HUMBOLDT — The Humboldt and District Gallery is reopening with a three month showing of Critical Links, an exhibit with works from the local Artists' Block Critique Group.
The exhibit contains 31 pieces from nine artists. The pieces themselves primarily feature landscape paintings, but also include sculptures and abstract.
“Mostly they’re focused on Humboldt and area’s landscapes,” said Yoonjin Park Bott, the gallery’s cultural programmer.
“For local people, it will be nice to see the Humboldt and area landscapes with lots of different mediums. They have oil painting and acrylic and others.”
The artists featured include Karen Pask-Thompson, Janet Corcoran, Karen Holden, Karen Maguire, Inger DeCoursey, Kathy Bradshaw, Kathleen Slavin, Sylvia Thompson and the late Del Gradish.
“The motivation for this exhibition stems from the reason we formed our critique group: the desire to share ideas and draw inspiration from each other in order to grow as artists,” said the Artists' Block Critique Group, in a statement.
“As most of us are landscape painters, we have worked plein air [outdoors] from a specific location in the Humboldt area. During our multiple sessions, we sketched and painted our chosen landscape using a range of media, suited to each artist’s individual style and working process.”
Park Bott described the group’s work as “mature.”
“It’s not just simple landscapes that anyone can do, their life is kind of melted in the painting – that’s what I see. Technique wise, they’re pretty mature too,” she said.
“A very deep understanding of Humboldt and area landscapes and the nature, and very deep thoughts. I can actually catch it from the abstract and the collage work as well.”
Select pieces at the exhibit will be on sale.
“You can see all the artists’ work on the wall and you can buy it too, that’s the beauty of how we support the local artists,” Park Bott said.
“I think it's great to see the artwork at the gallery again, after the long COVID-19 break, to appreciate our life again.”
Due to COVID-19, the gallery’s hours have reduced. The gallery is open this summer from Tuesday to Saturday, at 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. and 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.
Critical Links will be shown until Sept. 25.
