It is obvious that Olympia artist, Cal Capener’s oil paintings are influenced by his love of the Puget Sound region. His ability to capture the essence of our local waters and their surrounding bluffs, hills, valleys and beaches and the natural play of light on them is remarkable. Capener has twice been selected for a single artist exhibit at the Nisqually Wildlife Refuge Visitor Center.
Though we have featured pastels from Barbara Noonan in the past, every show has a surprisingly curious mix of subject matter. Soft, drifting clouds, a semi on a lonely highway, a float plane in the sunset seem serene when compared to her vibrant floating baseballs and fielder’s mitt. If you know a ball player or or fan, they will want to see these.
Reid Ozaki is a potter who definitely owns his style. Early exposure to Japanese traditions have led Ozaki beyond his beautiful vases, platters and bowls to explore his heritage. Collections are often seen with ceremonial tea sets (Chanoyu) and Ikebana (Japanese floral arranging) vessels. In his latest body of work, we see new shapes and thick, crackled, metallic glazes with the familiar, organic feel Reid is known for.
Stylized sumi and mixed media collage is Fumiko Kimura’s welcomed contribution to this exhibit. Her fluent and bold brush strokes create a smokey backdrop for the almost floral-like pinwheels of circles and dots. In contrast, the mixed media collages of handmade paper, bamboo, shells, dried flowers and leaves compliment pressed tea bags with soft imagery or Japanese calligraphy of artist’s made charcoal ink.
Join us for an artist’s reception on Friday, June 6th from 5-7 pm. Exhibit will remain up until July 27th.
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