Eloise Larson and Cathy Valentine
Opening Reception June 6th from 5-7 PM. Exhibition runs from June 6 through July 3.
Weave: to form something from several different things or to combine several different things, in a complicated or skilled way: People are always weaving. We weave ourselves and our worlds by combining forms, feelings, thoughts, and actions; real or imagined. When combined, what do have?
We ask ourselves when looking at our work: “What did I weave into this painting? Should I keep
on weaving? Should I change how I am weaving or what I am weaving with? Should I start pulling apart the weaving until I know what to do?”
Long time Siskiyou County artist and art instructor Eloise Larson exhibits her haunting family portraits in this intriguing show. Larson grew up in a huge close family in Iowa. She describes sifting through generations of family photographs, before finding a portrait she is inspired to paint. While painting she listens to the stories and memories that photo evokes. The resulting portraits are raw, warm and full of meaning as she intuitively weaves those stories into the painting.
Cathy Valentine works in encaustics as her primary medium. She buries cloth, paper and threads within the wax as she explores her thoughts and feelings. In this way, she weaves those feelings within the artwork. She explores themes such as strength vs vulnerability, humanity vs nature, and connection vs disconnection.