish accent to your spring wardrobe. Joellen Chrones' whimsical small glass dishes are miniature works of abstract art. Cards, jewelery, prints and other very affordable works of art will certainly please a friend, as well as support our local art scene. Shop small, shop local, shop art. Stop into the Cypress Gallery for some downtime that will lift you higher. No charge for looking. Enjoy the free flowing world of art!

Tienda, Lee Hill

Tienda, Lee Hill

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. We are located at 119 East Cypress Avenue, Lompoc, CA. Our hours are Saturday and Sundays from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm. and by appointment. Call (805) 736-3743 or (805) 705-5328. We implement all state mandated guidelines for a healthy gallery experience. Cypress Gallery news can be found on Facebook and at www.lompocart.org.

 

PHOTOS CREDITS

“Lagoon at Midday” by Neil Andersson (Photo: Richard Newton)

“Tienda” by Lee Hill (Photo: Bill Morson)

“Evening on the Beach” by Penny Lee (Photo: Richard Newton)                                                    

Adventures With A New Creative Opportunity, the SB Home Project, During COVID

In the fall of 2020, my artist proposal to participate in the SB Home Project was accepted. The final piece, Fire and Life, was recently published and is now available to watch online. My part is one in a series that features local talent. The project presents a collection of stories from individuals who consider Santa Barbara home. We did everything over zoom and only the very final steps were in person. I found the process really fruitful creatively. It was my first time writing for a theatre piece and it was a collaboration with the director, Sara Rademacher, and actress, Brooklyn Snyder. I've added a link to read more about the project and to watch the final video on the Marjorie Luke Theatre's website. It's an invitation to think about the stories we share with others, our shared identity, shared space, and what makes a home.

Watch The SB Home Project

Read More About the SB Home Project

Photo by Mitra: Rehearsal at CAW with Brooklyn, Mitra, Sara.

Photo by Mitra: Rehearsal at CAW with Brooklyn, Mitra, Sara.

The Heart of Art

by Elizabeth Monks Hack

February, one year ago. The Cypress Gallery reopened its doors in celebration of a months long, much needed remodel. “Welcome back art!” I wrote. Chris Jeszeck had mounted a bounteous show, a riot of color, form, shape and technique. February, two years ago. The gallery celebrated the month of love with the show “An Occasion for Red.” Gallery artists submitted heartfelt, joyous works that set the walls on fire. I still remember Tonya Shultz's   expressionist vase of flowers, “Heritage Rose,” with its background and foreground colors throbbing in harmony. February 2021. The gallery is closed, for the second time this year. Not because we artists have lost our mojo. It is due to a pandemic that has taken its toll on art as well as people. We open our doors by appointment only, showing works that have been up since the last show. Some artists have used this time to open new creative pathways, while others of us really struggle to keep our mojo working.

Perhaps the month of February, with its shimmering Valentine phantoms made visible only in the garish commercial spots open to us, is a good time to consider the depths of our love for art. To consider origins of inspiration and motivation. Whew, that's heavy. I'm getting tired already. Voices of the pandemic pundits ring in my ears, providing me with so many reasons to stop. “You're not lazy — you're stressed. That's why being at home during the Coronavirus pandemic is making you feel so tired,” read numerous articles. Experts in psychology inform us that extreme tiredness is the body’s natural reaction to anxiety and trauma. Psychologist Dr. Jen Hartstein* explains, “We are on emotional overload. Many of us are feeling anxious, which activates our sympathetic nervous system. That system is responsible for our fight-or-flight response, and for triggering our adrenaline. The stress we are all under leads to some adrenal fatigue, which causes our bodies to need a break, and we automatically shut down.” Well, that's helpful. I will buck up and force myself to keep the valves open. I'll harness some energy to explore the heart of art-making, because art is worth fighting for.

Why? Oh my goodness. Why do I make art? Why do you make art? The pandemic has been a time of relative isolation, as if we are all in a tiny spacecraft only capable of relating to the outside world through an artificial, electrical pulse. We subconsciously interpret the  admonition to stay-at-home to avoid contagion as a directive to remain in our figurative space capsules until it's over. What is missing? Touch, smell, vibrations, resonance, each other. Paint strokes. The essentials of human experience. The resonance of color, the magenta bougainvillea ablaze in the sunlight, the sapphire of an ocean. The thrill of an outstretched hand, the shock of blood drawn in a fight. To see a work of art by a great artist in the flesh. Sure, we can see it all on TV. See it digitally. Ah, but to experience experience in person, to pick up the sensations and absorb them in your bloodstream. The artist has a real need to respond, someway, somehow, through art-making. That's the deep down motivation. Onscreen, after a while, the thrill gets gone.

Another issue confronting the artist during a pandemic concerns social life. Art is the work of an individual who connects with the self in response to personal experience and feeling, but the odd conundrum for many an artist is the very real need to connect with others. We need to communicate, network and above all share. Few artists, like James Hampton, are content to work a lifetime in a garage making shrines to the almighty out of tin foil, that no one knows about until after his death. The great tragedy of Van Gogh's life is not so much his unpurchased output but his lack of requited connection. To put it plainly, we need to show and tell. To collaborate. To compare notes over a glass of wine, visit the galleries and museums, to make the scene, to make a sale; to make that connection concrete. During the pandemic this is hampered, curtailed, made difficult. Zoom, after awhile, doesn't cut it. Socially distanced gatherings somehow seem futile. We neglect our art supplies for days. Empty the dishwasher, take a nap. We've got time.

I so admire the artists who have been able to keep it going within the sur-realities of 2020. Who work on their craft. Artists who most likely follow the advice of pandemic pundits to “stay connected, keep your body moving, get some sunlight, establish a routine!” Sure there are artists of extreme self-sufficiency and discipline who consider the pandemic a boon, for its lack of social obligations and interference. But somehow for many of us, alone, something is lost. Dropped from our hands. What can I do if this is me? How can I stroke a swath of watercolor across my mind? I can simply re-address the wonder of creativity.

If it were not for human creativity, nothing would ever get done, would ever get made, would ever change. We work together to make our increasingly complex existence happen, solving problems and meeting challenges as they arise. Human creativity and ingenuity, and a whole lot of teamwork makes our wheels go round. “Art” is the last stop of human creativity, an outcropping on the mountaintop where an artist stands alone to take in the view.

If you are in a slump, climb back up there. In the vastness of all that space are the little things too. From here your art power issues forth. It may be the first birdsong heard in the morning, the beats of your favorite music, or something darker, deeper, more sad. What colors will it be? Take a look at your own mojo; a good long look at your magical charm. Give it a shake. What spells will you cast in the context of art and life?

*https://www.drjen.com

“Place of Refuge”

by Elizabeth Monks Hack 

Summer began and ended with a sigh this year, all of its hoped-for joys put on hold for most of us. The air is unhealthy again and the virus is still a threat. Uncertainty looms large. Where can one go to find respite from anxiety, a little joy, some peace? Fortunately for us our local artists have continued to work throughout the season, producing if not a vaccine, a least an antidote to the current malaise. So much of the art displayed in the Cypress Gallery this month offers us a sense of calm and a fair share of joie de vivre.

Featured artist Claudette Carlton delivers a show of gentle watercolors of subjects intended to delight. Carlton had enjoyed drawing for pleasure throughout her teaching career, and only discovered the joy of painting  upon her retirement. Her works display a sensitivity to facial expressions found not only in her portraits of people but also of animals. “Pound Puppy” and “Buffalo Love” bring us up close and personal to the animal kingdom.  Carlton also has the ability to orchestrate a variety of textures when the subject calls for it. In “Facing the Storm,” she meets the challenge of a great wave rising from a tumultuous sea, observed by a pelican protected by its rugged feathers. Ms. Carlton tells us she thought at the outset of her painting career that “maybe this ‘ol granny could follow in the footsteps of Grandma Moses!” She has placed a rocking chair draped with a shawl in the corner of the gallery; a lovely touch to a lovely show.

Pound Puppy by Claudette Carlton

Pound Puppy by Claudette Carlton

 The submissions of our gallery photographers this month present us with the beautiful, vibrant world we long to be a part of again. Lynda Schiff displays two uplifting images of air in “Soar” and “Glow.” Tom Chrones has caught a heron for us with his camera in “Blu,” a soft image of a hunting animal, with its fierce eye and open beak. Bill Morson’s photographs are beyond vivid, their colors and textures shaping for us the world as it is, but that we rarely take time to truly see. His “Central Coast Oak” is a timely, haunting image of a lone tree in silhouette against a fiery red-orange sky.

Central Coast Oak by Bill Morson

Central Coast Oak by Bill Morson

Diane Atturio shows a group of watercolors mounted on small panels, each of a different native plant. She has skillfully captured the essence of these beautiful treasures – poppies, Dudlea, and Live Oak – using a softness of texture and light. Across the room Vicki Andersen takes the opposite approach, which to me is the wonder of human artistry; the ability to tailor our creativity as an individual response to our mutual environment. Andersen’s acrylic paintings of landscapes and floral abundance are created with vigorous brush strokes and dynamic color. Enjoy her “Jalama Sunset.”

Visit the Cypress Gallery this month! Explore the world as a stable and wondrous place. We also offer a wide variety of artistic gifts and cards. Jewelry of all types, and delightfully painted wood creations by Toni Zybell are guaranteed to bring joy. The gallery has been made as safe as possible for visitors, with all recommended requirements and restrictions in place. Our gallery hours have been reduced to Saturdays and Sundays during the month of October. Call for special appointments.

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.

Blue Skies

by Elizabeth Monks Hack

I’m looking for blue skies, nothing but blue skies this month! We’ve had gloomy gray, smoky gray, smoky brown and particle pink too often this summer. I’m very happy to report there are currently blue skies in the Cypress Gallery, along with sunlit trees and flowers and fields of gold. Featured artist Liz Poulin Alvarez generously bestows them upon us in her show “California Landmarks,” a collection of places she has visited and interpreted through the art of painting. Using plein-air techniques and a variety of media, Alvarez has created an expressive world of light, color, memory and emotion. Her broad, expertly placed brush strokes magically coalesce before our eyes, into oceans, trees, hills and architecture.

Alvarez has years of fine art education and practice that inform her skill. A graduate of the prestigious Rhode Island School of Design, she earned an MFA from the Whitecliffe College of Art and Design in New Zealand. The paintings display impressionist accuracy and freshness of vision, but her style never displaces her involvement with time and place. In the brilliant “Eastern Sierra Juniper” we feel as if we stand before a twisted tree bathed in sunlight, experiencing it the way the artist has felt it. Alvarez composes her subjects with an immediacy that involves the viewer, and a sense of joy pervades many of the works. The tiny beach umbrella in the foreground of “Montana de Oro: Picnic in June” invites us for a walk along the shore, and I definitely wanted to join the table in “Solvang: Picnic in the Park.” Alvarez is currently teaching art at Lompoc High School; how fortunate for her students!

Montana de Oro: Picnic in June by Liz Poulin Alvarez

Montana de Oro: Picnic in June by Liz Poulin Alvarez

In the main gallery, feast your eyes on the azure heavens in Neil Andersson’s large oil “Fields and Blue Sky.” Your mood will be set on good for the day. Betsee Talavera has contributed charming, intimate gouache paintings of our local landscapes, of which “Jalama Needle” is my favorite. The lovely photograph by Lynda Schiff, “Top of the Morning” is a worm’s eye perspective of redwood trees soaring into blue, sun-pierced sky. Julia Nash often creates haunting works, and her “The Rogue” is no exception, depicting a large-eyed gentleman in a yellow straw hat, set against a cobalt blue background. And if you are so ready for the month of fall, two watercolors have been created for you. Rosalea Greenwood’s “Fall Colors” and Diane Atturio’s “English Ivy” depict sensitively painted leaves placed on a dark background.

Top of the Morning by Lynda Schiff

Top of the Morning by Lynda Schiff

Fine art craft is also in abundance in the gallery this month. Glass painter Kristine Keely has created several exceptional art pieces, including the magnificent glass wall sculpture “Red Poppy.” Work by gourd artist Tammy Evans is a visual oracle of fine carving, embellishments and Native American themes.

So whether or not you are in love, blue skies are here to stay, at least for the month of September. Along with masterful art we offer artistic gifts and cards to brighten your day. Cypress Gallery has been made as safe as possible for visitors, with all recommended requirements and restrictions in place. Our gallery hours have been reduced to Saturdays and Sundays during the month of August. Call for special appointments.

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.

At Long Last Art

by Elizabeth Monks Hack

Cypress Gallery.jpg

Welcome back art! The Cypress Gallery is pleased to announce its reopening after several months of closed doors. Our August show is a vibrant display of exceptionally strong and colorful art, an antidote to the gloom that has surrounded us of late. Featured artist Christine Jeszeck has hung a remarkable show in the front gallery, entitled “Pigment of My Imagination,” whose paintings delight, surprise and astound us for both their imaginative subject matter and technical mastery. Jeszeck is adept at multiple styles that include abstraction, naturalism, acrylic pouring, stroke work and trompe l’oeil, often combining them to create truly surprising works of art.

Her breadth of subject matter is a revelation. Magnificent “pours” swirl around dancers, mermaids and aquatic creatures, an effective correlative to the motion of the fluid technique. A diverse assortment of flora and fauna inhabit liquid environments imagined by the artist, who has the ability to plan and control the extreme spontaneity of thick acrylic paint poured from a jar. Amoeba-like shapes emerge and embellish the wintry space of a winsome fox in “On the Prowl” as convincingly as they do of a lovely rose in the painting “Nostalgia.” Jeszeck’s standout skills are color and composition, most keenly felt in her purely abstract work. The painting “Life Force” is a tour de force of her power as an artist, taking the viewer through veils of paint and glowing orange depths. 

The walls of the main gallery are a shock of color, adorned with boldly conceived and elegantly rendered paintings. One impressive charcoal drawing, however, stands out in contrast. Liz Poulin Alvarez’s “Juniper on Sierra Ridge” displays a sinuous, vigorous energy through aptly placed strokes, characteristics that are also found in her small landscapes. Children of all ages will delight in Claudette Carlton’s large watercolor “How Now Purple Cow,” whose cow looks out at the viewer with a coy eye. Kathy Badrak has contributed intriguing multimedia abstractions that playfully engage the viewer in a visual game of hide and seek. In “It’s Complicated” we discover a treasure trove of art materials from corrugated cardboard to cheesecloth.  

Unique this month in the gallery is the grouping together of numerous works of art by a single artist. Neil Andersson has been busy painting during the sequester and has produced new wonders for us to enjoy, including the jewel “Threatening Weather.” Vicki Andersen shows bold paintings of the southwest, creating an astonishing visual presence. Bill Morson’s pitch perfect color photographs on aluminum make for a sumptuous display of life in our valley. Tom Chrones’ photographs explore our locale through studies of form and light. Diane Atturio’s love of nature is in full bloom on the walls. Lee Hill displays several striking still lifes. The unique vision of Carol Kemp can be appreciated up close and personal, in the form of numerous three-dimensional spirit collages.

Visit the gallery for an uplifting experience during subdued times. Along with masterful art we offer artistic gifts and cards to brighten your day. Cypress Gallery has been made as safe as possible for visitors, with all recommended requirements and restrictions in place. Our gallery hours have been reduced to Saturdays and Sundays during the month of August. Call for special appointments.

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 <lompocart.org>  <facebook/CypressGallery> and our eZine at <https://issuu.com/santaynezvalleyarts>

Into the Mystic, March 2020

by Elizabeth Monks Hack

Spring approaches, and the magic of changing seasons is in the air. Bulbs pop out of the earth, birds wildly sing, and in tune with them is the current show “Mystic” at the Cypress Gallery. In a twist towards the extraordinary, four diverse artists and professional designers present an exhibition whose unifying theme is magic, mystery and spirituality. The group show is a delight to explore, with works ranging in media from painting, to fiber and fashion art and digital illustration.

Mitra Cline’s boldly outlined paintings recall Marc Chagall in their whimsy, with an awareness of the transformative power of color and shape. Cline states that her art practice is about “living in a global culture and seeking wisdom,” creating a doorway into the unconscious mind to unlock instinctual energy.

Mitra Cline “Gemini Synchronicity”

Mitra Cline “Gemini Synchronicity”

Zulema Covarrubias has created a fey pink kimono that joyfully greets the viewer upon entering the gallery. Covarraubias, who has a degree in Graphic Arts, works in paper collage and painting influenced by fantasy art. In her work, the juxtaposition of improbable elements results in unexpected visual surprises.

Jojo Chongjaroenjai is a motion designer who specializes in animation and illustration.  Digital tools showcase her quirky characters and whimsical creatures. Of her work, Chongjaroenjai states that she “seeks to promote positivity, humor, and magic in our daily life.”

Eric Harper comes from a traditional animation background, and currently works as a storyboard artist. His contribution to the show is concept art for a personal project that will launch this year, featuring an anthropomorphic hyena who runs an L. A.art gallery. Now that’s simply magic! Don’t miss the opening on March 14, where you can meet these singular artists, and if you like, receive a complimentary tarot card reading by Mitra Cline.

I have to say that the landscape art presented on the main gallery walls is quite exceptional this month. True, we cannot afford to own a Monet or Pissarro, but that is no matter, as we have the work of Betsee Talavera, Marlilyn Stankewich, Mikel Naccarato, Neil Andersson, Diane Atturio and others to fill the need for fresh, evocative, finely painted glimpses of nature.

Betsee Talavera “Layers in the Surf”

Betsee Talavera “Layers in the Surf”

Talavera’s uses a cohesive, energetic brushstroke style that enlivens her paintings of local vistas.   She also has a signature color palette that includes delicious mauves, warm siennas, and turquoise blues, evident in “Layers in the Surf.” Mikel Naccarato’s landscapes have a distinctive use of space that borders on the metaphysical. He breaks the land and sky into two geometric planes, but fills them with fine color and paint handling. I could stand in front of his Sky Earth paintings for a very long time, as if before a Rothko, thinking and feeling more deeply.

Truly many of the paintings this month are of museum quality, and we hope you will come by sometime to enjoy them and the entire show, while it is up. It’s spring! Fill your ears with a little Van Morrison; then step on out “into the mystic,”with a stop at the Cypress Gallery. The exhibition runs from February 25 – March 28. You will also find an array of fine gift items and cards for purchase at reasonable prices. We are located at 119 East Cypress Avenue, Lompoc.

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. Phone: (805) 737-1129.

PHOTO CAPTIONS (More photos forthcoming!)

All Photos by Bill Morson

·      Betsee Talavera   “Layers in the Surf”

·      Mitra Cline  “Gemini Synchronicity”