Aug. 25, 2005
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Up
in Westhaven
by JUDITH LEHMAN
Luscious, lovely, luminous oils
of large proportions by artist Bea Stanley decorate the walls
of the Westhaven Center for the Arts. Salvaged metal reformed
into intricate sculpture by Michael Cronin entices the eye as
well as the spirit. Fine silver jewelry by Liam Powers displays
an organic yet contemporary design, embellished with semi-precious
stones that glow against a background of crystal, stone and dark
velvet.
As I walked through the gallery
during the opening reception, a woman entered, set up a harp
and began to play. The music seemed a perfect accompaniment to
the atmosphere and the art. Center Director Carol Wiebe asked
her if someone had arranged for her to play. She smiled and shook
her head "No." This was her gift to the Center. There
are a lot of people contributing to keep the place a strong and
viable venue for the arts. Naomi Silvertree, harpist, is just
one example.
[Photo at right:
Still life against a
crazy quilt by Bea Stanley]
The Center is a community-supported
organization that provides monthly artist exhibits, workshops
for adults and children,
an authors' series, as well
as musical and performance events and other community celebrations.
Nestled in the Westhaven redwoods with ocean breezes filling
the air, this gallery provides a beautiful space for artists
to exhibit. Bea Stanley, whose large and intensely colored oil
paintings are on exhibit this month, will be taking over as exhibition
chairperson from Connie Butler, who is moving on to other efforts.
Stanley can spin a fine story,
and many of her paintings have a part of her life history in
them. Two of her pieces represent a time in her childhood when
she had a life threatening 106-degree temperature and went into
a coma. In this state she saw dancing Campbell Soup kids, who
became frightening, and she began to go down a tunnel toward
the light. The first piece represents this event, the second
her return to this earthly plane. Bea's version of this tale
is much more lyrical than mine, as she charms with her stories
as well as her creativity as a painter.
Several of her pieces are rich
still lifes of a colorful bounty of fruits and vegetables posed
on elaborately patterned fabrics and laces. Others are florals
in a celebration of vibrant living nature. "I love the feel
of laying my oils across my canvas" Bea explains. It seems
the process of creating is as joyful as the finished painting
to her.
"I always work from life,
never photographs," the artist emphasizes. "Right now,
I'm painting hollyhocks growing against a brick wall.
The greens have so many different
shades, and the light is only right for a short time." Bea's
descriptions can create a painting in the mind of the listener.
She is a woman filled with energy and it shows in her work. A
lifelong environmentalist, she doesn't hesitate to speak her
truths with her voice or her paintings.
Liam Powers was unable to attend
the opening, but his jewelry spoke for itself with its elegant
design and fine silver holding exotic stones such as moldavite,
meteorite, amber, tourmaline and peridot. He is a young artist
who began learning jewelry making at College of the Redwoods
two years ago. His sense of design and workmanship are professional
beyond his years.
The sculptor Michael Cronin
looked familiar to me. As we spoke,
I finally realized he was the
artist from Arcata that I always referred to as "The Wood
Guy." He made willow furniture, taught the craft and sculpted
wonderful lyrical wood wall pieces that were exhibited in many
of Arcata's public places. He has been working in metal for about
five years now and says it is quite a change from wood. All his
pieces are formed from salvaged or found metal, and from junk
comes beauty through Michael's artist's eye.
The same music evident in his
wood pieces shows in his metal works -- an intimacy, a stillness,
a rhythmic beauty. One he calls
"The Dancing Man"
is a man made of root-like structures dancing ever upward with
his feet caught in heavy cogs at the base, holding him to earth.
It reminds me of my own life sometimes, trying to spiral high,
but held to ground by earthly needs. Probably my own personal
interpretation, which is what art is often about, in my mind.
The Westhaven Center for the
Arts is located at 501 Westhaven Drive, near 6th Avenue. The
current exhibition runs through August 28. You could see it Sunday,
when the band Cuckoo's Nest throws its annual birthday tribute
to Charlie Parker. The show starts at 7:30 p.m. For advance reservations
call
677-9493. The Center is open
to the public Thursday through Sunday, 1-4 p.m.
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