Are we feeling jaded about everything that is going on in this new year full of strife? Do we need a ray of hope to brighten our spirits and reaffirm our faith in humanity as the days slowly grow longer? ‘Light in the Dark,’ on display in the front windows of the Corner Gallery for the month of February, might be a step in the right direction.
‘Light in the Dark’ is an energetic and eclectic collection of self-curated artwork by students in Ukiah High School’s advanced art classes, and it is guaranteed to give viewers a fresh perspective. The students may not have the answers to the world’s dilemmas, but they certainly possess the hopeful qualities of insight, skill, and imagination that will help us all see the world we live in from a fresh perspective. This show is generously sponsored by the Ukiah Unified School District.
Students in Rose Easterbrook’s Advanced Art Class have been working since the beginning of this school year to create individual portfolios of their best paintings, linoleum prints, drawings, and collages in anticipation of this opportunity to show their work to the public. Each student was then encouraged to select the two or three pieces that they were the most proud of for the display.
Likewise, students in Nicholas Gainey’s Advanced Ceramics class will be contributing ten to twelve handcrafted and glazed pots, including four vases that Amanda Potter’s Advanced Floral class will fill with creative flower arrangements. One student from the Media Studies and Fashion class will add a sewn character and digital drawings of his character.
Once the show selection is finalized, the students in both art classes will collaborate to frame the wall pieces and plan the show layout. This is a valuable opportunity for most of these first-time gallery participants to decide for themselves what message they want to convey to the public and how they will arrange the art to tell that story. They will experience the decision-making process that is critical to attracting visitors to stop and look closely at the art on the wall.
Ivone Casillas is one of the participating art students. “I feel like it’s exciting to have my art in a show for the first time,” she says. “It will make me feel accomplished because it’s always been a big idea for me to have my art in a gallery.”
Other students see their art as a means to connect with elusive needs. Mason Caspino says, “I really like art because it lets me put my imagination onto paper- stuff I think about and dream about. It’s an outlet that makes me feel good, and I’ve been doing it my whole life.” Ollie Adams reflects Caspino’s understanding of art as an outlet and means of self-expression. “But,” he elaborates, “art is also something that I enjoy doing as much as I possibly can with my crazy busy schedule of academics and athletics. It’s something that I enjoy and that I have complete control of… and it’s satisfying to see the results after all the hard work.”
In the back room of the gallery, Art Center Ukiah is hosting a lighthearted show on the theme of ‘Beauty IN the Beast.’ Board members remind us that people and animals have coexisted on this planet for eons, and that we have grown to respect, admire, and love our non-human pets and neighbors. “Whether the ‘beasts’ crawl, swim, fly, climb, or run, there are endless ways to appreciate and admire them,” says Marilynn Zensen, one of the show’s organizers. She continues, “There will be art in many diverse mediums, and we welcome representations of any kind of animal that moves our local artists to take up this challenge to focus on the beauty that they see in them.”
A ceramic beetle by Darrell Carpenter is on display as part of the “Beauty in the Beast” exhibition, highlighting handcrafted works that explore the visual appeal and complexity of the animal world. (Contributed)The gallery’s dedicated Young Artist Wall will turn over to Redwood Valley native Hannah Kitchen for the months of February and March. A high school senior in Easterbrook’s Advanced Drawing class, Kitchen reflects that she has loved the arts since she was very young. In her words, “I loved having the ability to create something and be so passionate about it. Around eight years old, I got into drawing anime characters. I was always curious about the human face and its structure. I always kept my sketchbooks with me, and they were filled with portraits of these characters. I wasn’t so entranced with the idea of visual references, so whatever went on paper that day was basically my mind speaking to me.“
Kitchen continues, “I have always been into graphite as a medium. I always liked the feel of it and really hadn’t bothered to try something else until I got into Ms Easterbrook’s class. Then I started to really like watercolor, ink, pastels, colored pencils, tempra… just anything that we did I loved… and I never protested against trying new mediums.”
Kitchen is justifiably excited and nervous about her first art show. “I never had my work out there,” she admits, “and now that I suddenly got the opportunity, it is kind of scary. But I know it will be so rewarding. I have always been reserved with my art, and finally getting some of it out there is a big step for me.” Another aspect of her case of jitters is that Kitchen will exhibit an experimental piece that is quite emotional for her. “I wanted to try something new,” she explains. “It is part of a series of monochromatic skulls, where I tried to use what I was experiencing that day and depict my emotions through my use of color.
Art on the Mendocino County Art Association’s pony wall will be by Sarah Scott Falk. And live guitar and vocal music will be provided throughout the evening by local favorite Steve Hahm.
The Corner Gallery and Art Center Ukiah are located at 201 S State Street in Ukiah. The First Friday opening celebration is on February 6 from 5:00 to 8:00 p.m. Normal gallery hours are Tuesday through Saturday, 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
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