Two-Dimensional Set to Pair with Three Dimensional at Los Olivos Gallery
Art, Art, Art and more Art! Redundant yes, but what else could shortly and concisely sum up the Valley’s ever-growing creative spirit. There are no handcuffs on creativity, and consequently the art scene in the Valley keeps extending itself beyond expectations.Who knows what’s next to come. Maybe something wacky, maybe something dignified, and then maybe a piece that no one besides the artist understands; this time however, the unknown is scheduled to be revealed at Gallery Los Olivos’ Maggie Pickering and Marilyn Lucia Bowsfield exhibit, running from Sep. 8 through the end of the month.
Bowsfield, better known by her artist name Lucia will be teaming up with Pickering in a two-dimensional meets three-dimensional show.
“I am very interested in seeing their work, they are very creative and I’m always interested to see what they come up to,” said Joan Mitchell, local artist and gallery member. “It’s going to be a nice mix of two dimensional paintings on the wall and three dimensional ceramic.”
“I think Maggie’s work is delightful and she has a great sense of humor as well as a beautiful sense of artistry in her ceramics,” Mitchell said. “I love Marilyn’s rich use of oil colors. She makes local themes just glow.”
Pickering’s work, which focuses on the female form, will take up the three dimensional space, while Bowsfield’s work, seascape and still life oil paintings, will occupy the two-dimensional space.
Pickering’s inspiration is the woman and her work exemplifies the many shapes and forms that woman take, from the witty, to the elegant to the just plain wacky. “Women in general inspire me,” Pickering said. “I have an affinity for the female form and I love the simplicity of the form, I don’t know where it comes from.” “I am very excited. I always get excited about a show. It’s fun to [share] new stuff,” she said. “[People who come] will be able to see a versatility of sculptures and vessels, which are of a geometric and architectural nature with an Asian influence.”
Bowsfield’s or Lucia’s work, though of a different medium, also focuses on figures. Her oil paintings range in subject matter from flowers and seascapes to children or people on the beach.
“I’m attracted to the ocean and have lived by it most of my life, so it’s a spiritual journey for me,” she said. “I really enjoy doing seascape. I love capturing people’s body language when at the beach, especially children.”
“I will also be featuring quite a few still lifes, because I like to see how different shapes interact with each other,” she said.
Though Lucia is Bowsfield’s middle name, she signs all her paintings “Lucia” to commemorate both her two grandmothers’ lives and her life as an artist.
“I sign my paintings Lucia, because I had a career as an executive secretary, so being an artist is a mid-life change for me,” Bowsfield said. “I also use the name Lucia to honor both my grandmothers, one was an artist and the other was named Lucia, which is my middle name.”
All her works are one of a kind and originals, no reproductions or copies, so once a painting is gone, it’s gone.
More Bluegrass for Your Soul
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Those who love bluegrass music and just can’t get enough can rest assured their craving will be met with the upcoming Peter Feldmann and the Very Lonesome Boys Bluegrass Show, coming to Grange Hall, Sep. 1.
“I invite everyone to come down and hear; bluegrass is an American form of music and it’s a combination of old folk songs with elements from Blues and Jazz Music. It’s very lively and entertaining,” Feldmann said.
Feldman, who has been presenting bluegrass, folk, string band and related music since the early ’60s, is a multi-instrumentalist and a favorite at the Grange.
“Peter puts on a fantastic concert,” said Jeanntte Scott, a steward at the Grange Hall. “He’s a very acclaimed bluegrass musician, and his music is fun and authentic.”
The show will feature about two sets of instrumental music and singing and bluegrass standards, songs of the West and a number of 1920’s and ’30s county songs adapted to the bluegrass format.
“This band does bluegrass in its older form, the hallmark of that kind of music has a lot of drive and everything is secondary to that. It’s the most important thing,” said David West, banjo player for the Very Lonesome Boys Bluegrass band. “The primary thing about bluegrass is it’s very heartfelt, it embodies the spirit and geographical location of where the music was invented, which is Southern Appalachia.”
“It’s all acoustic music, there are no plug-ins, and it’s a very compelling kind of music for a small hall. The breakdown of music is similar to a classical string quartet,” West said.
The performance will also feature bassist Tom Lee, veteran of the Cache Valley Drifters and The Bluegrass Cardinals, Mike Nadolson, who plays flat-top-guitar and Tommy Morton, a leading exponent of Texas song writing and engineering skills.
“We are certainly the best bluegrass band in the county,” Feldmann said. “I’ve been performing since 1962, and the rest of the band are all seasonal professionals.”