Side by Side

Gualala Arts Burnett Gallery proudly announces the opening of “Side by Side,” an exhibition showcasing the works of Linda and Wilbur Wong. This unique exhibit, featuring landscape photography and multimedia art, celebrates the collaborative spirit and individual talents of this creative couple. The exhibition opens on Friday, February 14th and will show alongside “Woodworking and Beyond” by James Docker and will be available for viewing through March 9. 

 The exhibit highlights the synergy between Linda’s hand-printed and embroidered landscapes and Wilbur’s evocative series of water lilies. Additionally, the exhibit will include a special series of wood and paper sculptures offering a unique fusion of their artistic visions.

The Wongs’ dedication to their crafts is further demonstrated by Wilbur’s custom framing of Linda’s prints, adding a personal touch to the display. “Side by Side” is not just an exhibition; it is a narrative of love, partnership, and the inspiring journey of two artists working in harmony. The Gualala Arts community is invited to experience this exceptional showcase of marital and artistic collaboration.

Artist Statement by Linda Wong

When people think about printmaking, they usually think of a printing press. But monoprints are done by hand. Because they are done by hand, monoprints are considered the most painterly of all the printing techniques. They are essentially printed paintings. I discovered this technique many years ago and the process has inspired me ever since.
For me the making of a print always begins as an intuitive and meditative process. I may start with a piece of bark, a leaf, a piece of string or even a crumpled up piece of paper. As I lay my treasures down on a piece of glass and add ink, I breathe in the excitement of making a print.
Each image that appears has its own energy and possibility, and yet, each image gives its permission for the next one to appear. I look at my finished print. Zen Buddhism talks about making the invisible visible in art and about finding the “isness” of things. Where is that mysterious place between spontaneous arising and control, between chaos and order, between form and formlessness and what does it look like?
Since recently retired from teaching, I divide my time between working in the shared studios at the O’Hanlon Center in Mill Valley or in my home studio in Richmond, My work has been shown at the O’Hanlon Center, the Albany Foyer Art Gallery, the Benicia Art Gallery, the Finley Center in Santa Rosa, the Abrams Claghorn Gallery, the San Francisco Women Artists Gallery and in other galleries throughout the Bay Area.

 Artist Statement by Wilbur Wong

For me, finding scenes that convey exciting yet harmonious emotional responses is a
lifelong passion. Finding solace in sometimes fierce landscapes requires physical and
emotional commitment to place myself and my camera where I can capture images that are uniquely memorable. I strive to capture a moment that a viewer of one of my prints would recognize if the print is seen again and be as thought provoking on a subsequent viewing. On the technical side I use view camera controls and do my photography working on a tripod. This allows me to contemplate and carefully compose the elements of an image while eliminating anything that doesn’t contribute to the feelings that I want the photograph to provoke.
I have had a lifelong pursuit of photography while having two different unrelated careers.  Since retiring I have continued my pursuit of fine art photography. One of my long term projects has been capturing fine art photographs of native water lilies in Yellowstone National Park. An extensive collection of these were presented at the horticultural library at the San Francisco Botanical Garden. My other landscape work has been seen in the Helen Crocker Russell Library, Canessa Gallery, Marin Arts Center, and the O’Hanlon Arts Center.