On Sunday I showed you a project Eve Chartrand was working on with a violin for the Soundscapes exhibit opening on February 4 at Studios on the Park. Eve also showed me a guitar her studio partner, Anna Meyrick, has finished. Above is the front of the guitar. Anna's favored medium is mosaics.
This is the back of the guitar, which Eve is holding up so you can see it better. These photos were taken in the studio shared by Anna and Eve at Studios on the Park in Paso Robles.
If you live in the Paso Robles area, I hope you will come to see the Soundscapes exhibit. It will be the most fun if you come for Art after Dark , February 6, 6-9 pm for music, art, and wine.
It is very easy to celebrate Inspire Your Heart with Art Day here in Paso Robles. Artists abound here on the Central Coast, and there are many places where you can see their work. One way to inspire your heart with art is to visit a local gallery like Heritage Gallery West or one of the exhibits at Studios on the Park. You are sure to find some art that will inspire you at either place.
I visited Studios on the Park recently, and the first thing to catch my eye was the window display for the currently showing "Migrations" exhibit. The windows here always have two works of art. One is the collection of art pieces put in the windows to be viewed by those passing by. The other is the reflection from the park across the street. On this visit it was nearing time for sunset. So you see the painting inside the gallery, and you see the reflection superimposed on it.
I've never come away from Studios on the Park without amazement at how creative the artists are. On this visit I talked to two artists preparing for the Soundscapes Exhibit which opens on February 4, 2016. They are working in two completely different media.
The other artist I talked to was Anne Laddon. She was also preparing work for the Soundscapes exhibit -- five paintings. We see her here at work on one of them in her studio. She is looking critically at something she wants to change in the color scheme in this painting and is pondering what color to substitute for the one she's not happy with.
She is working from this photograph as a model for her painting.
This visit made it obvious to me that before I see art that inspires me, an artist's heart first has to be inspired to create it. If the artist isn't inspired first, the artwork will probably not inspire those who see it.
I love going to Studios on the Park because I can see the creation process and learn what is in the mind of the artists as they create. I'm anxious to see the finished works I saw in the process of creation. I hope I'll be able to go to see the Soundscapes exhibit this weekend.
Some artists who share studios, for example Anne Laddon and Tamara Thornton, work with the same media. Though they have different styles and subjects, they use similar materials. If you enter the studio shared by Eve Chartrand and Anna Meyrick, however, their walls show art quite different in both method and style. Let's look at Eve Provost Chartrand first.
Eve collects objects that speak to her in a special way. As she thinks about them, ideas form as to how to use them to express art worthy of reflection. She often mixes media to express her ideas, or she may make a print, lightbox, or assemblage. You can see examples of all these types of work on her web site. To see these photos in more detail, just click to enlarge them.
Anna Meyrick's half of the studio is quite different than Eve's. As you can see, Anna's specialty is her mosaic art, though she also draws and paints. She has been involved in art education for over twenty years. She has used her artistic creativity to help those with special needs and at-risk young people.
Not all of the artists in the related articles below are still in residence at Studios on the Park, but these articles were written while they were there.
