Gualala Arts

Jeanne Gadol (photography), Leslie Moody (art glass) & Fred Cresswell (art glass) Opening Reception: Saturday, June 3, 5:00 p.m. Exhibit remains through June 29 Dolphin Gallery

The word is that the hottest selling art items in the Seattle area are glass. However, we are fortunate enough to have a show of local glass blowers.

The blown and sculpted glass artworks on display are first created in the glass formulas developed by Fred S. Cresswell - one of only a handful of glass 'alchemists' in the U.S. working with hot glass today. His unique formulas of rare earths and precious metals are melted and hand blown by Fred and his partner, Leslie Moody, into conventional as well as non-traditional vessels and forms.

Fred's work is the result of influences from the past and an endless exploration of the medium - iridescent, Tiffany-like vases of cobalt blue, emerald green, and aqua, with silver glass patterns and intricate optic surface designs.

Leslie's artwork is based on series of forms oftentimes influenced by the natural world and the consequences of time. Glass vessels, softly squared like disk-shaped river stones, dappled and enveloped by a filigree of silver glass thread, are a recurring theme of hers.

On the walls of the gallery for this exhibit will be the photographs by Jeanne Gadol. She is an avid nature photographer specializing in animals in their natural setting. She photographs with a Konica-Minolta Maxxum 7D digital SLR camera and makes corrections such as colors casts, dark/light balance, overall tonality, and cropping in her digital darkroom.

Her unique photo art involves a process by which she takes one or more of her digital images and then, utilizing Photoshop and her Wacom tablet, creates an entirely new composition. She approaches this process with an open mind and it usually involves a lot of experimentation before she is satisfied with the results. These pieces range from almost monochromatic to vivid coloration, and from a soft, fluid look to highly textured and stylized.

A highlight of Ms. Gadol's artistic career was in May of last year when PC Photo magazine featured her photo art portfolio in an article entitled "Capturing Grace."

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.