Gualala Arts
Promoting public interest and participation in the arts since 1961.

Nansee New (ceramics) & Glen Hart (paintings) Opening Reception: Saturday, September 2, 5:00 p.m. Exhibit remains through October 5 Dolphin Gallery

Art will span from the earth to the sky with ceramics from Nansee New and aeronautical paintings from Glen Hart. The Dolphin is proud to host these two accomplished artist from September 1 through October 5. The reception will be Saturday, September 2 from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.

Nansee New's work has a primal, ceremonial quality and is linked to other cultures and times. She feels a kinship with early Meso-American and Chinese potters and weavers. Like these early artists she uses simple materials: terra-cotta with grasses and vines gathered around her home at Ten Mile River. Nansee tells us how she gets such a beautiful finish, "I polish my pots with a piece of agate and fire them in the earth with sawdust and wood. The unglazed surfaces reveal the stunning beauty of the clay itself, marked by the play of smoke and fire."

She also explains the act of creating is a mysterious experience. Inspiration is lit and an idea takes on a shape, a personality, a spirit. As she learns to address the piece she is working with, she finds that it both leads and follows her. The animal sculptures, vessels, masks and shrines all point to radiance beyond the mere materials used or seen. They are designed to evoke and celebrate the sacredness of our earth and the essential spirit in all things.

Her glazed and painted animal bowls, known affectionately as "Critter bowls," are found in many local kitchens and are regularly added to collections as new designs emerge. Nansee's clay temples are based on an interest in sacred architecture. They can serve as a personal altar, lamp, or lighted feature. She does say they are complex but satisfying to make.

More information is available at NanseeNew.com or email her at nansee@mcn.org.

Acclaimed aviation and landscape artist Glen Hart has spent a career offering the contemporary world a glimpse of the majestic beauty of airplanes in flight from times gone by. He specializes in painting not only airplanes but also the environment that surrounds them.

Mr.Hart's paintings are in collections across the United States, from The Sea Ranch and Newport Beach, California to Aspen, Colorado to Pensacola, Florida. He is currently exhibiting in a year-long celebration of Naval Aviation at the esteemed National Museum of Naval Aviation. Mr. Hart received a major award there for his painting Maulers and Fireballs in the Navy (at right).

Mr. Hart has achieved the great honor of being judged not once but twice as Best in Oils and Acrylics at Art in the Redwoods, 2002 and 2004.

Mr. Hart graduated from the University of San Francisco and studied at San Francisco's prestigious Academy of Art in the 1980's.

Come and see his vibrant and moving paintings in the Emotional Archeology show at the Dolphin Gallery. There you will see paintings of flight, land, and sky, painted like no one else can. These are paintings that will make you take notice and remember a time gone by.

Mr. Hart's web site is GlenHartArt.com

The Dolphin Gallery is located at 39225 Highway One in downtown Gualala, behind the post office on the south side, and is open daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Please call (707) 884-3896 for more information.