Eastern Shore / Western Shore

“Eastern Shore/Western Shore” is a new exhibit at the Dolphin Gallery in Gualala. Opening Saturday, June 11, 2022, “Eastern Shore/Western Shore” is a two-person exhibition featuring the works of Suzanne Dunn and Carrie Phillips Kieser. Working in different mediums—painting and printmaking—both artists are currently making work that expresses their deep concern and appreciation with our coastal regions, one Eastern Atlantic and one Western Pacific.

Carrie Phillips Kieser lives in Nova Scotia, Canada along the eastern shores of the Atlantic Ocean, working in print media to create sculptural and spatial works that speak to circular elements of re-generation, symbiotic integration and entanglement. Kieser’s work focuses on her time along her native shore, walking and playing in the intertidal zones, intermingling with the life forms which exist within the constant duality of sea and land. Her work also examines the concept of native, naturalized and invasive species found through discovery and research. 

As Suzanne Dunn explains, “My artwork explores the idea of the deconstructed landscape. I am fascinated with the juxtaposition of human made constructs and the natural world, finding certain structures imposed on the environment to be objects to reappropriate and reimagine in an attempt to find harmony with their existence. For the series Crossing Over, my subject matter is taken from impressions of landscape as well as photos I take on the road in Northern California, paying particular attention to the sharp contrast between the industrial aspects of the Bay Area versus rural Sonoma County.”

The two artists met each other more than two decades ago, and although they live ‘countries and coasts apart’ they have maintained a close and reciprocal friendship. The hope is that this combined exhibition demonstrates to the community that when times seem out of control, and our old norms-of-being begin to be questioned, the natural world around us can offer new perspectives of togetherness, possibilities for hope, and a continued connection with each other.

Growing up in a family of artists, Suzanne Dunn has been painting for over 30 years. She received her BFA in 1995 from San Francisco Art Institute, studying with Bay Area Figurative Artist Bruce McGaw and American Master Painter Julius Hatofsky. She also briefly studied with David Hockney. In 2013 Dunn added ceramics to her repertoire, studying with Japanese Master Potter Shiro Otani in 2016. Her ceramic work ranges from purely functional to sculptural.

Carrie Phillips Kieser holds a BA with distinction from Mount Allison University, New Brunswick, Canada, and has studied Art History at UCLA. She has exhibited her work nationally and internationally. From 2014 to 2018 she was the Executive Director of Alberta Printmakers, a non-profit and artist-run centre in Calgary, Alberta.  With an interest in making art accessible to all, she served on the Calgary Public Art Board for two years until her relocation to Nova Scotia in 2019. “The work I make reflects my experiences in these natural worlds and offer questions around perceptions and perhaps offer moments of speculation of future possibilities of appreciation and interconnectedness with the greater world around us.”

The exhibit continues at the Dolphin Gallery through Sunday, July 3, 2022.

Download and share the poster for the June exhibit.