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
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