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May 2016
Review Mujeres, Mujeres, Mujeres at Raices Taller 222 Art Gallery and Workshop |
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Raices Taller 222 Gallery and Workshop is celebrating the contribution of women to the local arts scene with its latest exhibit, Mujeres, Mujeres, Mujeres. This all-women artists’ exhibit has become a summer tradition.
The Mujeres exhibit has a large collection of works available to art lovers and in a wide variety of mediums. A walk through the gallery reveals photography, collage in various mixed media formats, painting, drawing, sculpture, and works of glass, metal, wood, and paper.
The three-dimensional works in this exhibit are particularly interesting.
The Mujeres exhibit has a large collection of works available to art lovers and in a wide variety of mediums. A walk through the gallery reveals photography, collage in various mixed media formats, painting, drawing, sculpture, and works of glass, metal, wood, and paper.
The three-dimensional works in this exhibit are particularly interesting.
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In the 3-D format, Lauren Raine has created four very arresting and beautifully executed wearable leather masks from her Masks of the Goddess series.
Each is a representation of the Divine Feminine, according to Raine’s website commentary on the Goddess series. In the Raices Taller 222 exhibit, we see Corn Mother, Sophia, Changing Woman (Navajo), and Guan/Kwan Yin (Chinese). [click on images to enlarge] |
Lauren Raine
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Lauren Raine
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Barbara Jo
A remarkable work is Barbara Jo’s pine wood sculpture titled Samarai – remarkable because of the delicate sense of rhythm and movement in the chunks of wood. The samarai were members of a warrior class of ancient Japan with allegiance to the emperor and a strict code of honor.
Jo’s sculpture can be interpreted as a warrior showing his agility and skills. It’s easy to imagine the wood transforming into silk as he moves through his exercises. At the same time, the sculpture has a rather feminine aspect – as if we discovered the Venus of Willendorf whirling and pirouetting in a sudden, unexpected dance.
Making use of the thin tissue paper of dress patterns, but getting very different results are Pauline Pedragon’s Constant Construction (below left) and Monica Zavala Durazo’s Anthropomorphic Shaggy Dog (below right).
Jo’s sculpture can be interpreted as a warrior showing his agility and skills. It’s easy to imagine the wood transforming into silk as he moves through his exercises. At the same time, the sculpture has a rather feminine aspect – as if we discovered the Venus of Willendorf whirling and pirouetting in a sudden, unexpected dance.
Making use of the thin tissue paper of dress patterns, but getting very different results are Pauline Pedragon’s Constant Construction (below left) and Monica Zavala Durazo’s Anthropomorphic Shaggy Dog (below right).
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Pedragon has taken various kinds of papers, among them the dress patterns, to create a life-size model typically used by dressmakers. The title of this work seems to express the notion that cultural concepts about women are constantly changing, as are women themselves. Pins in the neck and bodice have multiple meanings – reminding us of the traditional work ethic of women, and also the ever-present potential of pain in the work.
Zavala Durazo’s folding chair has egg-beater feet and a thick “coat” of shredded papers that create a kind of unexpected cozy warmth not typically associated with what is still clearly a chair. The title brings forth the clear sense that we humans tend to anthropomorphize our pets, especially dogs, and project on to them all sorts of peculiar ideas. Luckily, they indulge our human traits. |
Pauline Pedragon
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Monica Zavala Durazo
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Pat Frederick presents a metal sculpture titled Hope. We see a horse straining against a wire fence, reaching for a bucket of something infinitely desirable. The sculpture manages to be whimsical, hopeful and a little sad, too.
Diane C. Taylor exhibits two fused glass vessels. Shown here is her lovely Running Spirit Horses. Also working in glass is Sharon Evans whose painting, For the Disappeared, creates a mysterious sense of intrigue. |
Pat Frederick
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Diane C. Taylor
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Carmen R. Sonnes
The Mujeres exhibit also includes a variety of 2-D works, primarily paintings, but also some simple and elegant drawings. Carmen R. Sonnes who lives in Tucson and also Vancouver, WA, presents Prayer Series Diptych, easily proving that simple graphite can create a beautiful work of art.
To-Ree-Nee Wolf’s mixed media painting, Priestess, pulls us in to look at both the symbolic imagery and the surface design.
To-Ree-Nee Wolf’s mixed media painting, Priestess, pulls us in to look at both the symbolic imagery and the surface design.
Lorna Newton
Painter Lorna Newton has two paintings featuring the image of Frida Kahlo who has become something of an icon for contemporary women who are artists. Her Lotería reminds of us the many traumas Frida experienced in her life. One could argue that she was loser in the lottery of life except for the obvious fact that she was courageous and dedicated and left behind a body of unforgettable works.
Few Tucson galleries exhibit examples of surrealism – too few unfortunately. Raices Taller 222 is the exception. In September 2015, the gallery presented an entire exhibit devoted to Surrealismo. It’s good to see that tradition continuing in the Mujeres exhibit with Elizabeth Ledezma’s La Carga. The painting shows a beautiful portrait of a woman reminiscent of early Kahlo with male eyes and mouth on the woman’s neck. Interpretations abound.
The Mujeres exhibit is up through June 18. To learn more about the gallery, its hours and locations, visit Raices Taller 222’s new and very well-design website at http://www.raicestaller222.com/
Few Tucson galleries exhibit examples of surrealism – too few unfortunately. Raices Taller 222 is the exception. In September 2015, the gallery presented an entire exhibit devoted to Surrealismo. It’s good to see that tradition continuing in the Mujeres exhibit with Elizabeth Ledezma’s La Carga. The painting shows a beautiful portrait of a woman reminiscent of early Kahlo with male eyes and mouth on the woman’s neck. Interpretations abound.
The Mujeres exhibit is up through June 18. To learn more about the gallery, its hours and locations, visit Raices Taller 222’s new and very well-design website at http://www.raicestaller222.com/