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Gualala Arts
Promoting public interest and participation in the arts since 1961.
Archive of past events: 2004 through 2014
The Dolphin Gallery will present an exhibit of Matt and Marty Covington's photography plus stone artistry from Ellen Soule and basketry from Susan Miron from the opening reception Saturday, July 2 from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. through August 3, 2011. About Matthew S. Covington
Matt focuses much of his photography on images of the southwestern United States, in the Sierra Nevada, and along the Pacific Ocean, including Sea Ranch. Much of his photography involves substantial advance planning, which includes scouting and locating new and unknown areas, and backpacking or hiking to remote locations. Most of the images in the display were taken with color film in either a 4"x5" or 8"x10" view camera or with a medium format roll film camera such as a Hassleblad. Some of the older images on display were hand printed on Cibachrome in a traditional darkroom. More recently Matt has been scanning most of his images into the digital world, making minor corrections in Photoshop and printing the images on digital photographic paper or on a wide format ink jet printer.
Mr. Covington is a graduate of Harvard Law School and a partner in an international law firm, DLA Piper. Working out of DLA's San Francisco office, Matt has a broad practice focusing on advise and litigation regarding environmental, real estate, commercial and financial disputes. His clients include commercial lenders, contractors, oil companies, and real estate developers.
About Martin V. Covington
Martin Covington is Professor of the Graduate School in the Department of Psychology at the University of California at Berkeley. He is the former recipient of the prestigious Berkeley Presidential Chair in Undergraduate Education. He is also a recipient of the Berkeley Distinguished Teaching Award and the Phi Beta Kappa Award for Outstanding University Instructor of the Year in California. He has taught at Berkeley for the past 53 years, and he and his wife, Bette, have been 'Sea Ranchers' since 1975.
About Ellen Soule
Later in life when we discovered the beautiful coastal beaches, I found I could draw on the smooth beach stones, many of them resembling creatures, so I took up the pleasant activity of beachcombing and working with pen and ink, instead of messing around with oils and messy rags.
Since a child I have loved nature and animals, so I can now combine these interests in hunting for the rocks - in face, most of them are works of art in themselves and I feel guilty drawing on them and depicting the animals.
About Susan MironSusan Miron, a Kenwood resident, has been a professional artist for over 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 basketry, papermaking, beaded lampshades, French tassels and pouches; using knotless netting.
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 on the uniqueness of the idea which inspired it. Owing to the nature of her craft, much of her work shows the influence of Native American culture through the use of chosen materials and stylistic influence, but always, her works combine a variety of influences into a truly individual creation. 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. She has taught her craft extensively at levels ranging from the most elementary to college level, and worked as Artist in Residence at Napa State Hospital for many years. She has curated numerous exhibits by her students.
Susan's work may be seen in numerous galleries throughout the United States.
The Dolphin Gallery is located at
39225 Highway One in downtown Gualala, CA |
For Matt Covington, fine-art landscape photography is a hobby and a passion which he has pursued since 1988. A resident of Belmont, California, Mr. Covington is married and has twin boys. Matt has been visiting The Sea Ranch since the mid 1970s when his parents, Marty and Bette Covington, built a vacation home here. Mr. Covington and his family visit The Sea Ranch frequently and often stay with his parents, now full time Sea Ranch residents.
I was drawn into photography some years ago by our oldest son, Matthew, who himself had just taken up the craft. I progressed in my role, first, as equipment wrangler, then moved to kibitzer, and finally became an opinionated critic. At that point, Matthew thrust a camera into my hands so I could experience just how demanding, frustrating, and fulfilling the entire creative process could be. In the years since, Matthew and I have trekked the US together, concentrating on the red rock country of the Southwest and Alaska. But our favorite venue remains the marvelous meeting of land and sea on the North Coast of California. Each time I walk these cliffs I am reminded of the quote, "Just like a lover - [the ocean] so familiar and comforting; so wild and unpredictable."
I have been drawing and painting on rocks for over fifty years. I have studied art in the Bay Area and Paris and have had oil paintings and collages exhibited in galleries in Richmond, San Francisco, Honolulu and San Diego. The rocks were featured in Honolulu Magazine.
Her work has emphasized the use of natural materials, evoking the spirit of the creation from the natural form of the material used. Her creative works include the use of local grapevine, kiwi vine, honeysuckle, pussy willow, pine needles, kelp, palm leaves, and gourds, as well as other natural materials gathered at beaches in California, Florida, Texas, and Hawaii.