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Gualala Arts
Promoting public interest and participation in the arts since 1961.
Archive of past events: 2004 through 2014
The October 2013 exhibit at the Dolphin Gallery features the digital art, photography and wearable art of Jeanne Gadol and the indoor and outdoor ceramics of Alexis Moyer. The opening night reception is on Saturday, October 5 from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. and the show runs through Wednesday, November 13. This exhibit is part of the Mendocino County Celebrates American Craft Week event that runs from October 4 through October 13. Jeanne Gadol
The process starts with a compelling photographic image. She then may combine it with other photographs, her paintings, original text and/or special effects to more purely express her aesthetic and emotional appreciation of the natural world. She may place photographs in groupings, on tile or in fabrics as wearable art. She combined her images with text in her charming book, Lessons From the Birds. Her website, JeanneGadol.com, provides numerous examples of her techniques. Primarily self-taught, Gadol has studied with National Geographic photographer Ralph Lee Hopkins and color landscape photographer and environmental activist Robert Glenn Ketchum. She also incorporates her career experiences as a successful graphic designer. She purchased a home in Sea Ranch in 2000 and finds inspiration in the Northern California coast vistas.
Alexis Moyer
Alexis Moyer puts her pottery into three separate classifications - functional, sculptural, and Frogs and Leaves. Each has a distinctive quality and each refers to a different aspect of this most ancient of art forms. The functional group fired with her specially prepared lead free blue glazes consists of plates, bowls, jars and cups.
She has been throwing pots ever since a chance assignment while studying architecture at Cal Poly led Moyer to what has become her passion. She transferred to California College of Arts and Crafts in Oakland where she obtained a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in ceramics. A summer in Crete studying Minoan art history and pottery followed and perhaps is the reason for her love of blue glazes. For her upcoming show at the Dolphin Gallery, Alexis Moyer will be featuring her totem pole and animal sculptures. These large-scale pieces are a colorful blend of playfulness and sophisticated whimsy. Suitable for both indoor and outdoor installation, they are sure to capture a place in your heart as well as your home. When she is not exhibiting at various shows - twelve Northern California locations in 2013, from Roseville to Palo Alto besides the Dolphin and Art in the Redwoods - Moyer can be found at her Philo Studio, a repurposed gas station on Highway 128 called "The Pot Shop." There she chats with frequent visitors while working at her beloved kick wheel.
The Dolphin Gallery is located at
39225 Highway One in downtown Gualala, CA |
The term "nature photographer" falls short of fully describing the fertile vision of Jeanne Gadol. Even calling her a digital artist fails to include everything she brings to her work and does not reference her wearable art creations.
Gadol's first Dolphin show was in 2004 and she returns this month for what is her fifth two-person exhibit in the same venue. Each time she has brought a more versatile vision that incorporates a wider variety of media, yet the core remains grounded in photographs probing the life forces found in nature.
Since retiring Gadol has devoted herself to her artistic vision in its multifaceted expressions. Her work is well-known to patrons of Gualala Arts and she has received numerous awards and participated in many juried shows in the Gualala area and in Portola Valley where she spends part of her time. 
Although pottery has always had the practical purpose of making a container, it very soon became transformed by the vision of the potter into an artistic expression, perhaps the earliest artistic record of civilization. The creations of Alexis Moyer beautifully illustrate this blend of function and form inherent in this medium.
Totems, animal figures and bases for lamps and tables comprise her sculpture collection, which can enhance the décor of any room. The Frog and Leaf motif appears in the third category where whimsical frogs and delicate leaf patterns add a delightful touch to otherwise functional pottery. A glimpse at her web site,
