Juried Members Show July 4-6, 2008

"Two Doors Down"
Art work by Darcy Gerdes, 16x20" acrylic

IDYLLWILD, CA, 6/23/08 – Artists in Idyllwild will put their artwork to the test next month at the Art Alliance of Idyllwild’s 10th Annual Juried Members Show. A Friday evening reception (7-9 PM) on July 4 kicks off the festivities at the Rainbow Inn on South Circle Dr. The fun continues, with an open exhibition Saturday and Sunday (July 5-6) from 11 am – 4 pm. The event is free to the public and everyone is welcome.

AAI’s artist members will present their work to juror Brian Trimble, Curator of Education for the University Art Museum at California State University Long Beach. Trimble will choose the best of photography, representational art, three-dimensional pieces and abstract works. Those on hand will vote for the “Artists’ Choice” and “People’s Choice” awards.

The artists may choose from a variety of medium, including painting, ceramics, sculpture, jewelry, metal work, photography, furniture and fiber arts.

Award-winning sculptor and art educator Norm Deesing, known for his high-fire clay figures, will be submitting “Nova,” the first sculpture of his new “Star Series” collection. “Although the figures in this piece are easily recognizable as women, the intent behind it is to visualize the gravitational pull of two separate stars,” Deesing said. “This ‘gravity dance’ will eventually fuse the two stars into one. It’s sort of a cosmic love story.”



Painter Kathleen Keifer is submitting a landscape that depicts Highway 74, a beautiful back road to the desert where the old television show Bonanza was filmed.

“When you’re a kid growing up on the flat plains of the Midwest, and the highest object on the horizon is a water tank, mountains seem a little surreal,” said Keifer. “T.V. shows like Bonanza, with its backdrop of Ponderosa Pines and mountains (instead of cornfields, housing tracts, and water tanks) did not seem real-just smoke and mirrors-nothing could be that beautiful.”


AAI artist Bob Schraff is putting the finishing touches on an art table he will enter into the competition. Schraff uses his formal training in architecture, engineering and graphic design to create award-winning tables from metal and glass. Each contemporary complex metal sculpture is topped by clear glass, adding a sharp contrast, which results in a memorable work of art.

Artist Joann Tomshe is entering “Forest Memories.” “I was thinking of the underlying aspects life that seem more permanent and stable, and how they contrast and provide support for those more fragile elements undergoing change, shifts, and decay,” said Tomsche. “Nothing is permanent – these colors will fade, these twigs will snap – but as in life, beauty will remain.”



The Juried Members Show is part of the Art Alliance of Idyllwild’s “First Saturdays” series, which hosts a noteworthy art event on the first Saturday of each month from March through October. The AAI’s mission is to promote local artists and galleries as well as enhance the town’s reputation as one of the “100 Best Art Towns in America,” as dubbed by artist and author John Villani.

The Art Alliance of Idyllwild is a non-profit, 501(c)(3) organization, which promotes art and art education. For more information on the Juried Member Show, and other AAI events, call the Art Alliance at 877-439-5278 (877-IDYLART), or visit the AAI web site at: http://www.artinidyllwild.com/.

Contact: B. Bailey FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
877-439-5278 (877-IDYLART)
mailto:artallianceofidyllwild@gmail.com

Flying Pigment Studio
http://flyingpigmentstudio.com/

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"Bricks and Lace"

18x24" acrylic
Artist: Darcy Gerdes