Please join us from 5-7pm for an Artist Reception featuring artists Sophy Bevan in the Main Gallery and Janey Fritsche in the Crescendo Gallery.
Sophy Bevan, “The Altered Voice”
Artist Statement – The Flying Grapes
In 2016 I lost my husband Mark to cancer. The flying Grapes were his idea, we were living in Napa, the general conviviality of the wine country no doubt planted the seed in his imagination.
I never considered pursuing this avenue until after his death. Unable to focus on the complexity and rigorous painting techniques of my abstract works, I turned to the Grapes as a form of solace.
The paintings became my journey through grief, I took the unbearable pain of loss and created a magical world where flying grapes raced up and down the valley playing among the vineyards, the only witnesses to their mischief being children.
Presented as a fairytale, the works reflect on deeper themes, our use of fantasy and mythology to make sense of the world; the yearning for a return to childhood when faced with catastrophe and ultimately the wonder of imagination and its ability to heal, a uniquely human experience.
*Featured photo (right): “The Altered Voice”, 48″x60″, Oil on Linen.
Janey Fritsche, “This Island Earth Series”
Artist Statement
There’s something magical about where the land meets the sea, the melding of conscious and subconscious. In summoning the tides for the series, “This Island Earth”, my hope is to honor the spirit of the ocean and it’s reflection of the impermanent nature of life.
Perhaps art is about presenting different mental maps that can help shape the subconscious and, hence, our future. Life becomes what we think.
Most of my paintings of recent years align with a utopian world I call Smuggler’s Cove. It is a place where horses run wild, the ocean is clear and warm, sea life abundant and mountains verdant. It is generally a place where mindful living is the norm, a land of peace, beauty, happiness, and abundance.
I have experienced spiritual epiphanies at the shore while swimming with schools of fish, surfing, or just sitting quietly and observing. There is magic there in another world that is grand, exciting, and mysterious, and so few people ever experience it. It is a link to a fresh yet ancient world that is far removed from our harried day-to-day lives.
My hope is that these paintings invite viewers to be more present in the moment and in nature, and encourage a better vision for honoring life on the planet.
*Featured photo (left): “This Island Earth”, 30” x 24”, acrylic on canvas, painted in 2017
