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GALLERY HAPPENINGS October 2016

Moab Pastel Guild featured at the Bighorn Gallery

Sarah HamingsonThe Moab Pastel Guild will be exhibiting original artwork at the Bighorn Gallery at Dead Horse Point State Park through February 1 with a new show entitled “Melodic Lines.” The Guild is a group of like-minded local artists who meet regularly to paint, offer mutual support, inspire one another, and critique each others’ work.

The group has been working together for several years, enthusiastically embracing opportunities to learn and experiment with different techniques and approaches to composition. All share a deep love of the surrounding landscape and its ever-changing light, moods, and colors. Over time, each member has developed a unique personal vision and style. Several have received awards for art entered in shows in Utah and Colorado. The artists all initially focused on honing their skills with pastel, but now some are expanding their repertoire by working in watercolor and oils as well.Thea Norling

Pastel is often mistakenly confused with chalk. It is quite different. Pastel is pure pigment mixed with just enough binder to hold it together in stick form. The purity of the pigments lets their brilliance glow. Pastel is a very vibrant and versatile medium that mixes well with other mediums. Some artists use only dry pastel on paper. Others apply it over underpaintings rendered in watercolor, acrylic, or pastel dissolved in turpenoid or alcohol on heavier, textured surfaces. The resulting works are varied, ranging from detailed realism and more loosely rendered impressionism to abstraction.

Subject matter includes our beloved local landscape, as well as animals, flowers, and more distant landscapes which have inspired the artists. Works on display will include both paintings created in the studio and en plein air. During the exhibition the original paintings will be available for purchase, as well as prints and note cards.Mary Collar

The participating artists are Helen Becker, Mary Collar, Victoria Fugit, Sarah Hamingson, Peggy Harty, Margie Lopez-Read, Marsha Modine, Thea Nordling, Charlotte Quigley and Larry Thomas.

Dead Horse Point is located nine miles north of Moab on US 191, and 23 miles south on SR313. The visitor center is open daily from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. through October 21st, and 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. starting October 22nd. Park admission is $10 per vehicle for three days. For more information, please contact the park at (435)259-2614. Please be sure to mention that you read about this exhibit in the Moab Happenings.

October at Gallery Moab
by Thea Nordling

Moab is at its best in October, with mellow sunshine and cooler temperatures. It’s a perfect time to cruise the town’s galleries and shops for special gifts or mementos of your canyon country adventures. Gallery Moab is a cooperative of local artists displaying a wide variety of works in different mediums, styles and price ranges. Each month we showcase a special Guest Artist and feature one of our member artists.Helen Becker

Helen Becker is our October Guest Artist. Becker has experimented with many mediums and styles, and is full of innovative surprises. Most recently she taken a fearless leap into bold abstract oil paintings. In her words, “My feet have finally come to rest painting abstracts in oil. This medium has attracted me in a special way. I have always wanted to be an oil painter. I love mixing colors on my palette and watching new colors appear. And I love applying paint to canvas. Aside from the need to clean brushes, this is the perfect medium for me.”

Becker’s new works will be displayed at the gallery from October 8 through early November. These pieces are part of her Freeway Series created from aerial photos of highway intersections in big cities world-wide. Her black and white studies exaggerate the ramps and loops, and are the basis for her dynamic, colorful canvases. Also on display will be several semi-abstract leaf paintings in which she has used materials like bubble wrap, plastic wrap, stencils and corrugated cardboard to create interesting lines, shapes and textures.

Becker’s award-winning work has been exhibited in several solo and group shows, and her creations are in private collections throughout the U.S. She is a member of several professional art organizations, and is currently teaching an acrylic painting class at the Grand Center in Moab.

An exciting new ceramic artist has recently joined the gallery. Barb Gregoire started her journey creating with clay during the late 1970s at the University of Wyoming. Raising two daughters and teaching full-time in the public schools took precedence until 2008, when she quit her full-time job to pursue her passion. Determined to learn from artists whose work she admired, she journeyed around the United States taking classes at art centers, universities, and community colleges. Her accomplished work has been exhibited at galleries and shows in Colorado. Gregoire also teaches others her craft.

Gregoire describes her inspiration and purpose. “Raised in the big Horn Mountains of Wyoming, I noticed the subtle aesthetics of nature early in my life. Inspiration for my ceramic art comes from beauty often missed because of the fast pace of our present world. From the boundless forms of earth, water and fire it is my attempt to create a dialogue between form and surface that should be viewed with quiet contemplation. Holding a piece of my pottery can best be expressed with a rustic sense of calm.”

Meet Becker and Gregoire at a reception at the gallery on Saturday, October 8, 6:00 to 9:00 p.m. It will be a great opportunity to find out more about their work, as well as to mingle with other artists and art lovers. We look forward to your visit!

Open 12:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m., Wednesday – Saturday; Sunday 12:00 to 4:00 p.m.
Closed Monday and Tuesday
87 North Main Street. 435/355-0024
gallerymoab.com
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