Artists Kathy Miller and Judith Christensen, "Life Lines" exhibition at Rose Gallery at Francis Parker School, San Diego

‘Life Lines’  is an exhibition showcasing the work of Kathy Miller and Judith Christensen. The show, which takes place within the light and airy space of Rose Art Gallery on the campus of Francis Parker School leaves its mark in several ways.  Familiar found objects tug on our memories, and draw us into the vocabulary and simplicity of these well crafted works. Miller’s use of recognizable objects of a mannequin, bedsprings, ceramic hands, bits of horse hair, hand spun text, metal, wire and fabric are tools Miller uses to transform into visual poetry that is both elegant and intimate.  Christensen uses language together with self-created books,  found dictionaries and texts to create house structures, paper doll dresses and other sculptural pieces that illicit personal memories in the mind of viewers and engage us in a dialog with ourselves about its meaning. Miller and Christensen’s works have an affinity to the assemblage and sculpture works of  mid-twentieth century artists Joseph Cornell and Louise Nevelson whose simple found and created materials of wood, plastic and metal create an extended linage into the hands of contemporary artists.

This exhibition runs through January 17^th, however the Rose Gallery is closed from

December 21 – January 5^th.  Hours are 8:00 am – 3:00 pm, Monday through Friday.
6501 Linda Vista Rd, San Diego, CA 92111

Poetic Vessel   10 5/8" x 7" x 7” Mixed Media, including hand spun text and encaustic
Kathy Miller

Shroud   12" x 3 1/2" x 2" Organza with encaustic,
horse hair, wire, wood and alpaca
Kathy Miller

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We All Forget A Word Now and Then   dictionaries, paper, wax
Judith Christensen

Remnants   bamboo, paper, stone, thread, wood
Judith Christensen

Cathy Breslaw - interview about Cathy and her work on World of Threads, Ontario Canada based publication

World of Threads is an online publication that regularly publishes information and interviews with international artists and curators whose work bears relationship to contemporary fiber art. The organization also holds exhibitions around Toronto Canada (near where the organization is centered) every few years. I want to provide you with a link to an interview with Cathy Breslaw and her work.

Here is the link: http://www.worldofthreadsfestival.com/artist_interviews/108_cathy_breslaw_13.html

MOCA La Jolla, California, Dana Montlack: 'Sea of Cortez', Photocollage Exhibition

The Log from the Sea of Cortez(1951) by John Steinbeck documents his six week expedition through the Gulf of California with marine biologist Ed Ricketts. In her current exhibition, photographer Dana Montlack references Steinbeck’s journey through her collaboration with the Scripps Institute of Oceanography and Birch Aquarium in La Jolla. Her under-sea images are dissections and magnifications of specimens and charts from the waterways of the Sea of Cortez.  These lambda prints mounted on aluminum are richly hued snippets of marine life and maps collaged in layers on mostly round formats mimicking the eye of a microscope. While we aren’t always sure what we are looking at, these photographic multi-images provide glimpses unavailable to the naked eye.  They are  fragmentary hyper-views of the natural organic world that appear both wondrous and confusing.  These visual abstractions border on painting as the transparent layering of images blur our vision of the ‘original’ photographs used. Montlack’s photo-collages are unified in their attempts to capture the totality of nature, seeking to remind us of the ‘unseen’ universe.

Dana Montlack  SIO 15, 2013      lambda print mounted on aluminum courtesy of Joseph Bellows Gallery

MOCA downtown, San Diego: Mike Berg, 'Recent Textiles' Working with Artisans in Turkey

Recent Textiles, Installation View, MOCA San Diego

Painter and sculptor Mike Berg has created a body of work in the form of textiles.  Currently living and working in Istanbul, Turkey, Berg worked with master artisans to create these mostly large-scale recent tapestries.  These works reference geometric abstract painting and are made from wool, goat hair, linen, cotton thread and natural dyes.  The natural dyes used provide an array of unique neutralized color palettes of greys, browns, greens, reds, purples, black and white.  In combination with the wool and linen, nubby, raised patterns and textures are visible within the geometric shapes. The geometry within each wall work is not precise - rather they are wonky, curved forms of squares, rectangles, triangles and hybrid angles. These irregular shapes of  varying sizes create movement, and guide the eye in a seemingly never ending circle of engagement with each work. Two of the works use ‘line’ to form the

geometric shapes – and these lines are made of embroidered multi-colored cotton threads. Some of the works appear more like rugs in their materials while others have a similarity to paintings on unstretched linen. Berg’s textiles reflect the heart of a painter who through the use of fabric, has revised the context of painting in an intriguing way.

Kilim 3, According to a Set of Principles,  natural dyed wool 2013