Coming Exhibition: Donn Delson, Fielden Harper, Della Rollé

Tues. September 29th - Sat. October 24th, 2015

Opening Reception: Saturday, October 3rd, 5-8 p.m.

Artist Talk: Saturday, October 17th, 3 p.m.

Donn Delson

Stillness/Motion

Donn Delson, Night at the Racetrack, Giclee archival pigment print, 24 x 16"

Cracks, birthed and cemented in a tapestry of parched earth. Celestial skycaps, sentinels of the night. Windswept dunes, sculpted and groomed. All are participants in Donn Delson’s visual study of stillness and motion in Death Valley and the Mojave Desert.
Delson is an image collector. He believes that successful photographs compel in the viewer, an unanticipated curiosity or emotion. “In this study, I was drawn to the negative space, muted tones, and unexpected vistas arrayed before me in desert and sky.” A self-taught photographer for more than 50 years, Delson concentrates primarily on landscape, nature, and abstract photography. His work often appears more illustrative than photographic.

“The layered complexity of his work is masked in simple tranquility...” 

Angela Romeo, CollidingWorldsTV

Fielden Harper
Renewal

Fielden Harper, And the Beat Goes On, Oil on canvas, 36 x 30"

In her most recent body of work, artist Fielden Harper explores the concepts of renewal and growth, both personally and environmentally. As we experience our most severe drought to date, Southern California residents have begun to see a change in the landscape they once knew. Although transformed by the new conditions, Harper’s work symbolizes the continued beauty that can be found in adapting to our changing surroundings, reminding us that every challenge we encounter is an opportunity for growth.
With change comes a new start, new ways of observation, and a new mindful awareness of our environment. For Harper, the bound palm trees illustrated with sun washed colors represent not only the changing landscape, but also the changes within. While the bound palm is a sign that construction is in the works, it is often the final touch in the process of progress and renewal. The fronds are tied together to prevent injury when the trees are being transported and to keep the young buds moist. The streamlined shape also insures that there will be less wind resistance to stress the shallow roots until they are well established. When the root begins to receive nourishment, the bonds are broken so the branches can spread and the tree can begin to grow.

Della Rollé
Surfaces

Della Rolle, Laughter Heals Life, Stainless steel, 28.5 x 12.5 x 12.5"

The sculptures in Della Rollé's current exhibition, Surfaces, represent her continued experimentation with modern techniques and interlaces them with traditional bronzes. Terra cotta, stainless steel, and wood are but a few of the surfaces Rollé tackles and molds in this body of work. 

Words have power for Rollé. Often times the verbal becomes the visual while the surfaces deploy embedded messages with whimsical twists, portraying her love for the various shapes and sizes of the human body. Rollé's sculptures blend carnal indulgences with wit, but also invite the viewer to smile and think. Form and floridity become one. It is just not the material that makes the artwork, but the material surface itself is the artwork.