Mount. Newspapers from the Shasta region
On the surface of Siskiyou Art Museum’s new exhibit, “Through Space and Time” is an eclectic presentation of diversity by Antelope Valley artists who have stepped out of a shared studio, but you can get lost in history of underlying love that artist Warren Scherich created in his studio.
First the artists:
Karen nepstad is a mosquito control specialist who was inspired by the first sunrises in the desert while working. She turned to watercolors and tiling to express her appreciation for the beautiful places she sees around Death Valley, Ventura and Stockton.
Harley busch had a revelation while looking in his toolbox. “Images from Under the Hood†is a collection of close-up photographs of tools, nuts and bolts neglected by mechanics that is eerily beautiful even for people who are not inclined to mechanics.
Out of the pandemic, Edwin VasquezThe colorful and ornate ceramic masks are not to be worn but rather are intended to draw attention to the beauty, variety, fragility and importance of the flora of the California desert and the Mayan culture. This symbolism caused by the pandemic gave free rein to his imagination to create new identities. Basilio Hernandez created small Aztec ceramic figurines which he took from his dreams of animal spirits which speak to his heart derived from his family culture which he calls “Memories of my ancestors in Aztlan”.
Marthe Aponte immigrated from France and now paints glazes on 4 by 4 tiles and puts them together, making poetry for the eyes.
And Warren scherich shows two acrylic prints of the Eastern Sierra Mountains which he painted simultaneously using overlapping shapes and strokes to create depth. He also exhibits some of his exotic California marble stone work that took 10 hours to 5 months of polishing, shaping and sculpting work. “You don’t know what you will get,†he said, pointing to the difference between the raw side and the polished side of the stone. “It’s always a surprise to see what comes out of these 40 million year old stones.”
Scherich built a 24-foot by 24-foot dance floor nine feet into the ground. He and Nepstad had many ballroom dances on it before they buried it to make it into a mock architectural site. It was from this dance floor that Nepstad was drawn to work in tiles and clay with the man himself. “Expressing myself through art, Warren introduced me to clay. I crushed and crushed clay and turned it into figurines and fell in love with it. Warren opened a another avenue to explore. It brings out everyone’s art and provides the space and opportunity to develop their artistic skills. ”
Scherich, known for his Dogu Invasion, shares his passion for the Mojave Desert through his multi-media stone carving, acrylic paints and clay works of art. He not only encouraged others to use his studio to become artists themselves, but also attracted a special artist, Karen Nepstad, in her love of painting, ceramics and ballroom dancing.
By their passion, they also created together a war between the Dogu Invaders of Scherich and the Wunderliks ​​of Nepstad. These little aliens, in a way, are fighting for territory all over our planet. Both Scherich and Nepstad have these whimsical creatures to give away when they are exhibited at SAM for planting in gardens or on window sills.
To learn more about the Dogu invasion or the Wunderliks, visit www.facebook.com/karen.n.mellor or www.warrenscherich.com or come to the Siskiyou Arts Museum in Dunsmuir. The exhibition “Across space and time” will be open until September 4.
