Music, peace play in Solovei exhibit

Published 4:37 pm Thursday, October 11, 2007

Solovei Art Gallery is showing a new exhibit of work by artists Yuming Zhu, who presents oils, pastels and mixed-media paintings, and Tracy Powell’s marble, limestone and bronze sculptures.

These two- and three-dimensional art works of figures and portraits, along with some abstract pieces, are being shown through Oct. 30 at the gallery, 2804 Grand Ave., Everett.

Powell donates half the purchase price of his “Dove” sculptures to one of the charitable organizations working in Iraq to provide assistance to civilian victims of war.

Zhu presents portraits, nudes and work inspired by classical music and jazz. Oftentimes the cello and violin interact with the musicians in the paintings in a layered composition.

Zhu also paints in themes, especially the themes of communication and technology, particularly cell phones, which Zhu believes actually isolate people.

Also showing at Solovei is new artist Pamela Gompf, an artist of paintings on eggs known as a Pysanky Master.

Using traditional Ukrainian motifs and inventing her own designs and coloring, Gompf creates folklore miniatures on emptied egg shells of chicken, geese and larger emu and ostrich eggs. The designs are intricately painted, dyed and carved.

A life of wax: Joseph Goldberg is the featured artist of a fall exhibit in La Conner where 60 paintings, drawings and sculpture will showcase the nearly 40 years of the artist’s career.

A reception is planned from 2 to 5 p.m. Saturday at the Museum of Northwest Art, 121 S. First St., La Conner. The exhibit runs through Jan. 6.

This exhibition aims to illuminate a variety of themes in Goldberg’s work and his choices of medium. By the early 1980s, Goldberg had developed his signature medium of encaustic, a difficult technique of fusing intense colors of dry pigments with layers of wax, fired by heat into a lustrous surface.

This exhibit is in conjunction with the release of “Joseph Goldberg: Jeweled Earth,” a new 120-page monograph featuring nearly 100 paintings and drawings by the artist.

And more wax: Binky Bergsman’s paintings, rendered with the encaustic technique using molten wax, will be shown during October at Meyers Cafe, 1700 W. Marine View Drive, Everett.

Bergsman teaches the technique monthly at Everett Artist’s Supply and Framing, 5321 Evergreen Way, Everett.

Ever expanding: The Lowell Art Works Studio Group, 5205 S. Second Ave., Everett, has expanded and now includes 15 artists. The members will show new work, such as that by Nikki Wheeler, and they also welcome their newest members: Loren Smedburg, Mike Gardner and Kim Loesch.

The Art Works Studio, now almost at capacity, is a thriving artist’s community where numerous art shows are scheduled monthly in addition to the studio being part of the Everett Third Saturday Art Walk.

Right on: A new exhibit in Edmonds features a variety of pieces by seven members of Write on Calligraphers, an organization for people interested in the art of calligraphy and paper arts.

The artists are Brigitte Hefferan, Katherine Malmsten, Cathy Shiovitz, Jocelyn Curry, Sue Gruhn, Gayle Waddle-Wilkes and Jackie Van Noy.

The Edmonds Arts Commission is presenting this exhibit which runs until Oct. 31 at the Edmonds Library, 650 Main St., Edmonds.

Each spring Write on Calligraphers presents a conference called Letters of Joy, which attracts more than 325 participants and vendors.