Layers
two artists one show
Lisa Orselli and Patti Harney have joined creative forces this year to explore the idea of artistic collaboration. The questions asked were: what can it look like for two artists to share show-time and show-space? and present it in a way where the end result is more creative, more impactful, than the sum of its parts? How indeed? Curiosity with some mystery mixed in took the lead.
The title “Layers” was chosen to reflect the depth of both artists' work to be presented. Additionally, they have developed a special project together, involving many layers, which they are excited to reveal.
A Conversation in Paint
collaborative bench project
Two artists, Patti Harney and Lisa Orselli, have embarked on a collaborative journey of creation, transforming ordinary benches into art. Over a three-month period, they swapped benches back-and-forth each responding to the others artistic choices. Their project aptly titled, “A Conversation in Paint”, is a testament to what can unfold when creative minds work together.
The process began with custom crafted benches. Together, Lisa and Patti chose a limited color palette and made the commitment to have fun!
This collaborative effort pushed both artists outside their comfort zones, challenging each to relinquish control and embrace the unexpected. The end result was so much more than either could have created on their own. The process was rich, surprising, scary, and liberating.
“A Conversation in Paint” invites viewers to witness the visual dialogue between two artists, each bringing their distinctive voice to the canvas.
Opening night reception will be on
Friday, September 6th from 5pm-8pm.
I'll be working in the gallery on:
Wednesday 9/18
Friday 9/27
Monday 9/30
Northcoast Artists Gallery
362 North Main Street, Fort Bragg, CA 95437
Click here to watch a video of Lisa Orselli and I talking about the bench project and what the process was like for us.
Gratitude
I am an oil painter. If there was a need to describe my style it would be somewhere between representational and abstract. I almost always start with a subject and as I paint, I look for ways to abstract it. Lately I’m exploring ways of pushing abstraction (or the energy of a subject) further by incorporating different materials like charcoal, pencil, and oil sticks into my work, finding marks that feel authentic to the process. I prefer to paint on wood because I can sand and scrape through layers of paint for interesting effects. I also like to paint a completely new painting over an old one leaving some history to show through.
Some of my favorite subjects to paint are singing bowls, clouds, and beach walk finds.
I named this show “Gratitude” because as I was looking at this body of work and searching for the common ground amongst the pieces, I realized that the emotion of gratitude was the thread that wove it together.
I believe there is transformative power in art. Not just for the artist but for the viewer as well. This is why I paint. I am humbled and grateful to be of service in this way.
Artists- Please do not stop what you do.
Viewers- Experience as much art, in ALL of its forms, as often as you can.
Patti Harney
Opening night reception will be on
Friday, October 7th from 5pm-8pm.
Artist talk at 6:30
I'll be working in the gallery on:
Monday 10/9
Wednesday 10/18
Monday 10/23
Friday 10/27
Tuesday 10/31
362 North Main Street, Fort Bragg, CA 95437
If you can't make the journey, sign up for my newsletter to receive a video tour of the show.
Convergence: (of several people or things) come together from different directions so as eventually to meet.
The title for this show came to be as I looked at this vastly varied body of my current work. It is this space, these walls, where it meets. “Convergence” seemed like it could be the gel that would hold it together. I like to work in series. The paintings and drawings you see here are of course finished. The series are not. There is still exploration to be done in each of them; they are alive.
To help organize the presentation you will be looking at 3 series:
Gathering For Good • Still Life • Entangled
What pervades each series is my ongoing search for beauty in everything. Or… the alive essence that permeates everything. THAT is what inspires me to create and causes me to continue.
Gathering For Good
This series began in 2018 as a painting challenge assigned by my painting and drawing teacher, Chester Arnold. He is known for his paintings of large crowds. After demonstrating his own technique to his students, he challenged us to paint a crowd of our own. The crowd I convey stands inclusive, united, diverse, and celebratory. Just a bunch of dots? In a way - yes. However, every brush stroke is intentional in its size, value, spacing, transparency, and color, to create the look you see. I love coming back to this series again and again. There is still much to explore. I return to it in between more intense pieces of work.
Still Life
I call this series of paintings and drawings “Still Life”. All of the objects here are at rest and there are two things that have captured my attention and caused me to paint them:
1) The play of light on their surface. Whether it’s highly polished metal, eggshells, fabric, or weathered wood — I love to capture sheens and shadows.
2) Comfort.
My favorite subjects include singing bowls, driftwood, beach walk finds and worn soft jeans.
Entangled
This winter my daughter was inspired to make mushroom spore prints from the abundant variety growing in our yard. She has assembled them into a collage for the exhibit. It is these spore prints that were the inspiration for my drawings. Because of their texture and detail, they lent themselves perfectly to the precision of colored pencil. Using the spore prints as reference material I observed them closely as I drew. I also took plenty of artistic liberty especially in the areas of line, color, and composition. In other words, you would not find these drawing in a mycology textbook.
Opening night reception will be on
Friday, August 5 from 5pm-8pm.
Come say hello and enjoy a glass of wine!
I'll be working in the gallery on:
Thursday 8/4
Friday 8/5 (5-8pm)
Saturday 8/13
Saturday 8/20
362 North Main Street, Fort Bragg, CA 95437
If you can't make the journey, sign up for my newsletter to receive a video tour of the show.
The inspiration for this painting came from a 5-day meditation retreat led by my teacher Miranda Macpherson. Daily she guided us in a meditation called “the Vast Heart”. This practice was designed to open us to the depths of our own heart giving us immediate access to the qualities of the liberated heart— unlimited love, compassion, kindness and joy. Instruction included focus on our heart’s center along with sending our breath in these directions:
Vertically upward— past the galaxies and beyond the known.
Vertically downward— grounded, rooted, supported.
Horizontally— extending our hearts across the horizon and linking us to all of humanity.
I knew then that one day this transformative experience would reveal itself as a painting.
The concept began on a scrap piece of note paper (think cocktail napkin—where most concepts get their start) and evolved over many weeks to what you see here. It immediately took the shape of a traditional heart in the center of the composition. I chose to develop it in four separate pieces, or quadrants, with each one standing on its own as a finished painting. I worked on wood instead of canvas, allowing me the most freedom in textural treatment like sanding, scraping and wood burning. Each quadrant has a specific focus on the direction of its energy and movement.
The four corners coming together into the center of the painting came last. What is in the center of the Vast Heart? Nothing. NO-THING. And yet here is the source of everything. How does one paint that? My solution was to sand this central area back down to the surface of the wood leaving it bare. I further defined it by burning in some fine lines. To finish it up, touches of 23 karat gold leaf (not to be confused with gold foil!) were gilded and burnished in.
Trust and patience were put to the test as only the next step was ever revealed along the way. The overall look is very different from anything I’ve painted to date. The colors are bright and saturated. I used nothing in the way of reference material. There is playfulness here and the word “primitive” comes to mind. After all—the Vast Heart expands us beyond our intellect and skillset.
The challenges were many during the painting process, but the approach was always with joy. It is my hope that joy is what you receive.
From my Vast Heart to yours,
Patti
Visit Northcoast Artists Gallery to see additional pieces I have on display.
I'll be working in the gallery on:
Friday 4/2
Saturday 4/10
Sunday 4/18
Sunday 4/25
Sunday 5/2
362 North Main Street, Fort Bragg, CA 95437
If you can't make it follow my Instagram page to learn more about my process and journey.
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