GALLERY HAPPENINGS October 2009

Enjoy the Refreshing Experience of Original Art

We feature local, regional, and international artists. You will find here sculptures, beautiful pottery, glass, wood and metal works, most unique photographs and thought- provoking paintings, azurite crystal roses, hand spun wool & silk, light & color.

Moab is a small town located in the red rock desert of southwestern Utah. It is world - famous for its spectacular natural beauty and is one of the greatest places for hiking, biking, river trips and jeeping adventures. Nevertheless, in this beautiful surrounding there are many talented and devoted artists who live and work here, quietly interpreting the natural beauty around them into stunning works of contemporary art.

So, we are searching for the hidden and known talents in our region and beyond, so you, our visitors, will enjoy the refreshing experience of original art.

This month we would like to talk about two artists: sculptor -Eric Lintala and oil painter Richard Bailey.

Eric Lintala - Sculpture
Eric Lintala received his Masters of Fine Arts degree in sculpture from Kent State University. He is a professor in Fine Art Department at University of Massachusetts.

He had numerous exhibitions and several installations in public places. During his artistic career he received many grants, awards and commissions.

Eric has traveled extensively throughout the United States recording and researching prehistoric Rock Art, petroglyphs and pictographs, which has had profound influence on his work.

“Long before people developed a written language, they learned how to communicate and record through pictures. Religion, the hunt, farming, fertility, life and death, all that was important they recorded to pass that knowledge to other generations.

The challenge before me is to carry on, to renew this tradition of communication and through my visual interpretations I hope their spirits can live on. To try to understand what was, in relation to what is now and yet to come, that fascinates me. These sacred sites and the marks left there by man have uniquely influenced my work.
Through observation, the sense of touch, moving through or around site - specific works and the unexpected interaction of light, sound and other natural phenomena all work together to create a unique experience. The sculptures I create have become a narrative of events in present time. The shapes and marks that I make, the symbols created, have become uniquely my own, they tell of my experiences and events that have affected me”

Richard Bailey (Oil Painter)
Richard Bailey was born and graduated from school here in Moab Utah, where he still has numerous relatives. He graduated with a Bachelor of Science from the University of Utah. He received his Masters degree in Political Science from the University of Southern California. He is a retired lieutenant colonel of the U. S. Air Force where he was a pilot (instructor and examiner).

While living in the Netherlands for several years, Richard developed his artistic style which presents a raw natural talent in combining color and texture in a variety of medium and evolving newly discovered painting technique. A few of his paintings were purchased by two Art Museums in the Netherlands. Richard has many of his works in private collections through out Europe and other countries. Now he lives in Las Vegas, where he has been a part of a docent program in Las Vegas Museum of Art.

His recent work was exhibited in New York galleries, Florida and Florence, Italy.

As long as you are here in the gallery, check out the new and unique jewelry by Olga Martinova. Olga works at her jeweler’s bench and greets her customers, who appreciate the opportunity to meet the artist and watch her work. She makes many custom beaded earrings and necklaces upon request; you can watch her make your piece while you wait. She also spins wool and silk. Often you can see her spinning when you walk into the gallery. She will often give demonstrations to customers who has never seen this ancient art practiced in real life.

If you’re passing through Moab, we’d like to invite you to take a few moments to stop in and enjoy the refreshing experience of original art!....

We are located in the Eddie McStiff’s Plaza, “when you see the big yellow cat above its rocky lair, you know you’re in the right place!”

Cat's Lair Collection
59 South Main St.
Moab, UT 84532
(435) 259-2458
www.catslaircollection.com