Gerald and Kelly Hong: Clay Sculpture Opening Reception: Saturday, April 3, 2010, 5:00 p.m. Exhibit remains through April 28 Dolphin Gallery

The Dolphin Gallery will present a ceramic exhibit of the work of Gerald and Kelly Hong from the opening on Saturday, April 3 from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. through April 28.

The collaborative work of Gerald and Kelly Hong is the result of a joining of minds, aesthetics and hearts. Gerald's work is very strong and solid in form and is decorated with geometric patterns. Kelly's work is more fanciful in design and highly patterned with imagery drawn from nature. Out of this seemingly disparate artistic approach, they found fundamental similarities in their work. Both of them rely heavily on the Asian aesthetic and they both aim to create work which appears both ancient, yet new, at the same time.

Gerald and Kelly married in 1996 and "married" their work as well. While they still create individual work, they both enjoy working collaboratively. They find the process exciting and they feel liberated by being able to make work which would have never been created by either one of them alone.

When they sit down to design a new collaborative piece, they hammer out the design together on paper. Gerald and Kelly each make the parts in their respective methods that will be combined in the final result. It can be thrown, slab built or sculpted. Design is impressed, incised or taped. Glazes are airbrushed or inlaid. Sometimes, Gerald builds the piece and Kelly does the surface decoration. That piece is then fired in the Raku process. Kelly adds the final decorative elements, be they an intricate fiber finial or a bead to add an accent of color. The resulting work is a combination of both of their artistic visions yet it still resonates with the essence of their individual styles.

The Dolphin Gallery is located at 39225 Highway One in downtown Gualala, CA
(behind the post office on the south side). Open daily from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Please call (707) 884-3896 for more information.