Kelp February 1 - March 31, 2011 Other Venues: Sea Ranch Lodge Front Gallery

An exhibit at the Front Gallery at the Sea Ranch Lodge from February 1 through March 31, 2011, will feature four artists who have been inspired to make their art with kelp or with kelp as the theme.

Jeanne Gadol will be showing infrared images of Northern California sea plants. Susan Shaddick will be showing woven bull kelp wall pieces. Miriam Owen will show her Kelp People, figures made of kelp and driftwood. Susan Miron's kelp baskets will also be on display.

Jeanne Gadol

In 2008 Jeanne Gadol converted the sensor in one of her husband's old digital cameras to infrared. She found the different yet familiar look of infrared photographs fascinating and beautiful. The mystery of not knowing what the camera was going to capture captivated her as she explored taking infrared photographs. For this show Jeanne has made infrared images of kelp and other sea plants. This is new terrain for Jeanne who is a nature photographer.

Over the course of about 15 months, Jeanne figured out what lighting, tides and ocean conditions would provide the best results for her kelp photography. The infrared effect is similar to black and white images, except the black is much more enhanced.

Through her explorations of the local coastline she found some favorite places to which she returned over and over; among them the Point Arena Pier and several spots on The Sea Ranch. Watching the kelp move with the water, become entangled and disentangled, rise and fall with the changing depth as she sought the perfect picture, she found that making these photographs became a meditation.

The black and white images showed the water dark and the plant material light. In the learning process, Jeanne inverted the pictures, sometimes lightening the water, until only the plant is visible.

This unique collection of photographs captures our local sea plants as they move in the three dimensions of their liquid environment. As monochrome images, they evoke the tonal subtleties of Japanese brush paintings. Some are gentle and graceful while others have more drama; some are highly recognizable and others quite abstract. This is the first time Jeanne Gadol has shown this body of work.

All prints are made with archival ink on artist quality paper and matted with acid free material. Contact Jeanne at jeanne@jeannegadol.com

Woven Kelp - Susan Shaddick

Susan Shaddick is a native Californian and has been creating art for almost forty years. Over time, her art, in whatever medium selected, has always been about flow and motion. Living next to the sea has been a catalyst, in her three-dimensional sculptures of kelp. Contact Susan at susancreate@gmail.com

Kelp People - Miriam Owen

Miriam Owen's driftwood work began after 25 years as a potter, with a conscious shift to making art from found materials. She wanted to focus on using what she could find locally. Local beaches are resource for natural materials such as kelp and driftwood, the basics of her figures she calls Kelp People.

Kelp People are made with dried bull kelp for heads, with driftwood bodies. They are pairs, anatomically correct under their skirts. They are embellished with beads, shells and talisman such as bone or stone carvings. Contact Miriam at miriamowen-driftwoodsculpture.com

Kelp Baskets - Susan Miron

Susan Miron is a resident of Kenwood and has been a professional artist for more than 25 years. Her experience covers a wide variety of artistic media, ranging from oil and acrylic painting to wood and metal sculpture. Over the years, however, she has developed a special affinity for 3-dimensional fiber art, including kelp, horsehair basketry and gourds.

Her creative works include the use of kelp and other materials gathered at various ocean beaches, as well as local grapevine, kiwi vine, honeysuckle, pussy willow, and pine needles. She has also used recycled man-made materials including metal wire and aluminum strips cut from soft drink cans.

Susan's works have been exhibited in galleries across the United States, and she has won numerous awards of excellence in juried exhibits. All of her works are one-of-a-kind and reflect her emphasis in the uniqueness of the idea which inspired it.

Susan studied art at San Jose State University, Taos Art Institute, Cal State Hayward and numerous workshops and seminars. She is an active member of several art and basketry organizations and has taught her craft extensively, at levels ranging from the most elementary to college level. She works as a contract artist and Artist in Residence at Napa State Hospital for many years.

The Sea Ranch Lodge is located at
60 Sea Walk Drive, Sea Ranch, California 95497
Please call (707) 785-2371 for more information.