12 cool things we saw on the Paseo
On Friday night, the boys and I made our traditionally trip down to the Paseo Arts District for the monthly Paseo Gallery Walk. It was a great spring evening for lounging on the Sauced patio noshing on pizza. As night fell and the wind picked up, it got a bit cool, but we were still able to enjoy the wide variety of art.
The monthly Paseo Gallery Walk continues today from noon to 6 p.m. For more information, go online www.thepaseo.com.
Here’s 12 cool things we saw in the arts district Friday night:
1. Elia Woods’ fiber art: Elia Woods is this month’s guest artist at Studio Six Gallery. She creates amazing photo transfers on cloth, along with lovely fused glass earrings. Some of the most interesting of her photo transfers are three-dimensional; she uses silk to do a transluscent image and then hangs it in front of a complementary transfer to give a 3D, layered effect.
Even more incredible are the pair of quilts she displayed. They are made up of photo transfers of cut onions and lettuce leaves and are part of a series of photo transfer quilts she’s made based on veggies she’s grown herself. Talking to her about her work was very interesting. For more information on her work, go to www.eliawoods.com.
2. John Sonderegger’s aluminum experiments: At the Woodchuck Chop, Sonderegger displays several of his kinetic sculptures made from aluminum he polishes and bends into swirls, corkscrews and other twisty shapes he’s playfully dubbed “screwdoodles.” In the spring breeze, a line of the silvery sculptures leading to the gallery door swayed and sparkled.
Sonderegger took a break from the gallery’s weekly drum circle to talk about his artwork. He said he works at a sign shop and often cuts aluminum. As an artist, he said always envisions what could be from materials he’s around often.
He also makes gongs from circles of aluminum that often come from the O’s of signs. He paints them beautifully and then hangs them. He said different shapes – circles, oblongs, ovals – have different tonal sounds.
“I just love taking found objects and making something out of them,” says the artist, who also makes sculptures with rocks, shells and other items.
3. Springtime paintings at JRB: At JRB Art at the Elms, the front gallery is filled with an array of brightly colored paintings by Matt Wiens (whom we got to meet) , Denise Duong, Thomas Batista, Tunde Darvay, Michi Susan and Bert Seabourn.
4. Oklahoma Pastel Society show: The society is showing a variety of impressive works, from landscapes and still lifes to portraits and animal images, at Paseo Art Space. Sheila Minnich’s striking rendition of a family of otters certainly deserves its best of show ribbon.
5. Doris Swanson’s Western landscapes: Swanson is this month’s featured artist at In Your Eye Studio & Gallery, and she shows her talents in lovely oil and acrylic paintings of cacti against a golden and blue sky, pueblo homes flanked by flower pots and a line of vivid mailboxes in the desert.
6. Clive R. Tyler’s Western landscapes: Speaking of Western landscapes, Fort Collins, Colo., artist Tyler is showing some of his amazing pastel works at Adelante! Studio and Gallery. They often feature pronghorns or elk, along with idyllic settings and big, beautiful skies.
7. Contemporary Crafts: JRB is showcasing an astounding range of crafts, from teapots and jewelry to pots and sculptures. Some of the highlights: a series of fanciful quills by Andy Cooperman; Reina Mia Brill’s colorful figures reminiscent of “Monsters Inc.”; a shiny swirly “Deco Director” chair by Jim Stewart; and a stack of pillows topped by a silver candle dish shaped like a genie’s lamp with a dangling bundle of fortune cookie fortunes called “Pray” by Yuko Yaginsawa.
8. Diane Coady’s paintings: Coady is a well-known fiber artist who creates gorgeous dresses, scarves, purses and pillows. But we discovered Friday night that she creates oil portraits and landscapes.
9. Photos and paintings at Artscape: At Artscape, co-owner Debra Van Swearingen exhibits her evocative photos of landscapes, closeups of flowers and still lifes, which are often black and white or have just touches of color. Connie Cassody Herlihy, the other co-owner, displays her oil landscapes, seascapes and streetscapes ranging from Will Rogers Park to Provence, France, all in soft, pristine colors.
10. Gayle Curry’s reds: In Your Eye artist had her section of the gallery done all in reds on Friday night, showing off a grouping of her scarlet mixed-media collages with messages/titles such as “New Beginnings” and “The Essence of Being.”
11. Randy Clemons’ playing and paintings: In front of Diane Coady’s gallery, Clemons strummed his guitar, the mellow music floating through the historic neighborhood on the spring winds. He offered CDs of his music for tips. Inside Coady’s gallery, he also displayed two of his colorful paintings on silk.
12. Preparations in StarDanceSwan: Inside the Theatre Upon a StarDanceSwan creation/performance space, Lorrie Keller and a group of artists were busily preparing for Paper Play Theatre, the children’s art area of the Paseo Arts Festival, coming up Memorial Day weekend. They were making fairy houses and monster traps of paper, gauze, photos and glitter in the hopes of inspiring children and their parents who attend the festival to make their own versions of these whimsical creations.
-BAM
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