“Water Marks”–What Lies Beneath the Surface
“Water Marks”, the current exhibition at Pacific Grove Art Center (PGAC), features approximately 50 Monterey Bay area printmakers who have created etchings, woodcuts, screenprints, monotypes and mixed media prints focusing on the theme of water surrounding our beautiful Monterey peninsula. The Monterey Peninsula College (MPC) Printmakers is an association of artists who are passionate about printmaking in all its variety of forms and techniques.
This exhibit is analogous to a “watermark” in that the artwork requires more than a casual viewing. Printmaking can be breathtaking in its variety and visual expressivity, even when focused on a specific theme such as water. Far from diminishing originality, the “Water Marks” exhibit flourishes in its wide-ranging interpretation of water with unexpected embellishments, subtleties, and creative charm.
All prints in the gallery add multi-layered connotations to what water means to our lives. For example, Evelyn Klein’s “Giverny” evokes the famous gardens of Monet in a photoetching with drypoint and subtle chine collé (decorative paper). Donna Kooyman uses the solar print to reveal lunar phases in “#1 Blue Moons” and Linda Marcellini uses similar techniques in “Our Vital Resource”, a more abstract interpretation of undulating water. Patricia Colman, in “Dance of the Sea Kelp”, takes the organic plant and creates layers of color and mystery underneath the seaweed with paint. In “Sea Fans”, a mixed media piece including collage, intaglio and watercolor, I suggest not only the hypnotic tangents and curves of water but also the organic material beneath its surface.
A reception with the artists was held last Friday, February 22, and the public is invited to make their own prints on Sunday, March 2, 1:30-4PM. The exhibit closes on April 4.
Regular gallery hours are Wednesday-Saturday, 12-5PM and Sunday, 1-4PM. Pacific Grove Art Center is at 568 Lighthouse Avenue, Pacific Grove. For more information contact the center at 831-375-2208 or go to their website at www.pgartcenter.org.
Patricia
Hope lots of folks will go see this show. It certainly is worth the time and effort. Always amazing at the myriad of artistic interpretations of such a powerful theme. Thanks for reviewing the show, D.
Diana
Thanks, Patricia, for posting your comment. All you readers out there–if you have an art show in the greater Monterey, San Francisco, or New York area (May only), please let me know. I love to see what is going on in the art world and would love to review any exhibits you recommend!
Helen MacKinlay
This exhibition showcases a wide variety of printmaking processes and attests to the skills and creativity of the artists and the instructors that form the core of the Monterey College Printmakers Club . I would like to recommend this group to anyone who is looking to learn a new process and enjoy the camaraderie of artists who are so willing to share their work and socialize too.
Helen MacKinlay
Diana
I agree, Helen–the Print Club (link is to the right under the heading “Printmaking”) is an amazing group. Everyone is welcoming and enjoys sharing their discoveries and tips with others. Hope new members will be forthcoming after the demo workshop this Sunday at PGAC!
Kim
Great write up Diana! I look forward to seeing the show!!!
Diana
I hope you post something on the MPC Fine Printmakers’ website too! Glad you liked the review, Kim!
robynn smith
Well said Diana! The show Looks very rich, and will require repeated viewings.
Diana
I’m certainly planning to go back for another viewing!
Tracey Adams
Really enjoyed seeing the exhibition Diana. I especially loved your minimal Sea Fans – such a wonderful departure for you. I hope you continue to work this way!