Home
Gualala Arts
Promoting public interest and participation in the arts since 1961.
Archive of past events: 2004 through 2014
The March 2014 exhibit at the Dolphin Gallery, "Texture and Tone," features quilter Barbara Dunsmoor and potter Nancy Morgan. The opening night reception is on Saturday, March 1 from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. and the show runs through Wednesday, April 2. Barbara Dunsmoor
About 38 years ago Dunsmoor began quilting as a creative outlet when she was busy raising a family. Her love of sewing and fabrics led her first to practical projects such as very traditional bed and baby quilts. Gradually her style evolved into the pieces she exhibits in this show. Her work communicates concepts through the selection of colors, textures, and patterns that mark her distinctive abstract style. A specific color or the texture of a fabric may spark an idea for a quilt. At other times the interaction with other quilters or a PPQG workshop provides the inspiration. On occasion a fully developed idea might motivate the process. In each case Dunsmoor works with her material to create the desired effect. After joining PPQG in 2003 she became stimulated by the work of others and saw herself more as an artist. Since then she has been very active in the group and has held a number of offices in the guild including the post of president. Currently, she serves as secretary. More information about PPQG can be found on their website, www.pacificpiecemakers.org.
Dunsmoor's work has been well received by a large audience. "The interest has been surprising to me," she says. "It has motivated me to be more productive in recent years. I don't think of quilting as a business or vocation. It is just something I have to do."
Nancy Morgan
After a period of time raising her children she found a job as a lab technician in the ceramic studio at Santa Rosa Junior College where she has worked for nineteen years refining her skills in the medium that remains her artistic passion because it combines her interest with artistic expression and a timeless functionality of form. One attraction for Morgan is the many avenues open to her. Not only can she test her skills at the potter's wheel, but she has a number of other ways to construct her ceramic pieces. She can also work with a variety of glazing techniques, shapes and firing methods. This show, her third at the Dolphin Gallery, will provide examples of the many directions she has learned to explore over the years.
She has always had an interest in gardening so she naturally moved to creations that enhance outdoor spaces as either containers for plants or as stand-alone pieces such as bowls and fountains. Morgan confesses, "I really started out needing a water bowl for my dogs." Soon she was attracted to fish — fish fountains, fish bowls, fish people in evolving forms, but always with an element of functionality. "As an artist, I find inspiration in a lot of ways, looking at the world around me, meeting new people, learning new techniques. Many ideas get filed away in my head for future reference." Part of the charm in her work is the discovery of where her imagination takes her.
Regardless of the direction the viewer can be sure it will have a whimsical dimension and be made out of clay.
Dolphin Gallery is located at
39225 Highway 1 in downtown Gualala, CA, |
Although Barbara Dunsmoor is a well-known South Coast quilter and has exhibited in many local venues in group shows, often those linked with Pacific Piecemakers Quilt Guild (PPQG), this exhibit is her first two-person show at the Dolphin Gallery.
Ceramic artist Nancy Morgan first discovered clay while playing along the Napa River as a child. This childhood fascination led to classes at Napa College and later at Humboldt State University where she studied art with a concentration on ceramics. Today she works out of her Healdsburg studio, Three Dog Pottery.
