Tuesday, April 27, 2010

A Show of Chairs at ASIF Gallery, May 7th - June 12th...

The Artist's Studio in the Foothills Gallery & Visual Art Center is proud to present A Show of Chairs... Imagine a gallery full of un-fathomable chairs, lining the walls, shelves, pedestals... even the ceilings are not off limits! Local artists have truly come out of the woodwork for this show. Some have invented new and exciting sculptural chairs, others have adorned and transformed chairs with forgotten identities... A Show of Chairs has inspired sculptors, painters and inventors to surprise the world with what a chair, in its wildest dreams can be!

The provocative nature of the chair has long inspired the artists of the world. Their legged - likeness to us, is perhaps what makes them irresistible! Get ready to grab a chair and take part in this exciting ergo-eccentric art event that's sure to inspire collectors of fine and fantastic art!

A Show of Chairs will include works, both sit-able, and not... as well as paintings, drawings, prints, and small sculptural chairs. A reception for the artists will be held on Friday, May 7th, from 5-8pm. The show will hang through June 12th... gallery hours are Monday - Friday 10am-5pm, Saturday 11am-4pm, and Sunday by appointment.

Local artists support ASIF art events...
If you've had the pleasure of attending one of ASIF's recent art openings, you may have encountered their display of lovely collectable handmade cups! These are created by local artists, and offered for sale to guests, to be filled with the complimentary wine or other beverage of the evening! Guests have loved the opportunity to support the center, and look forward to taking home a special memento for each of the gallery's exciting art events!

Also in the gallery this month... New Small Works in the Smallworks Hall! Smallworks Hall shows have become a permanent side kick to the center's main gallery shows. The Smallworks Hall shows loosely follow main gallery show themes.

And check out ASIF's new Fine Art Gift Gallery, featuring small handmade functional and decorative works of art... cards, prints, sculptural candle holders, ceramics, jewelry and more! The gift area will also feature a number of local painters and printmakers on an ongoing basis, offering original works and giclee prints.

Thursday, April 15, 2010

Another Grand Opening... The 21 Buddhas Show at ASIF Gallery!

Several hundred fans and patrons gathered at the Artist's Studio in the Foothills on March 26th, for the opening reception of the 21 Buddhas Show. Guests enjoyed fine art, live music, and a lecture given by art historian, Kristanne Heaton, while sipping sake in small handmade ceramic sake cups, donated by local artists to support the event. The show, which hangs through April 24th, features the collaborative works of one sculptor and twenty one local painters and multi-media artists, all inspired by a single powerful icon... the image of Buddha!

Figurative sculptor Deborah Bridges has become known for her peaceful garden Buddhas and one of a kind original works in bronze and clay. Inspired by the many talented painters of the community, Bridges created castings of the form, and invited the artists to use them as canvas to express their own personal visions of enlightenment.

The result is impressive to say the least... the gallery walls are lined with the cast forms, each adorned in a different artist's style and pallet, brilliantly distinguishing each artist's interpretation from the next. Some would say, the phenomena is not unlike the many incarnations the icon has come to have throughout the ages, by nearly every culture of the world!

Midway through the reception, guests funnelled into the center's community classroom for a fascinating lecture on the history of the icon, tracing its steps from its classical beginnings to its use by current artists of our time.

The response by the public has been so grand, that a number of local venues have requested the opportunity to host the show at their own public locations. As artists continue to express interest in participation, the show plans to take on a new name... "The Traveling Buddhas Show" and is scheduled to appear at Wild Mountain Yoga in Nevada City for the month of May, Matteo's Public in Nevada City later this summer, and Briar Patch in Grass Valley in early fall!

For more information on the The Traveling Buddhas Show, please contact Amanda Paoletti at the Artist's Studio in the Foothills, located at 940 Idaho Maryland Road in Grass Valley, 530-274-7000, mpaoletti@asifstudios.com