Paint, Fiber, Glass

“Paint, Fiber, Glass” is a new exhibit at Gualala Arts in September, featuring artists Nancy Kennedy, Thomas Burgard and Kathryn Weiss.  The exhibit opens Saturday, September 11, from 11:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. and continues through Sunday, September 26, 2021. A preview for members is set for Friday, September 10 from 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

Weaving has been a passion—and vocation—for Nancy Kennedy for thirty years. “When I first learned to weave, I wondered why I hadn’t discovered it long before. In middle age, I finally knew what I wanted to be when I grew up. I guess that makes me a late bloomer. Now I am in no hurry to ‘grow up,’ as it might spoil the creativity.” Rugs have been her primary focus from the beginning. Over the years, her style has evolved to the current contemporary designs. She has been showing rugs mostly at juried fine art and craft shows and in galleries around the country since 1999.

In addition to weaving professionally, Kennedy has taught weaving classes in northern California including Eureka, Mendocino Art Center in Mendocino, and in Fort Bragg. She adds, “I continue to learn and hone my craft by taking workshops whenever I can. My plan is to continue weaving rugs until I physically cannot do it any longer.”

Thomas Burgard self-describes as an ‘Artist Adventurer’. He studied fine art at California State Long Beach and graduated with a BFA in drawing and painting with a minor in sculpture. “I’ve always been drawn to exploring new places and living new experiences. I now live among the redwoods on the Sonoma Coast. The north coast of California offers a succession of majestic scenes —rugged coastlines, towering forests, rolling vineyards and endless and ever-changing sky-scapes and waterborne reflections. Inspired by the beauty of the sea and the ancient trees, I routinely set off on daily treks to find new views to study in plein air oils.”

Back at home in his studio, Burgard uses his oil studies along with photographic references of the sites to create larger finished oil paintings. In addition to conventional oil paintings, he also works in wood and metals for both sculpture and functional art such as entry gates, doors, and furniture.

Kathryn Weiss reminds us that colored glass, melted and shaped by fire, transforms white light into the colors we see. “My first experience with glass was in a scientific glassblowing class, making test tubes and condensers.   Later, I took a workshop to make paperweights, and enjoyed working with hot glass.  Flame-working, using a small torch to make beads, lets me do this, without the need for a large shop. The glass I use is imported from Italy in a rainbow of colors.  Many of my beads combine opaque and transparent glass in the same piece to create the illusion of depth within the bead. Pure silver foil and dichroic metal films add other effects to the glass.”

Some of Weiss’s beads feature organic designs, with the surface of the bead manipulated with a tool to create swirls and other shapes.  Other beads are decorated with more precise designs using dots or thin lines to form patterns.  She frequently combines transparent and opaque glass to give the bead a sense of depth. The beads I craft are the focus of the pieces, and are combined with seed beads, metal beads, and crystals into necklaces, bracelets, and earrings.

Regular gallery hours at Gualala Arts are 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m every day. The exhibit continues at Gualala Arts through September 26.