OAKHURST — Stop by Timberline Gallery during the month of June to see a unique collection, including a new installation of photography and gourd art in the special features room. Photographers include Andrew Erikson, Karen Tillson, and Wendy Dent. Gourd artists are Gretchen Lee, Vivian Helena Aumond-Capone, and Jacqueline Kurtt.
Gretchen Lee is a formally trained artist whose current medium of expression is gourds, grown in her Coarsegold garden. “When mature, the gourds have to be carefully cleaned and thoroughly dried before she can begin her art process. Her line of work at Timberline consists of whole gourds which may resemble animals, fish or birds, occasionally making the versatile gourds into lamps or purses.”
Award-winning fiber and weaving artist Jacqueline Kurtt says what intrigues her about gourd art is drawing on the curved surfaces. She also makes “gourd ladies,” even crafting unusual jewelry for them to wear
Meet the artists at a reception on Saturday, June 11, 1 – 4 p.m. at the gallery.
Photographer Andrew Erickson wants people to see his work and say, “Wow!” Toward that end, he visits world class vistas and waits for the light to be just right. “I use modern processing techniques to give you details and color that can’t be achieved with a single photograph. I print big, bold images that give you a window to our fantastic world.”
Karen Tillson: “Photography has been a lifelong journey since childhood and my first camera. I have been fortunate to travel all over the world and photograph breathtaking scenery, the people, and the wildlife on all seven continents.”
Wendy Dent: “Over the last 30-plus years I have used the camera as my conduit with the world, my way of connecting while remaining separate. My images have usually had intensely personal meaning. Today I am interested in the marginalized. My birds are objects of discomfort for some because they have, for the most part, been hit by cars. For me, photographing them is my tribute, my altar, my way of honoring their presence in our lives. My bird images are mostly done with a process that begins with design and placement on a scanner. The raw images are then are modified/enhanced in Photoshop. Prints are on Epson Enhanced Matte on an Epson 3880 printer.”
Vivian Helena Aumond-Capone, Gourd Artist: “Gourds, fiber and jewelry are my passions. Gourds share their love of earth and sky. Each gourd has a different shape, a feeling and texture. It is that connection with nature that I enjoy.”
Timberline Gallery is located at 40982 CA-41 in Oakhurst.
