FEATURED ARTISTS AT GALLERY 1855Here at Gallery 1855 in our office, we have hosted a number of fine artists...
May 2010: Pete Eckert and Joe Finkleman
June 2010: Judith Monroe
July 2010: Judy Yemma
“The visual arts have always been part of my life,” Yemma states. Her mother is an accomplished painter and sculptor, and Yemma earned her degree in Fine Arts with an emphasis in painting and ceramics. Photography has become her medium of choice and it shows. August 2010: Photography Club of Davis
September 2010: Betty Berteaux and Sue Owens Wright
Wright, a mystery novelist of some repute, has the unique ability to write in both words and pictures. Wright’s visual work is a unique blend of visual poetry and exquisite pastel technique. Her pictorial style, reminiscent of Robert Demachy or George Seely, at the turn of the previous century, comes alive in her pastel work. Sue says "There's something truly joyful and childlike to me about painting with pastels, getting the soft, powdery colors on my fingertips. Like a kid painting on a sidewalk, I need only chalk, hands, and my imagination." October 2010: Celebration of Life Gala Arts Festival
Richard Chowenhill, a recent UC Davis graduate of music composition, premiered an original instrumental work in three movements, "Mood Swings", for violin, flute, clarinet, French horn, and bassoon. Robert Vann Jr., Program Manager for the Sacramento Youth Symphony, debuted an original acapella duet with his wife Carly Neil. City of Davis Poet Laureate Allegra Silberstein performed an original interpretive dance. A number of excellent poets read work created in workshops sponsored by Gallery 1855. Plus, the stunning visual art of more than 20 area artists was hung in the gallery for the month of October. November 2010: Anne Miller
‘Lyrical abstraction’ comes to mind when viewing the current work of artist Anne Miller. Instead, she herself speaks about her musical background: “In another life (read: pre-motherhood), I was a musician.” Post motherhood, she is a visual artist. De Kooning wrote “Content is a glimpse.” In Miller’s current work, what a glimpse it is. Artists often tie either the title of an individual piece, or the title of a series, to the visual art itself. The more abstract the piece, the more clues into the emotive sensibilities of the artist.
December 2010: Chris Schiller and Dave Robertson “Photography suits the temper of this age - of active bodies and minds. It is a perfect medium for one whose mind is teeming with ideas (and) imagery,” Edward Weston observed. The December show at Gallery 1855 features two fine photographic artists from northern California: Chris Schiller of Redding and Dave Robertson of Davis.
Landscape painters and photographers have many long traditions. One major tradition, the romantic, idealizes nature. Another, documentary in style, strives to depict nature devoid of sentimentality. A third, a sort of post-modernism, if you will, is more in keeping with Elliot Porter, a photographer who once wisely said, “Sometimes you can tell a large story with a tiny subject.” Into this tradition step Schiller and Robertson. One of the most difficult lessons a gifted photographer must learn is how to deconstruct what is in front of the camera into pure shape and form. Schiller, in his black and whites, and Robertson, with his colors, take subjects as diverse as Death Valley or aspen trees and create from them images so unique that, at first glance, some are devoid of reference. One cannot call them abstract. Rather, they employ such perfect use of shape and form that the viewer is distracted at first sight. A delight and joy of image comes to us when the artists reveal and share their mastery of the craft in this way.
January 2011: Michael Corlew
The life span of the Great Egret is 15-22 years. Michael Corlew has been observing and photographing birds for twice that length of time. The art in art is the art of observation. There are some who photograph birds as personal mnemonics to help them remember what they saw. Then there are those who use birds as elements of shape and form, movement and color, in order to make a metaphoric visual statement. Corlew is such an artist. The exhilarating sensation of breaking free of the constrictions of not only land, but gravity itself, is a common experience to small craft flight, a sensation also stirred within as we view birds soar. Something about the true aviators they are inspires us. Corlew’s work carries the power of these aliens in our midst. But his photographic art also carries within it the power of shape and form: triangles and ellipses suspended in blue infinity, columns and ovoids bathed in the warmth of Naples yellow and Indian red. While Corlew’s work is not painterly, it carries the power of description and place. February 2011: Jerry Berry
Well over one hundred years ago, photographic fine art was concerned with trying to marry Impressionism with Neo-Romantic paintings. Dreamy, soft focus landscapes, or moody tableaux representing Victorian sentimentality, were quite common. In the early part of the 20th century, a gritty social realism swept through the medium. While not intended to be fine art at the time, the change in sensibility gave rise to the next generation of photographers. This next generation did intend to make art, using photography for the inherent capabilities of that medium: namely the ability to present visual documents of the world around us. They showcased an artistic sensibility characterized by their choice to document that which had both social significance and, much more importantly, aesthetic and metaphoric significance. But there was another movement, much less recognized at the time. This second movement was pushing the technical boundaries of the medium in order to make images less about the apparent reality of the world and more about the magic that was possible. In this tradition, Jerry Berry’s current work is much more about magic than realism. Berry has the unique ability to see the world, not for what it is but, rather, for what it might be. Berry’s work thus transforms natural landscape into mystery and wonder. March 2011: Gene Kennedy We’ve all felt it: that familiar sensation of driving along the freeway enveloped in an unconscious but comfortable sense of the familiar, only to be suddenly jerked into consciousness by the awareness that something is different, something has changed.
Gene Kennedy, a nationally recognized artist, has created a photographic portrait of a changing landscape, driven not by wind and water, but by growth, by what humans tend to call ‘progress.’ Kennedy calls his photographic portrait “Self Storage.” It’s a photographic collection of developments in Southern California that have disturbed the landscape and, in viewing them, disturb us.
April 2011: Joseph Finkleman
Is fiction truth or lies? Is it incumbent upon an artist to tell the truth, or to find the deeper truth within what may appear to be a lie? How might that apply to visual art and, in particular, to photography? Historically, photography and its associated aesthetic have traveled a road fraught with dissension about just such questions, from the ‘Nature’s Pencil’ of Neo-Romantic Pictorialism to Modernism’s ‘plausible objective acuity.’ Post Modernism decrees that objective acuity is a farce, that the photographic document is a fiction and, as such, should be proud of its fictional virtues; the more fiction, the better truth.
For an artist, each piece he/she makes speaks its own truth: from blurred blocks of color possessing their own life force, to the sharp, textured leavings of man’s hand. Every photograph has some truth and some myth; some invite a thousand words (or more). Gallery 1855’s April show, Floridata, is a mixture of the lies of truth and the truth in lies. Even the title reveals the tension of this dichotomy: is it ‘data of Florida’ or, rather, the state of being that the word ‘Florida’ implies?
Floridata, featuring pieces from an on-going series by photographic artist Joseph Finkleman, encompasses an exploration of sensibility and perspective of several gardens in Florida. Taken over a four year period, Finkleman has varied his approach, his point of view, and his sense of picture each year, so that while seeing essentially the same landscape over and over, the work is substantially different each time. His photographs reveal to the viewer something of the mysteries and dark wonder that lurk in small gardens for those whose eyes are open to them.
May 2011: Oliver Gagliani Oliver Gagliani, whose work is in the permanent collections of 8 American museums, including the Smithsonian, studied under and worked with some of the greatest photographers of the 20th century, including Ansel Adams, Minor White, Paul Caponigro, the Westons, and Paul Strand, among many others. In his youth, Gagliani was a talented musician and composer. After sustaining a hearing loss during World War II, he transferred his powerful artistic passion to photography, explaining that while viewing a Paul Strand exhibit in 1945, he realized that photography was “just like music, it had everything.”
"If the doors of perception were cleansed, every thing would appear to man as it is, infinite. For man has closed himself up, till he sees all things through narrow chinks of his cavern." Thus wrote William Blake 200 years ago; his observation is equally true today, and there is no better photographic fine artist to make this point than Oliver Gagliani.
Photography labors with the burden of perceptual reality. We think we know an image; we think we know the significance and meaning of an object simply because we recognize the image that recalls that object for us. Once we think we know, we go on without giving any more thought at all to that object. But what if the object is not so recognizable? What if it is taken out of context; what if the object has been abstracted? Would we spend more time thinking about it? Is it possible that we would then be able to see the object beyond the utilitarian, beyond the symbolic, in fact, beyond our cultural context, entering into a world of pure imagination where we might ask what a thing can be, not what it is? Oliver Gagliani is a well known artist amongst artists, so far ahead of his time that it will be up to another generation to place him within the continuum of art history. We here at Gallery 1855 are grateful for the special opportunity to exhibit some of Gagliani’s work during the month of May. Rather than a full retrospective, we have chosen to exhibit a collection of his pieces with one consistent vision, one overarching characteristic: the artist’s demand that the viewer participate. Oliver Gagliani believed that art was not art until the viewer made it so. You can find more information about Oliver Gagliani's art at http://mastersofphotography.blogspot.com/
Reminiscent of the hand tinted portraits of a by-gone time, Connell captures the inner essence of what might otherwise pass us by under the guise of the ordinary. Her delicate hand and discerning vision, mixed with her background in cultural anthropology, create a distinctive expression which, on the surface, explores how people use color, natural materials, and artifacts to personalize their environments. Simultaneously, below the surface, it penetrates to the inner essence of serenity and harmony which humans so deeply seek to create.
Connell has always printed her own photographs because she feels this gives her more control over the color palate, the overall look, and the ‘feel’ of the finished print. Recently she has begun hand coloring her images in order to achieve a greater depth of feeling and a unique color palate not available through conventional photographic or digital processes. Her images have been described by many as painterly. Viewing them, one is inspired to “Dream as if you’ll live forever, live as if you’ll die today.” (James Dean) July 2011: Toni Voelker
Toni Voelker caught the love of desert at an early age; it drew him to California from Germany. His scientific eye sees the work of geologic forces, wind and water. His aesthetic eye captures the poetic lines and shades, the structure, lines, and forms of the landscape. And as counterpoint to these black and white “pure landscapes” Toni also gives us full color pictures of the evanescent, jewel-like flowers left as testament to the mysterious and powerful desert rainfall.
Toni has been photographing since the age of eighteen. He has wide ranging photographic interests, from close ups of plants and animals to a photographic documentary of the imaginative and resourceful play of his daughter’s Barbie doll universe. In our July show, Toni treats us to both dramatic black and white desert landscapes reminiscent at times of deep space travel, as well as exquisite detailed color photos of those brief desert kisses, the flowers.
Since its inception nearly three years ago, the Photography Club of Davis has participated in a partnership with the Natsoulas Gallery as well as being featured in multiple shows at Bistro 33, the International House of Davis, and Gallery 1855. The club also holds workshops, offers critiques, and staffs non-profit classes, including UCD Extension classes through the Ollie program.
You can find out more about the Photography Club of Davis at www.photoclubofdavis.org
September 2011: Jim Dunn
“When thou seest an eagle, thou seest a portion of genius; lift up thy head!” ~William Blake
Jim Dunn, whose photographic art will be on display at Gallery 1855 throughout the month of September, is a premier wildlife photographer specializing in birds. His stunningly detailed photographs are widely seen in domestic and international field guides, Nature Conservancy publications, and recently in a portfolio of images for the University of California’s Natural Reserve System. Dunn explains, “My passion for birds is visual – I am in thrall to the forms, textures, colors, and patterns that have evolved in our feathered cousins. Discovering that I have captured all of this in one of my images is more than sufficient compensation for the many hours spent cold, wet, and insect-bitten.” Viewing his work brings alive Dunn’s passion in the viewer, who is transported into a world of remarkable variety in size and shape of feathers, texture of bill and skin, and, most of all, the wild unfathomable eye.
From his youth, when he served as photographic and lab assistant to the legendary Jackson Stephens, to his adulthood, during which he developed camera and telemetry systems for various spacecraft including Voyager, the space shuttle, and the International Ultraviolet Explorer, Dunn has carefully cultivated his love of the visual image. In 1998, while documenting the life cycle of a nesting pair of red-tailed hawks in San Diego, Dunn began his transition to wildlife photography.
At the beginning, he muses, “ I could not imagine the profound impact it would have on my spirit. I discovered quickly that to make good images I would need to do more than find birds and photograph them – I would have to immerse myself in their environment. I would have to learn their behavior, their calls, and the subtle signals to which they respond. I would also have to learn patience and stillness, and how to be governed not by the ticking of a clock but rather by the slower pace of the seasons.” You can also check out www.avian-images.com to find out more about Jim Dunn and his work. As Emily Dickinson puts it, “I hope you love birds too. It is economical. It saves going to heaven.”
October 2011: Third Annual Celebration of Life
This year’s celebration featured the marvelously complex repertoire of Bob Wren on both violin and mandolin. Wren, whose work is well known to Davis residents, is renown for his world music fusion of indigenous, folk, jazz and improv genres. He never fails to move both feet and heart, while also managing to broaden the listener’s understanding of the origins and spirit of music. Other treats of the day included a spoken word presentation by area writers whose work was created in workshops sponsored by Gallery 1855. More than 20 of our area’s fine visual artists, both painters and photographers, had stunning visual art hung in the gallery for the month of October. An open house where the public can meet the artists was a part of this special festival day. Refreshments were served. November 2011: Michael Radin and Joe Finkleman “Unus Mundus” (Latin: ‘one world’) is the term for the age old observation that the world - in the broad sense of everything - is so connected, so unified beneath its apparent diversity - that what seem to us to be acausal temporal events can, and do, occur. This synchronicity of related simultaneous occurrences was, for Carl Jung, proof of the truth in archetypes and the collective unconscious. Yet even the distinctly non philosophical among us know that “meaningful coincidences” occur in life all of the time. We also know that people who are in fact not connected, will, in the same time period, coincidentally discover similar truths. Alfred Russel Wallace and Charles Darwin, both after many years of study independently, discovered that they were pursuing the same thought and then collaborated on the essay that led to what is now called Darwinism. So it is in art, as it is in science. Georges Braque developed his ideas independently of Pablo Picasso: they then met and collaborated to develop Analytical Cubism together. Louis Daguerre, Joseph Nicephore Niepce, and Fox Talbot each created a photographic process at roughly the same time. And now, at Gallery 1855 this November, you can see Unus Mundus manifesting from behind the lens.
While photographing architecture in New York City, Michael Radin became intrigued by the juxtapositions buildings made with one another from very specific points of view. Simultaneously, on the opposite coast, Joseph Finkleman was exploring architectural abstraction behind his lens in San Francisco. Finkleman developed an idea of creating images of bits and pieces of buildings that could be seen from very specific points of view. As either would say, what they found fascinating was constructing a design, not from a single object, but rather from the juxtaposition of several objects: an abstraction of a scene.
Radin and Finkleman are friends but, as is often the case with artists, both are reticent to speak of a project until it is nearing completion. Finkleman, while visiting Radin in his studio one day, casually mentioned that he was working on some architectural abstractions. Radin responded in surprise that he was also. They began to look at each other’s work and discovered an overlap of vision that was both funny and eerie. This show was carefully selected from several hundred images between the two artists. The selection criterion was that either artist could have created the picture. In order to emphasize the synchronicity of two independent visions that have created, without prejudice, a magic causality, the show was deliberately arranged without reference to which artist created what piece. Come share the intrigue. December 2011: Terry Nathan “Engineering is the art of organizing and directing men and controlling the forces and materials of nature for the benefit of the human race.”-Henry G. Scott. 1907
January 2012: Jean Ross
"In silence and movement you can show the reflections of people." ~ Marcel Marceau
"A number of these photographs," explains Ms. Ross, "were taken at an abandoned chocolate factory and a rural squatters' camp, each of which serve as home to a number of families." Particularly striking to the viewer is that these people, whose lives would be considered below the poverty line by most standards, veritably jump from their frames with joie de vivre. What a gift Jean Ross gives us, incarnating the joy and vitality of these Brazilians, with their Candomble and their omnipresent sea, palpably filling Gallery 1855 with their spirit as if they were physically present among us. |
The Davis Cemetery will open its doors, hosting two artists’ photography to the Davis community for the month of April. The series kick-off features work by Michael Radin and Jerry Berry. Michael Radin is an accomplished local photographer with a number of notable series. The work to be featured at the cemetery is from his series, “Plein Air Photography at 50 MPH”. 
Co-featured photographer Jerry Berry has an equally varied portfolio. With a keen eye for beautiful landscapes, Berry takes his viewers on an epic journey. Our two artists showing in April are highly respected and visually fascinating photographers. Michael Radin lives here in Davis and Jerry Berry lives here in Northern California; they both have different but highly individualistic visions. To paraphrase, “This ain't your grandmother's art!".
Gracing the walls in the month of May, the Davis Cemetery District’s office will be hosting art from two special guests. Hailing from Sacramento, Pete Eckert’s photography not only astounds the public, but inspires. A founder of the Blind Photographers Guild, 
Mr. Eckert’s mission is to capture the moments that he cannot see anymore. Because of his remarkable blind photography, many cannot help but appreciate the effort and time he takes to craft his shots. Showing with Mr. Eckert will be Joe Finkleman, one of the Cemetery’s own. His photography has birthed a number of highly varied series. The work in May features unusual photographs – part theater, part still animation. The main pieces that will be shown include forms of “light puppets” Finkleman has created.
“Layers of images, color and texture” not only please the senses of her viewers, but inspires the feelings of spirituality and emotion with her work. By creating in several stages, Judith Monroe takes prints of beautiful landscapes and colors them with a multitude of supplies; sometimes colored pencils, pastels, or watercolors. The results are not only awe-inspiring, but always a pleasure to admire. Her work has been featured on a number of different circuits, including Tree Davis and the Blue Wing Gallery of Woodland. She is deeply rooted in the celebration of nature, often using trees in many parts of her collection. She attended CSU Sacramento, exploring many different possibilities of art through any class that they offered that pertained to the subject. Her beautiful works can be attributed to "falling in love with photography", and is shown through the minute and meticulous details in every piece.
Alfred Stieglitz once said, “In photography there is a reality so subtle that it becomes more real than reality.” Yemma’s photographs, skillfully crafted, are founded in her artistic roots as a painter, suitably embody Stieglitz’s astute comment. The delicate lines, sweeping angles, and overlapping images of Yemma’s unique prints evoke wonder amid the serenity of curving white lilies, the rounded corners of tulips, or the sweeping aura of orchids. 
She has received Awards of Merit and Awards of Excellence in the 2007 & 2008 juried California Fine Arts Competition, First Place in the Sacramento Bee Travel Photography and Garden Photography contests, and First Place – Photography in the 2007 KVIE juried art auction, among other awards. Her work has been featured in area galleries such as Viewpoint and Appel. However, her success is perhaps best measured by the breathtaking attention to detail in every composition and the sense of awe and beauty each evokes in the viewer.
W. Eugene Smith said, “Photography is a small voice, at best, but sometimes one photograph, or a group of them, can lure our sense of awareness.” For members of the Photography Club of Davis, luring such awareness is both a goal and an accomplishment. In August, Gallery 1855 is proud to showcase extraordinary work by club members including include Samar Alassaad, Crilly Butler, Mark Castellucci, Joe Finkleman, Kevin O’Connor, Bob Sahara, Jerry Schimke, and George Tchobanoglous.
The Photography Club of Davis sprang into existence with a full agenda in October, 2008. Nearly two years later, the club has participated in a partnership with the Natsoulas Gallery and been featured in shows at Bistro 33, International House of Davis, and now, at Gallery 1855 at the Davis Cemetery District office. The club also holds workshops, offers critiques, and staffs non-profit classes.
Gustave Courbet wrote, “The beautiful is in nature, and it is encountered under the most diverse forms of reality. Once it is found it belongs to art, or rather to the artist who discovers it.” Betty Berteaux’s work is a long journey of discovering these diverse forms. Betty has walked in beauty and harmony in the Davis area for over 27 years, and her vision is one of clarity expressed through the delicate shimmer of watercolor. Betty’s work is being featured, along with that of artist/writer Sue Owens Wright, at Gallery 1855. 
This exciting annual culmination of area talent featured a wide variety of fine visual artists, original interpretive dance, premier performances of commissioned musical compositions, and a poetry reading, all on October 10th from 1 P.M. to 4 P.M. 
Miller’s current series of abstractions is reminiscent of the Color Field artists of the forties and fifties: beautiful, broad, expressionistic, bold strokes of color, shapes that evoke vague forms of nature. Except that these are photographs, pure un-manipulated pieces of found objects that seem to float on top of the page, ironically photographed objects that float on the water instead, hulls of old ships, tracked down and captured in startling beauty and provocative isolation.
We use the term “landscape” to express the familiar and ceaseless external world. What happens when we drive through an intersection and it has a new building? In that dissonance between the actuality of place and our sense of where we are, our comfortable feeling of landscape, and with it our sense of security, dissolves.
In invoking that dissolution of certitude, that dissonance of place and security, Kennedy invites us to look at the relationship between the inner and the outer, between values and effects.
“All big men are dreamers. They see things in the soft haze of a spring day or in the red fire of a long winter's evening,” said Woodrow Wilson. The June art on display at Gallery 1855 proves that big women are dreamers as well. Karen Connell’s hand painted photographic images, both romantic and haunting, invite us into a world that whispers of what can be while illuminating what is. 
“While there is perhaps a province in which the photograph can tell us nothing more than what we see with our own eyes, there is another in which it proves to us how little our eyes permit us to see.” ~Dorothea Lange.
For members of the Photography Club of Davis, cultivating such awareness is both a goal and an accomplishment. In August, Gallery 1855 is proud to once again showcase an array of extraordinary work by club members, including Clyde Elmore, Rob Floerke, Mark Castellucci, Jerry Schimke, Ann Hance, Laurie Friedman, Joe Finkleman, Rick York, Kevin O’Connor, Salie Yin, and Marguerite Schaffron. This year’s show has the theme “Davis: Quintessential and Infinitesimal.”
As humans, we have always celebrated our lives through rituals and markers. In recognition of this, Gallery 1855 hosted its third annual Celebration of Life Festival on the second Sunday of October (October 9) beginning at 1 P.M. This free event was a family friendly community based show featuring many modalities of the arts.
In December, Gallery 1855 will be exhibiting “The Yolo Causeway: Mediator of Space and Time,” a body of photographic work by Terry Nathan. Terry says of this series, "In our daily lives, we continuously slip between measured and perceived time. Measured time is locked to the seasons, the movement of the stars, and the vibration of atoms. Perceived time is tethered to our psyche, where internal memories and external stimuli are embraced in a dance that modulates the seeming flow of time. In my project, “Yolo Causeway: Mediator of Space and time,” I explore the Causeway from the notion of perceived time and space. For most people, the view of the Causeway is from a moving reference frame – their automobile, which provides a constrained view that is often deemed boring and uninteresting. This characterization is largely based on a paucity of aesthetic appeal, causing travelers to feel as if the trip is taking “forever.” If the scene from the car was deemed aesthetically appealing, perhaps beautiful, then travelers might feel as if time “flew by.” I ascribe these notions to “Aesthetic Relativity,” a phrase I use to connect aesthetic appeal to perceived time: as aesthetic appeal increases, perceived time contracts, and vice versa. In Aesthetic Relativity, as in Einstein’s General Relativity, the choice of reference frame — moving or stationary — plays a central role in modulating space-time relationships. This conceptual framework motivates my photographic study of the Causeway. I seek to imbue the Causeway with a quality that transcends its common function: that of a simple asphalt artery that supports the daily humdrum flow of commuters."
As a professor of Art/Science Fusion and Atmospheric Science at the University of California, Davis, Nathan melds the field of science with the art of photography. Nathan’s work insightfully fuses together the perspective of scientific engineering with artistic beauty.
Jean Ross is fascinated with the relationship of people to place. Traveling behind the lens, she captures the simple spontaneity of human joy expressed in gestures of everyday living. The images in this show were taken in and around Salvador de Bahia, Brazil in December, 2010. They are striking in their contrast between the humble surroundings of the residents and their intense vitality of life, captured exquisitely by Ms. Ross in these black and white images.
Davis Cemetery District820 Pole Line Rd.Davis, CA 95618 PHONE 530-756-7807 FAX 530-756-7850 e-mail: cemetery@dcn.org |