Exhibition Statement 

Emily Jingzhu Bennett's "To be Men; To be Mortal" is a series of artworks that explore the fundamental aspects of the human experience. We are always burdened by the fact that we are far from gods and that our time here is temporary; looking up to the great expanse of all that we don't know, it is easy to feel small. Each piece aims to sympathize with these experiences, offering a solace in understanding.

Artist Biography

Emily is a student at Acalanes High School in Lafayette, California. She is an aspiring artist who hopes to go into the entertainment industry and share her perspective with others. From her traditional philosophical work to her digital character designs and illustrations, she has a commitment to exploring humanity in art through introspection and storytelling. 

For inquiries: zhuemi.carrd.co

Exhibition Statement 

Moving to New York was a pivotal moment in my life, and since then, the city's streets have become the primary backdrop for my visual storytelling. I immersed myself in this vibrant metropolis, both as a participant and as an observer, seeking to uncover its essence from every angle.

I wandered through the city’s bustling neighborhoods, letting it guide me to the places and moments that spoke to me. It was amid the constant hum and bustle of this city that I stumbled upon the most delicate and intricate details, each one holding its own unique mystery.

My series, Whispers and Echoes is a collection of black and white photographs shot on film, capturing quiet moments that held significance to me. My work reflects the emotions these encounters stir within me and explores the ambiguity of identity, both that of people and of the locations to which we deeply connect. I seek out the hidden stories these quiet moments whisper.

I aim to provide the viewer with hints and insights into my perception of the world, inviting them to engage with the moments I've captured.

Artist Biography

Growing up in Ankara, Turkey, I was surrounded by a family of artists. This early exposure led me to pursue a career in visual arts, ultimately finding my calling in the Animation and Visual Effects industry. With the opportunity to work with esteemed studios in Turkey on various movies and commercials, I went on to join Blue Sky Studios in the US to engage more in feature animation. I currently work at Pixar Animation Studios, helping bring quirky stories to the big screen, with a focus on characters.

As a photographer, I use the art form as a means of self-expression, exploring identity, alienation, and otherness in my work. I aim to capture candid moments, expressions, and conflicts that hint at the narratives beneath the surface. I often take a long-term approach to my projects, focusing on the emotional and psychological depths of my subjects. My photography blog, which has evolved over the years into a visual diary of my life, serves as a natural extension of my creative process, reflecting my confusions and documenting lives around me.

For inquiries: ozgur@ozguraydogdu.com or @ozguraydogdu

Exhibition Statement

The Bay Area Studio Artists (BASA) is pleased to celebrate hands – one of the most versatile parts of the human body – with their ability to – balance … celebrate … comfort … connect … craft … create … help … hug … join … play … propel … swing … work … and more. These paintings range from hands at play, to hands at work, to hands expressing affection.

Each artist depicts a subject meaningful to her: a cherished hobby, an artistic challenge, a fondly remembered holiday, a beloved person or pet. Similar to self-portraits, BASA artists’ hands are also on display in Marcy Wheeler’s “Holding Hands.”

Artists' Biographies

The Bay Area Studio Artists (BASA) is a group of eight painters who have been showing their work together since 2010.  They work in an eclectic mix of subject matter and styles. All of the artists are present or past residents of Lafayette and nearby communities. More information about the Bay Area Studio Artists can be found at bayareastudioartists.com.  BASA artists are:

·       Suzun Almquist – suzunalmquistart.com

·       Jeannette Baird – jeanette@jeanettebaird.com

·       Lassie Colebourn – lassiecolebourn@yahoo.com

·       Ellen Reintjes – bayareastudioartists.com/ellen-reintjes

·       Ruth Stanton – ruthstantonart.com; ruthstantonart@gmail.com

·       Joanne Taeuffer – joannetaeuffer.com

·       Sharon Tama – sharontama.com

·       Marcy Wheeler – Marcy@MarcyWheeler.com

BASA has previously exhibited at the Lafayette Library and Learning Center, the Art Gallery at the Orinda Library, The Village Theater Art Gallery in Danville, The Marilyn Citron O’Rourke Gallery at the Benicia Library, the Aspen Surgery Center at John Muir Hospital, Orinda Books, Main Street Arts Gallery in Martinez, the Napa City Library, and other wine country venues.

Artist’s Biography

Yana Verba is a Ukrainian-Canadian painter who was born in Ukraine, Dnipro in 1983 and immigrated to Canada in 1999. Verba studied at the School of Visual Arts in New York and received a BFA from OCAD University in Toronto in 2015. She grounds her art practice in a language of abstraction, using rhythmic patterns, colors, and movement. Inspired by Modernists of the early twentieth century, Verba is currently working on a series of paintings that echo Soviet monumental art and Soviet Ukrainian mosaics. Her work has been shown in Canada, the United States, and the Middle East, and she has lived and worked in California since 2015.  

Exhibition Statement

To Dance? Is this to fill a void?

Or will it silence the essence of a cry?

It is the life of our rapid

Shooting stars captured in slow motion - Rainer Maria Rilke

Movement is life, the energy that spins us around the sun. How can you keep moving, dancing, and celebrating life despite the horror and destruction of war? Dance as resistance. The viewers are invited to look back at Modern Kyiv. Modern Kyiv hundred years ago, despite political difficulties, was the Ukrainian capital of arts, theater, and literature. These series of paintings are inspired by Vadym Meller’s costumes sketches that he created in Kyiv for Bronislava Nijinska’s dance school, “School of Movement,” between 1919-1921.  

Meller is known as one of the most important Ukrainian artists, stage and costume designers of the 20th century. He worked worldwide and for Esker’s studio, Les Kurbas’ Berezil Theater and Nijinska’s school. Bronislava Nijinska was a sister of the pioneer of modern dance Vaslav Nijinski.  She was just as talented an innovative dancer and choreographer, but only recently has she gotten recognition and been rewritten into history. Nijinska opened a School of Movement in Kyiv in 1919. Because of the Ukrainian-Soviet War the school existed only for a few years (until 1921), before Nijinska moved to Paris. She died in 1972, having finished her life and career in Los Angeles, California.  

By looking back in time, I hope the viewer can make a connection to our time, when Ukraine is fighting the Russian invasion that is trying to erase the Ukrainian people. Our culture, our songs, our spirit, and our love for life and freedom will never be erased. People are singing Ukrainian folk songs while sheltering from bombs in the Kyiv subway. Ukrainian youth are getting together to dance, clean up the ruins, and restore communities. Although the war has forced people to move the theatre into the bunkers, Ukrainian arts are still thriving.

Please DM for inquiry at www.yanaverba.com  All proceeds are going to Humanitarian Aid for Ukraine. 

Artist’s Biography

Jeff Heyman uses his classical training in photography to push the digital limits of the medium.

With a background in photography stretching more than four decades, Jeff, who lives in Orinda, California, received his Bachelor’s Degree in Fine Art Photography from San Francisco State University and studied under painters Robert Bechtle and Paul Pratchenko. 

But it was his Fine Art Photography studies with Catherine Wagner, Don Worth, Jack Welpott and Melanie Walker, while at State, that truly inspired his work. Jeff went on to produce and exhibit a range of creative work, primarily in black and white.

A San Francisco native, Jeff was influenced by the various artistic and photographic trends sweeping the Bay Area. While in high school in Danville, California, Jeff studied photography under Ralph Rappaport, an associate of Ansel Adams. Rappaport, a major influence, taught Jeff the Zone System and advanced film development and darkroom printing techniques. 

Rappaport also introduced Jeff to Ruth Bernhard, who met him privately in her home for a critique of his work. This meeting, with one of the world’s definitive photographers, influenced Jeff's future work greatly.

His background in classical photography is instrumental in his current work — a hybrid of classic “wet” photography and newer digital techniques.

Exhibition Statement

Having always been fond of Triptychs – I had a print of Hieronymus Bosch's “Garden of Earthly Delights” on a wall of my Mission District apartment – it comes easily for me to produce a body of work in this unique style.  The triptych, they say, has often been used to convey a spiritual meaning or a narrative. Max Beckmann, the German Expressionist painter, exploited this idea in his triptychs, some of the paintings that most influenced my early photographic work. 

And while the viewer may be expecting a story to be told by my triptychs, I had none in mind when I made these. The placement of the three images was driven more by graphic considerations rather than story-telling. 

Nonetheless, a story is indeed being told. But that story isn’t mine. Each triptych will mean something different to the person viewing it. At least that is my hope. Perhaps we can compare the stories our minds have invented for each. Will they truly be unique? Or, possibly, will a particular repetitive narrative appear? 

One last thought: While the saying has it that a picture is worth a thousand words, I wonder then, is a triptych worth 3,000? The viewer can decide. 

For inquiries or to read more about the artist, please click on Jeff Heyman.

My exhibition title “Moods for Moderns” captures what I’m all about as a painter. As is true in many of my works, the title is an allusion. Here it refers to a New Wave song by Elvis Costello off the album Armed Forces.

Moreover, the title reflects the fact that I am all about modern, edgy art that explores deeper themes and uses sly humor to tell a larger story. For this exhibit, I chose paintings that are a retrospective of my unique style and bold use of color.

“In the Belly of the Beast” refers to an infamous book by Jack Abbott championed by the late author Norman Mailer.  “Seance for Penny Cent” is a great example of how I borrow from Monet to create lush backgrounds designed to intrigue the viewer.

“And the Gods Made Love” is a blend of two formats, surrealism and mid-century geometrics. The title comes for an old Jimi Hendrix song. “Never Mind Godsmack, I Stand Alone” has one of my bolder color schemes and the title is a mashup of the bands Godsmack and the Sex Pistols.”

Surrealism has had a big impact on my work as exemplified by “Voices from the Graveyard Shift.” And the background for “There Beneath a Sharp and Sudden Sky” reflects the love I had for stormy midwestern skies growing up in Kansas City. The title is a blend of songs from Crown the Empire and the Beatles.

Michael Robinson is a cutting-edge contemporary painter known for bold colors, ironic insights and tackling big concepts like the nature of life, the transhumanist revolution, and our connection to the spiritual world.

He paints at the intersection of three styles: abstract figurative, mid-century geometrics and modern surrealism.  Armed with a playful attitude, he often alludes to cultural references in the titles of his paintings or inscriptions he paints on the works themselves.

These are some hallmarks of this unique painter:

•       A deceptively simple style imbued with hidden meanings

•       Bold, expressive characters

•       Rich, saturated colors he has custom created

•       Satirical looks at modern life

Ironically, he followed a bit of circuitous route to becoming a painter. As an adolescent in the late 1960s and early 1970s, he loved writing, music and making art.  After college, Michael became an award-winning professional journalist and then a touring and recording musician.  He got back into painting shortly after his 60th birthday and has never looked back.

Robinson counts as his major influences, Kandinsky, Miro, Warhol, Klee, and Basquiat.  He lives with his wife Tracy in the hills above Oakland, CA. Besides painting, he enjoys sailing, trap shooting and ski boarding. 

To see more work, please click michaelrobinsonart.

Molly's Birds: A collection of bird portraits in gouache

Molly Gleason-Kodama’s love of birds began at the age of three when she watched her father and the very special relationship he had with his parakeet, Johnny (named after Johnny Carson). She is proud to be a Lafayette resident, the Marketing Director at Aegis of Moraga, and a devoted rotary member here in Lafayette. Painting birds is one of her passions outside of work. Molly encourages anyone who doesn’t think they have any artistic talent to pursue art lessons because, at the age of fifty-three and after only a few drawing classes, she discovered the beginnings of what you see here.

Molly’s very first drawings were in pastel chalk. Then, after some more lessons, she experimented with acrylic, oil, and finally gouache which is like a hybrid between watercolor and acrylic. Gouache (French, pronounced Goowash) works well with the tiny brushes and strokes necessary to capture the subtleties of feathers.

In addition to her undergraduate degree in English Literature from UC Berkeley and her M.A. in Gerontology from the Leonard Davis School at USC, Molly studied at the Academy of Art University in San Francisco—where she was born and raised—and with extraordinary local artists and teachers Patsy Taylor and Jody Mattison here in Lafayette. The images in this show were heavily influenced by her studies with Maryjo Koch of Bird, Egg, Feather, Nest fame. Molly is writing and illustrating a children’s book which will include many other creatures as well. Some of the birds in this show are characters in the book, some own Molly, and others captured her interest.

You may contact Molly through her website www.EclecticKingdom.com or directly at mollygleasonkodama@gmail.com.