SLO Arts Council

SANTA BARBARA PAINTER'S PARADISO/INFERNO AT ARTS SPACE OBISPO

ARTS Obispo and the Central California Museum of Art are pleased to present the first San Luis Obispo County solo exhibition of Santa Barbara painter and printmaker Nicole Strasburg. Paradiso/Inferno: Drought and Fire in the Central Coast Landscapes of Nicole Strasburg is on display at ARTS Space Obispo in the SLO Creamery from August 6 through September 8. Join us for the second Art After Dark reception for this exhibition, on September 3rd from 6 - 9 PM, featuring wine pouring by LONE MADRONE.

Paradiso/Inferno expands Central California landscape painting by moving beyond idyllic depictions of nature to portray the environmental realities of drought and the wind-blown wildfires in Santa Barbara County. Avoiding temptations to sensationalize, Strasburg's paintings are minimalist in their approach with a muted poetic color sensibility based upon abstracted forms drawn from the land, water and sky.

According to Strasburg, "The paintings are records of personal connections and the allure of knowing a place intimately - in its beauty, fragility, danger and resilience."

Curator Gordon Fuglie, a native Californian with a 30-year involvement with California art and culture, organized this exhibition for ARTS Obispo as part of a series of projects developed by the Central California Museum of Art and displayed in venues throughout the mid-state. He is a member of the Advisory Council of the CCMA and serves on the exhibition committee for ARTS Space Obispo.

For more information contact:
Nicole Strasburg, artist: (805) 967-9265, nicolestrasburg@cox.net
Gordon L. Fuglie, curator: 805.461.1699, gordon.fuglie@charter.net
Marta Peluso, AO executive director: (805) 544-9251 director@artsobispo.org

Or visit:
www.nicolestrasburg.com
www.centcalmuseart.org

In celebration of the 12th year of ARTS Obispo's Open Studios Art Tour, and to raise much-needed funds to support FREE catalogs, we are excited to present a fabulous series of 12 arts workshops/demos over the next 6 months. The series is titled 12x12(x12): 12 years of Open Studios, 12 workshops for 12 students. Instructors have donated their time and talents, and all funds go to support the Open Studios Art Tour.

Sign up today, as each class has room for only 12 participants! Contact Jenna at 805.544.9251 or programs@artsobispo.org for more information or to sign up.

3) Rose & Stone Pottery Workshop: Throw! Build! Fire!

August 21 & 28, 10-1 pm
$75/participant

Two day workshop in ceramics, focusing on hand-built, wheel-thrown, and slab work to fire in the ancient Japanese technique of Raku rapid-fire pottery. Taught by John & Janice of Rose & Stone Pottery.

*materials fee of $15 payable to instructors.

1) Your goal will be to make at least three pieces for raku firing or standard high fire stoneware.
2) Materials and use of tools are provided, including special clay that is suitable for either functional stoneware firing or decorative rapid fire raku.
3) Due to time limitations with raku firing and cooling, it is encouraged that work should be small-to-medium sized (but we will stay as long as necessary to fire all of the pieces made). We will start with a safety demonstration regarding the raku process - with fire and very hot objects, proper handling and safety techniques are essential before anyone fires their pieces.
4) The workshop will be held outdoors, with tables and chairs provided. The pottery wheel, slab roller, and some workspace will be available in the studio just inside. Clay is sloppy - dress for getting dirty, and if doing raku, getting smoky!
5) Participants should bring their own lunch - water will be provided.
6) You will learn how to make slab forms, coiled forms, and wheel-thrown forms, as well as glaze techniques for both processes. The first workshop will involve making your work. During the second workshop (the following weekend), you'll fire your work to either stoneware temperatures the rapid fire raku process.
7) For questions about signing up, please contact the AO office (805) 544-9251. Questions about the workshop details, please call John and Janice: (805) 474-8308, and leave a message.

For more in this amazing series of workshops, please click here. Coming up, a comedy and improvisation workshop, book arts, comfort cooking, and glass fusing!