Sunday, November 3rd, 2024
2pm
Maureen McGarry
“No one can re-create the elegant beauty of nature, but we can all interpret what we experience and lay it down with paint on paper (or all manner of mediums.) That is what I attempt to do each time I am inspired by a quiet moment in my garden, or a grand view of some magnificent landscape, either in a far away land, or near to my home in Northern California.
While studying art in college, I experimented with various mediums (and still do sometimes,) but I always return to watercolors for their pure pigments, and the simplicity of water as their solvent. For me, painting with watercolors as my medium is what is closest to nature.
When I chose to live “behind the redwood curtain” many years ago, a constant in the decades I have lived in Humboldt County has been the beauty of the natural environment, always bringing me back to painting. Inspired by my surroundings, I have never lost that sense of wonder and am thankful for the opportunity to express that wonder in my work.
It has also been my life’s work to bring that opportunity to others by sharing skills and techniques in the visual arts with people of all ages. My philosophy is that finding a way to communicate and express the vision inside of each of us is what makes us whole. Art can inspire all who try to find meaning in their lives. I am committed to helping others find their muse and guide them to become inspired.”
Sunday, December 8th, 2024
2pm
ELISEO CASIANO:
HOW TO DRAW FIRE
Eliseo Casiano is a painter focused on portraiture and personal narrative. He is interested in color, light and pattern to create a spectrum of potentialities that reflect a cultural aesthetic centered in his lived experience. Casiano reconfigures family photographs and oral histories into heavily saturated and adorned paintings with free associations and indefinite resolution.
In his upcoming exhibition titled "How to Draw Fire" at the Morris Graves Museum of Art, Casiano has redirected his painting practice from personal symbolism to drawing inspiration from the vibrant landscapes and inhabitants of Humboldt County. His latest paintings capture the interplay of light and darkness over the land during twilight, dawn, and dusk. Alongside these scenic compositions, Casiano is creating a series of portraits that showcase the intriguing individuals he has encountered in the region.
Eliseo earned his Bachelor in Fine Arts degree in painting from East Central University in Ada, Oklahoma, and his Master in Fine Arts degree from Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge, LA. His paintings have been shown widely across the United States, including at the Ogden Museum of Southern Art, Historic Arkansas Museum, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, and the Vermont Studio Center. He is an Assistant Professor in Art + Film at Cal Poly Humboldt in Arcata, CA.
