Artists of the Month for January 2013

CONTEMPORARY ART BRINGS IN THE NEW YEAR

The Blue Whole Gallery is proud to announce it's two featured artists for the month of January 2013. Barbara Boerigter and Mary Franchini will welcome the New Year with contemporary art sure to bring a smile to your face and get you thinking about art from a different perspective.

Come join us at the Blue Whole this First Friday on January 4th and view other new work by the fine artists of the Blue Whole. - Susan Martin Spar, Blog Master.

Barbara Boerigter 

Barbara's art generally focuses on the unusual objects that most people discard. Wedding intellect and imagination, she brings these found objects together to create sometimes humorous and often thought provoking sculptures, wall hangings and collages. The images below are a fine example of the two ends of Barbara's spectrum. While "Baba Yagas House" brings a smile and a feeling of puzzlement to the viewer, "Time Gone" is a strong reminder of a construct that rules us all.

“Not Baba Yagas House”

“Art came late into my life. A native of the Pacific Northwest , after living abroad for 26 years, I completed a BFS from Concordia University in Montreal , Quebec in 1990, returning to Washington State in 1994. Living in other lands gave me exposure, stimulation, taught me tolerance, and reinforced my patriotism. My personal views of the world, regardless, have always been somewhat simplistic: those of goodness; caring and concern from fellow man to fellow man; and preservation of our Earth. I feel very connected to the human condition, that potential instilled within every living thing that needs care and nurturing to reach its full potential. The art pieces on display this month reflect that concern.”

“Time Gone”

Mary Franchini

Mary's work always makes me smile. There's something about her cheerful palette and humorous images that always makes me think of  carefree days spent in the sunshine. Mary works in multimedia. She creates paintings and collages filled with wonderful texture and lovely color. Not all of Mary's images, however, are created on a purely lighthearted note. Some, like the images below, show another more serious side of Mary's nature and hint that she looks deeper into things than a first glance would indicate.

"Green Abstract"

“I paint for the sheer joy of the experimental process and want to bring this feeling to the viewer using color, light and sometimes whimsy. My work goes from form to form and back again. Using simple ideas or objects, I paint a series of works. Stretching and pulling these has proved helpful in the creative process. I like to use water media which includes watercolor, gouache, acrylics, paper and any marking implement. I work with a very basic plan, but then see where the painting takes me. My students give me hints and ideas and I run with them, learning from them as much as they learn from me.”

"Laura Cropped"