Guest Blog: “Animals” Art Show at the UCPLA Washington Reid Gallery
Guest blogger Kim Hudson, MSW, shares her impressions of the UCPLA Washington Reid Gallery’s current exhibition “Animals”. The show is on view until May 25, 2019 at the gallery, which is open to the public Monday – Friday from 10:00am until 4:00pm.
I viewed the “Animals” exhibit last Friday at the UCPLA Washington Reid Gallery, and I was impressed by the variety of techniques and mediums used by the artists. There were paintings, drawings, and digital media in the show. Many of the artists who work at the UCPLA programs had images in the show.
In addition, Lawrence Pearce, who is an art instructor at UCPLA is a featured artist in the show. Pearce’s work is striking in its size and subject matter. All the paintings juxtapose animal figures with alien/fantasy human subjects. The paintings take the viewer on a trip into a magical world of whimsy.
The digital image seen above was created by Betzaida Velasquez, the energy of this dog moving through space draws the viewer into the show with a sense of excitement. Velasquez has other paintings in the show as well. Her snake is particularly striking because she captures the menacing intent of the animal towards its prey (which could be the viewer)!
Many of the artists have presented images that are abstract; yet in the abstract the spirit or experience of the animal shines through. Steve Remington’s “4 Dogs” immerses the viewer in the green world of what might be a dog park. Tom Beyer’s “Owl” shows us that it might be lonely or isolating to be an owl in nature.
Meanwhile some artist’s paintings seem to highlight the animal’s size in its environment, such as Seong Chon’s “Whale” which seems to be dwarfed by the sea it swims in. While Jonna Wilken’s “Sea Turtle” is brightly patterned and moving trough its world with what seems to be a stately grace.
Veronica Tamayo’s “Hummingbird” captures the bird’s goal of capturing nectar amid a whizzy world of color. Some artists like Linda Young and Nicolas Canales depict their animals with a bold sense of pattern that makes them seem more alive. Others like Chris Brown use numbers and words to characterize their animals in a philosophical way.
Several of the animals seem to stare directly at the viewer and engage us like Bea Olea’s “Tiger” and Dale Riley’s “Gorilla”, these images are sometimes provocative, but they also serve as conversation starters about how we as humans relate to the animal world and vice versa.
There is no way that I could capture each and every image in the art show for you adequately in this blog. Please make the time to go see it for yourself. I guarantee that you will feel more connected with the natural world and all the creatures we share the planet with. It’s a great way to celebrate Earth Day/week!
All of the art in the show is for sale, so if you want to take an animal home with you, you can, and they are very low maintenance! In addition, all sales will benefit the art programs of UCPLA and the artists themselves.
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About Kim Hudson, MSW
I have Cerebral Palsy and I use an electric wheelchair to get around. I am a Social Worker with over 20 years of experience working with people with disabilities and chronic health issues.
Read more from Kim and her husband Tom at https://www.loveonwheels.net/.