San Felipe Artists' Co-Op Exhibit -
2009
San
Felipe's Art Co-op held an exhibition today (Dec. 5/09)
at the Baja Mar's upper palpa restaurant. About a dozen
local artists presented a wide spectrum of mediums,
ranging from water colors to silver work.
Although the weather was cool and cloudy, a steady
stream of people came to enjoy the artistic inducements
of San Felipe's more visonary citizens.
Mac Davis and de Coursey, a wood turner and wood sculptor
respectively, both revealed in their work the deep aesthetic
that lies trapped inside the burls and planks of hardwoods.
Vickie Rama's intricate bone carvings, on their beds
of black cloth, arrested the wandering eye to admire
their delicate lustre.
Robin Waters' paintings and digital designs, always
capable of lighting up any part of a room, called out
from the corner of the venue with the elemental voices
of their primary colors.
Valentina Ragsdale's marvelous portraits and landscapes
were a rewarding experience.
Ron Saunder's of Baja Reflections was on hand to talk
about his photographs. His keen eye for mood, composition
and balance embue his work with dignity, mystery and
beauty. The Baja photography in his collection is quite
visceral, almost mythical in content.
Laurie Braal was there with a display of themed 'art
with spirit', a collection of crucifixes overlayed with
a variety of appliques, including jewels, tooled silver,
jade and other interesting garniture. She sardonically
calls the art form 'Cross Dressing'. Laurie also displayed
a collection of carefully crafted silver flasks.
James Mann's watercolors, with their tropical and marine
themes depicted in cooler tones of teal and blues,
Wendy O'Neill, whose husband Tom provided musical entertainment
on his guitar, had several exhibits of her bendt
glass work, -masks, plates and a variety of holders
cleverly fashioned from softened glass. She also had
a number of beautifully crafted mosaics available.
A fanciful collection by A. Joyce depicted featureless
interracial groups of people standing side-by-side,
wearing Indian or religious costumes. Interestingly,
the racial distinctions disappeared when the people,
still in costume, were painted as skeletons.
There were other artists, other notable expressions
of their need to represent their own particular vision
of the world around them. Together with the group presnted
in the images below, these artists who make up San Felipe's
Artistic Co-Op are a welcomed addition to the fabric
of our local culture.
