Miriam Owen Red Shoes and Bare Feet Opening Reception: Saturday, August 1, 2009, 5:00 p.m. Exhibit remains through September 2 Dolphin Gallery

Miriam Owen will be the solo artist at the Dolphin Gallery during the month of August. The show will feature color digital photographs and driftwood sculpture.

The photographs are a series Miriam has been doing for several years. The idea began while sitting on a Paris train with her feet up on the facing seat. The brilliant orange of the upholsery set off her red shoes and rainbow striped socks. That first photograph set in motion the series that she calls 'Traveling Feet.' That first photo was taken on her way to visit Monet's Garden in Giverny.

The shoes have also traveled to Athens and many islands in Greece, Florence, Italy, and the Leaning Tower at Pisa. One of her favorite photographs is at Stonehenge in England. The series has been inspired by travels both near and far. The Gualala River estuary, Bowling Ball Beach, sights in New York City, San Francisco, Mendocino and her own flower garden have all provided Miriam with 'red shoe moments.'

In these photographs, Miriam finds a way to reveal humor, drama and playful juxtaposition. The sock collection has broadened. Along with rainbow stripes, there are also socks with red polka dots, black and white stripes, red hearts, hues of green and other very colorful variations.

Bare Feet refers to all the beach combing Miriam does to find driftwood to create sculptures. She began this work in the early '90's when the Kelp People were born. These figurative sculptures, made with dried bull kelp heads and driftwood bodies, are made in pairs of anatomically correct he and she. Reviewed in a juried show at the Mendocino Art Center, they were described as 'shamanistic' and 'playful.' Indeed, what Miriam strives to achieve in her driftwood sculpture is a playful engagment with the medium and to draw the viewer into that playful space.

The figures have evolved to include freestanding 'Guardians' such as the 'Guardian of Nonlinear Thinking' or the 'Guardian of Random Chaos'. Recent pieces include an all green three figure piece called 'What Does It Mean To Be Green.' Miriam also makes driftwood animals and, for this show, has been collecting figurative pieces that she calls 'Driftwood Doodles.'

The driftwood sculpture can be seen on her website
miriamowen-driftwoodsculpture.com.

The Opening Reception will be Saturday, August 1 from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. The exhibit stays up through Wednesday, September 2.

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.