November 2024 Exhibit
Tapestries by Aiko Kobayashi Gray and Artisan Jewelry by Lisa Marie Del Gavio
September 3 - November 1, 2024
ARTIST RECEPTION
Saturday, November 9th, 2:30 - 4:30 pm, Library Auditorium
Meet Aiko and Lisa and enjoy light refreshments on the outdoor terrace adjacent to the Gallery. Free admission for all!
September & October 2024 Exhibit
STORIES WE TELL
September 3 - November 1, 2024
This 2-month exhibit presents original artwork that demonstrates the power of stories using symbols and metaphors. This multimedia exhibit of images, words, and music tells stories both ancient and contemporary. The voices of artists inhabit these spaces to spark our imagination and inspire us.
The following artists are exhibiting: Gina Barretta, John Brown, Joy Chew, Suellen Cox, Nancy Daniels, Elaine Drew, Jennifer Granat, Karina Hou, Georgianna Krieger, Lori J. Larks, Mary Leigh Miller, Connie Vaccaro Millholland, Denise Nomura, Jenny Rosen, Michiko Sakai, Gini Graham Scott, Susanne Simas, Ruth Stanton, Betsy Streeter, Sharon Tama, and Nancy Vachani
ARTIST RECEPTION
Saturday, October 5th, 2:00 - 4:00 pm, Library Auditorium
Meet all the Artists and enjoy light refreshments on the outdoor terrace adjacent to the Gallery. Free admission for all!
February 2024 Exhibit
The Lamorinda Arts Council presents a Bay Area Studio Artists (BASA) group show in the Art Gallery at the Orinda Library entitled “The BASA Invitational: As We See It. ” This show reflects the diverse work of longtime BASA artists Suzun Almquist, Jeanette Baird, Lassie Colebourn, Ellen Reintjes, Ruth Stanton, Sharon Tama, Joanne Taeuffer, and Marcy Wheeler.
Five local artists have also been invited: Flora Baumann, Nicole Reader, Cecelia Wambach, April Ward, and Lynn Whitson. Meet the artists at a reception in their honor on Saturday, February 10th, 2:30 - 4:30 pm while enjoying light refreshments.
Exhibit organizer Sharon Tama says, “BASA artists each see the world through their own eyes. They all seek painting ideas that move, challenge or connect. Their painting styles differ but similarly reflect their individuality and temperament.”
Marcy Wheeler selected five additional artists to contribute to the exhibit. “We chose them to add a different spice to our stew and because they are good artists who deserve to be seen. We are good at hanging wonderful shows with gorgeous art that has meaning,” she said. Visit https://bayareastudioartists.com/ for more information.
January 2024 Exhibit
The Orinda Library is ringing in the New Year by featuring creations from members of the Bay Area Woodturning Assoc. (BAWA), painter Attila Cziglenyi, 3D collage from Kimiko Kogure, and sculptures from Michael Rizza. Meet the artists at a reception in their honor on Saturday, January 6 from 2:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. when light refreshments will be served.
Bay Area Woodturning Assoc (BAWA) is a nonprofit organization with 150 members. From novice turners to hobby enthusiasts, instructors to professionals, BAWA provides a place to share and learn while educating the public in the art of woodturning. Monthly meetings are held in Pleasant Hill. Visit http://bayareawoodturners.org for more information.
Attila Cziglenyi of Hayward has been painting for 30 years in various media, emphasizing oil for the past 20 years. Most of his time is spent painting in the open air at various sites in the San Francisco Bay Area and beyond. “I like the challenge of painting on location, plein-air, where the fast-changing lights and shadows make me capture the impressions with true colors of the site,” said Cziglenyi. He hopes that as viewers see his work, they are inspired to spend some time in nature to appreciate the diversity of our area. View more of his work at http://www.cziglenyi.com/attila/.
Kimiko Kogure of Orinda pursues self-discovery through working with materials that are meaningful to her. For this exhibit of 3D collages, she has thrown her innermost feelings into the pieces hoping to engage with those who come across it. Her materials include cotton, paper, ink, and acrylic polymer. This way of communicating with others through her work requires her to be an authentic self. Learn more about Kogure’s art at https://www.kimikokogure.com/.
Michael Rizza, a 96-year-old sculptor from Walnut Creek, has been legally blind since 2007. He has worked in bronze for 50 years, and stone for 30 years. His transition from being a sighted sculptor to a blind sculptor was difficult at first as he had to stop driving and couldn’t use power tools. “So I went back to basics using hammer, chisel, and files,” he said, continuing, “I couldn’t see with these eyes, but my hands became my eyes.” He delights in creating something beautiful and hopes the 12 sculptures he is exhibiting are enjoyed by others.
November 2023 In-Person & Online Exhibit
The Orinda Library is showcasing the talent of local artists from November 4 through December 1. Meet the artists at a reception in their honor on Saturday, November 18 from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. when light refreshments will be served.
November featured artists are Lance Jackson, David Lew, David Shapiro, and Bill Russell.
Lance Jackson is exhibiting paintings and has also the honor of showing at the de Young Open, one of the 883 artists chosen out of 7000 plus entries.
David Lew studied traditional art in Shanghai during and by the end of the so-called Cultural Revolution in China, a time in which all arts considered a symbol of bourgeois liberalism were denounced and artists purged except for those serving the “proletarian” propaganda. After the turmoil he moved to British-controlled Hong Kong where he attended the art school at HKU, and continued his work in freedom until his next move to Europe before settling in the Bay Area.
Bill Russell is a multi-disciplinary artist. For 40+ years, Bill’s creative life has included fine art, illustration, teaching, and web design. He earned his degree from Parsons School of Design in 1976. Bill’s paintings can be found in private collections throughout the Bay area and in Canada. His writings can be found on his Substack at IllustratedJournalism.com. View more of his work on his website at https://BillRussellFineArt.com.
David Shapiro is exhibiting ceramic pieces.
October 2023 In-Person & Online Exhibit
The Orinda Library is showcasing the talent of local artists from October 1 through November 3. Meet the artists at a reception in their honor on Saturday, October 7 from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. when light refreshments will be served.
October featured artists are the Glover Group, with seventeen different artists.
"Glover Group and Friends" is a show celebrating plein air painters who met as students of the late, great plein air painter Pam Glover in the later part of Pam's 25-year teaching tenure. Continuing Pam's legacy, they are colorists who relish the gorgeous vistas of the Bay Area and strive above all for freshness and immediacy in their work. They have painted and shown together for over a dozen years. Joining them this time are a few fellow painting friends, including several wonderful teachers who took over Pam's Orinda Community Center class after her passing.”
September 2023 In-Person & Online Exhibit
The Orinda Library is showcasing the talent of local artists from September 2 through September 30. Meet the artists at a reception in their honor on Saturday, September 9 from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. when light refreshments will be served.
September featured artists are Native American Sand Painting Group, Jane Raymond, Claudette McDermott, and Rita Sklar.
Jane Raymond is a local artist from Orinda, CA. She believes making art is challenging, fun, and meditative. She has drawn and painted people and places all her life, designed and drafted house and lighting plans, been a ceramicist, and taught dressage. Her Master's degree in Biology and Architecture both strongly inform what she sees and does as her inspiration comes from the real world. She paints and draws from direct observation. She looks to simplify and find beauty in the world around her. Her landscapes describe a moment in time, and share her personal experience of the space with her audience. She enjoys painting people as she captures portraits and figures in form and personality in gesture and expression. Her perception of art is "It’s all about the light. Light on form creates an ever-changing composition of patterns, value, and color. Beauty is a matter of perception, how we see, what we see, it’s our choice. Kindness matters. Enjoy art."
Claudette McDermott is a contemporary Hawaiian artist experimenting with a variety of media, giving it a unique fresh voice. She loves working and experimenting with Oil, Acrylic, Mixed Media, Encaustic Hot Wax, Resin, and Metal over the last 40 years. She thrives on the challenge of working with something new. "Creating art is a journey that slowly unfolds, taking me to places I have yet to see." She creates because she is compelled to create, inspired by those who are like-minded and the world around her. Being an artist brings her joy and she hopes to continue bringing joy to her audience for many years to come. To learn more about Claudette visit her website here www.ClaudetteMcDermottFineArt.com.
Rita Sklar is an award-winning artist who lives and paints in Castro Valley, California. She is a member of the California Watercolor Association, East Bay Women Artists, and San Francisco Women Artists. In her recent work, she is exploring the dimensionality- emotional, perceptive, and symbolic- of vanishing species and traditions. The wildlife and people are reverently depicted, using maps in unique ways to convey the importance of place. These paintings signal the fundamental dichotomy of the beauty and value of wildlife and the longing for resolution of that which is threatening them. Her paintings reflect a balance between the reality of representational shapes and forms juxtaposed with abstract backgrounds. The addition of maps weaves a distinctive tapestry that adds complexity and texture. Her affection for wildlife often reveals, at the same time, the violence and the tenderness of our times. She searches for new ways to express the singularity and the diversity of our fragile world. To see and hear Rita discuss her work, click on YouTube Interview or visit her website at www.ritasklar.com.
The Native American Sand Painting Group exhibit will display a range of authentic Native American sand paintings.
August 2023 In-Person & Online Exhibit
The Orinda Library is showcasing the talent of local artists from July 30 through September 2. Meet the artists at a reception in their honor on Saturday, August 5 from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. when light refreshments will be served.
August featured artists are Building Orinda Woods, Kendra Stone, Jeff Heyman, and Holly Bazeley.
Holly Bazeley studied art, horticulture, permaculture, photography, and nature journaling to discover her, "perfect balance between art and science." Through watercolor, botanical drawing, oil painting, photography, and nature
journaling, she has been able to look closer at Plants, Animals, and yes Mushrooms. A lot of her enjoyment and inspiration comes from foraging through the woods and finding wild mushrooms, plants, and sometimes animals. In her exhibition, she will show a wide range of her watercolor work as described.
Jeff Heyman is exhibiting "The San Pablo Valley: 28 Photographs by Jeff Heyman" in his exhibition. The black and white photographs are landscape/skyscape-based. More images can be found online here https://heymanfoto.smugmug.com/Exhibits/San-Pablo-Valley/.
Kendra Stone is a painter who is showing a variety of animal portraits and landscape paintings in her upcoming exhibit.
The Building Orinda Woods' exhibit of photographs is a display and history of the building of Orinda Woods.
July 2023 In-Person & Online Exhibit
The Orinda Library is showcasing the talent of local artists from July 1 through July 29. Meet the artists at a reception in their honor on Saturday, July 8 from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. when light refreshments will be served.
July featured artists are Kelly Gentry, Shiva Jafarzadeh, Karl Stinson, and Cheryl Kampe.
June 2023 In-Person & Online Exhibit
The Orinda Library is showcasing the talent of local artists from June 3 through July 1. Meet the artists at a reception in their honor on Saturday, June 10 from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. when light refreshments will be served.
Alexandra Saunders' passion for painting is drawn from her love of the natural world. She is exhibiting intimate portraits of animals she loves or has encountered as a lifelong wildlife conservationist. She is insatiably curious, and deeply cerebral, and her day begins mulling over the paintings she is creating. Alexandra's artwork is reflective of the detailed planning that goes into a painting prior to ever laying paint on the canvas. She covets her drawing stage and will spend hours and days researching the animal, figuring out the best way to capture their beauty depicting light, air, and form. Learn more at www.alexandrasaunders.com.
By 2015, Nancy Rbin was doing a lot of street photography. She realized she had photographed many fathers alone with their kid(s) rather than a mother out with the kids or both parents with them. She made a point to document them. The exhibit is a series of photographs of strangers she encountered while walking or shopping. One encounter included John & Semaje where John described his thoughts as, "I’ve long felt that the only knowledge that is important to pass on is generational. So, I'm introducing my grandson to photography, if he stays excited about it, grows into it, and then passes it on... Wow!"
Tabor Art and artifacts from Sister City Tabor Art & Artifacts, are on display as well as clay figurines collected by Amelia Wilson.
May 2023 Ekphrasis Collaborative Exhibit
The Lamorinda Art Council. Lamorinda Arts Alliance, and California Writers Club - Mt. Diablo Branch, announce a collaborative exhibit of Ekphrasis at the Art Gallery at the Orinda Library May 2 - June 2.
See a preview of the exhibit online. Click on the artwork to view more information and to read the paired literary work and author information.
Ekphrasis is a Greek word defined as writing that describes or explains other art; for this exhibit, we add that art can describe or explain writing.
Meet the artists and authors at a reception in their honor on Saturday, May 6 from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. when light refreshments will be served. Orinda Mayor, Inga Miller, will kick off the recitations and discussion in the Orinda Library Auditorium at 3:30pm following an introduction by LAC President, Sue Farmer.
This exhibit features the work of over 90 participating visual artists and authors showcasing their original work in pairs: Initiator Artist + Responder Author or Initiator Author + Responder Artist. Visual artwork includes mixed media, glass work, mosaic, paintings, photography, porcelain, and woodturning. Literary works include fiction, non-fiction, memoir, essay, and poetry.
April 2023 In-Person & Online Exhibit
Art Gallery at the Orinda Library: Abstract paintings, ceramics, wood works and watercolors
The Orinda Library is showcasing the talent of local artists from Apr. 1 through Apr. 29. Meet the artists at a reception in their honor on Saturday, Apr. 8 from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. when light refreshments will be served.
Richmond artist Jeffrey Sully (http://www.jeffreysully.com/gallery/) is showing his abstract paintings.
“My shaped paintings are abstract with a variety of sources from Turkish rugs, to cave paintings, to the first writing on tablets, to Japanese art and on to Abstract Expressionism,” Sully said. “There is, more recently, a psychological element incorporated into the work. The process of my painting involves a vigorous working of materials, acrylic, paper, wood, string and other materials. I use brushes, water, electric tools and fire to manipulate the materials.”
Lafayette artist Donna Arganbright, Vice President and Gallery Manager of the Moraga Art Gallery (https://moragaartgallery.com/members-2/donna-arganbright/), is showcasing her ceramics. “I love to have my ceramic work taken home and used,” she said. “It gives me immense pleasure to have someone say that they enjoyed their morning coffee in my mug, or have fresh flowers in my vase or are serving food from one of my platters.”
Prize-winning Moraga artist George Ehrenhaft (www.mesart.com/gehrenhaft) is once again exhibiting his original watercolors at the library. His works have already been popular in numerous solo and group exhibits.
Grant Glossop (www.grantglossop.com) is exhibiting his wood works. Originally from Yorkshire, this Novato artist trained as a jeweler in the U.K. where he developed his passion for creating wood design with metals. He used to design and create work for himself but that changed during the pandemic. “Creating during quarantine helped me find some kind of balance during a challenging time,” he told The Orinda News.
You can view and/or purchase their artwork at the reception or online at www.lamorindaarts.org/online-galleries/.
