Summer Wind Gallery presents:

"Things get spotty at Summer Wind Gallery"

  By Myriam Beltran

Peppering the crowd inside the Summer Wind Gallery are leopard prints on legs, around necks and on shoulders; a pattern that distinguishes a small group of artists showcasing their work in Isleton.



The five ladies who have yet to decide on a name for their group, have met since the late '80s to chat about their art and have developed a camaraderie apparent in both their attire and attitudes.

Carolyn Schneider created ghost-like images posed in different rooms and positions for half a dozen paintings hung at the gallery on Saturday, September 15. She says they are part of a study of the artist Francis Bacon, who Schneider describes as fashioning very dramatic and stylized interiors. To focus on the setting, the artist blurred out the main subjects, or the humans, in her interpretation of Bacon's work.

Sacramento resident Miriam Davis displayed work from different periods in her artistic career, including realistic ceramic figures of events that would normally not take place, such as one of Little Red Riding Hood sharing a baguette with the Big Bad Wolf, and "Swimmer" of a girl on a tilted couch. Davis, who is mostly self-taught, has moved to painting since the 1990s and says she does not start out with a project in mind, but allows different media to meld together. Such is the case for several works in the show that incorporate musical notes underneath a series of colored shapes.

"And there's always happy accidents," she added. "There's something there and you respond to it with something else."

"Swimmer" by artist Miriam Davis
photo by Myriam Beltran

Fellow leopard-clad artist Julie Didion paints still lifes, with an emphasis on hands and feet, and has fashioned over 600 pairs of ceramic shoes and handbags.



"Must Finish by Morning" is her ceramic expression of her work with shoes and features tiny animals creating her ceramic shoes for her as she sleeps.

For her still life work, Didion said that she is drawn to hands and feet because they are the most expressive.

"[Hands] can express tenderness, anger, supplication... feet are really, so unique... I like things that are impossibly hard," said the artist.

For her still life work, Didion said she is drawn to hands and feet because they are the most expressive.

"[Hands] can express tenderness, anger, supplication... feet are really, so unique... I like things that are impossibly hard." said the artist.



Shoe and Bag by Julie Didion
photo by Myriam Beltran

Summer Wind co-owner Karen Franscioni said the caliber of the artists in the latest show sets it apart from previous events.

"These are established artists who have shown in Sacramento galleries for years," said Franscioni, who expected up to 100 people to attend the gallery on Saturday.

This was her first time deciding where artwork should go in the gallery, which she acknowledged was a difficult task.

"How you hang the show could either make it or break it," she said, adding that the artwork was meant to flow and tell a story through the way it was on display.

Tucked away at the far room of the gallery were the more permanent displays of Nancy Tillisch's jewelry and newcomer Sam Joseph's "skelecrows". Joseph, a Sacramento musician, said he stumbled upon the idea of skeleton necklaces and will make more for the upcoming Halloween season.

For its next show, Summer Wind Gallery will feature giftable art, with smaller, less expensive pieces from October 20th through December.

Summer Wind Gallery

is located at 45 Main St.
in Isleton, California.

Gallery Hours are: Thursday through Sunday Noon to 5 pm

(and always by appointment)

916-777-6906

P.O. Box 1045 Isleton CA 95641

Our email is: summerwind@citlink.net