Page 19 - the NOISE APril 2013

cW FroM leFt: Mathilde Gatinois is showcased at West of the Moon; Janet avillar and Joan scott are among the Mandala trio at the artists’ Gallery.
as a family while having philosophical con- versations. I suppose that is my main inspira- tion at the moment.”
I asked her to tell me about the body of work she has created for this month’s show, “I consider this body of work to be a painting
exercise,” she explains. “It started with a need for expression ... an outlet! So I started about 20 or so pieces at once on canvas paper, add- ing layers upon layers until a face appeared. In each layer the images as well as the pro- cess becomes clearer, a little more peaceful, like a meditation. It always starts with tur- moil and ends in peace.”
An opening reception for the paintings of Ms. Gatinois will be on April 5, during the First Friday ArtWalk from 6PM to 9PM at West of the Moon Gallery, 14 N. San Francisco.
WestoftheMoonGallery.com
ManDaLa trio
In the window of The Artists’ Gallery this month is the mandala themed work of da- vid Brimhall, Joan scott and Janet alvillar.
“Janet, David, and I have work that is com- plementary, even though we work in very different media,” Ms. Scott tells me. “Manda- las seemed a natural design for each of us to create, since we all include the circle in our work at some point. For me the mandala represents the circle of life, birth, death, and rebirth. I am not sure how the piece I am still working on will reflect this thought, since I am not finished with it yet. I have two differ- ent designs I am working on, starting with a center image and moving outward. I often work this way in my quilts, beginning in the center and letting the quilt grow outward.”
“I am especially attracted to color, the glory of a sunset or sunrise, the warmth of autumn leaves, the subtleties and patterns of reflections in water,” Ms. Scott tells me of her inspirations. “Those are the kinds of
things that inspire my quilting. Generally I use traditional piecing combined with untra- ditional color ways, but I find myself moving away from traditional quilting as I learn more and create more.”
“The pieces on display this April will be very colorful,” Ms. Alvillar tells me of what she has planned to do with her glass mosaic art. “I am currently working on some bigger more extravagant pieces, ones with a lot of detail. This year I’m focusing on bright colors and textures and details. I’m working on a jungle scene with lots of vibrant colors.”
The Artists’ Gallery, 17 N. San Francisco, is a part of the First Friday ArtWalk from 6PM to 9PM. FlagstaffArtistsGallery.com
When aniMaLS Meet “CraCKerS”
This April, brothers scott and Jeff Kraynak release their collaborative illustrated book of poems, Animal Crackers, a shocking com- mentary on the atrocities committed to wild- life. When I first began reading, my expecta- tion of comedy was quickly replaced with a heavy heart. Though emulating a Dr. Seuss style of writing, the message conveyed can only open one’s eyes to the brutal acts that have been and are still being inflicted on wildlife.
The story of Bison, Manatees, Seals, Wolves, and other threatened species is revealed in full color. Instead of us seeing the acts performed on these animals, however, the Kraynaks have the roles reversed, so we can see what it would look like if it were us who were being hunted to near extinction, our skulls clubbed, our children threatened.
Jeff tells me about what story he is most effected by in his book. “The baby seals,” he says. “The sheer brutality of what is done to them is extremely unsettling. That’s a good example of my learning process through the research. Reading the actual law, which I paraphrase in the text, that specifies how
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thenoise.us • the NOISE arts & news • APRIL 2013 • 19