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figure drawings and video installation
Artist reception First Friday, April 1st 5 -8 p.m.
during A Taste of Ashland we will preview May's exhibit,
This selection of Karen Staal's paintings featured in the gallery throughout the month of March focuses on scenes of musicians.
Staal specializes in oil paintings of the human figure. While her portrayals are somewhat realistic, they are also interpretive. Intentionally steering away from realism, Staal interprets intimate human scenes by creating new harmonies with line, shape and color. With strong compositions and careful attention given to space surrounding and between figures, the emotional impact of that figure, or relationship between figures in her paintings, is strong.
Karen holds a BFA from the San Francisco Art Institute and also earned a degree from the Kendall School of Design. She studied abstract painting at American University in Washington, D.C. and portrait painting at the Ridgewood Art Academy.
Karen's solo exhibits in the past have been theme-related. Work in Two or Three Dimensions focused on issues surrounding social justice. The Dance was a series of paintings depicting movement and energy. The life-size series, Simple Times, was based on photos of aunts and uncles who remained hopeful during World War II.
This month we will have the inky, nebulous night sky images of Ashland High School student, Marcello Romano in conjunction with the Ashland Gallery Association Annual Student Art Exhibition.
I moved to Ashland from Los Angeles when I was 7 and initially hated the sudden change of surroundings. I had been used to heavy traffic, plenty of concrete, and miles of sub-par beaches for most of my life so suddenly being dropped into the middle of a lush, deer infested forest was a huge shock. It would take a few years after the move before I came to love nature and eventually, astronomy. The night sky gives me immense perspective and appreciation for our tiny lives here on earth, while simultaneously serving as the subject of my photography. Taking photos of the universe is a demanding task that often takes me (and my brave friends) out into the middle of nowhere in the pitch dark, inky blackness of night. I’ve had to get over my fear of wild animals and darkness to say the least. I hope people take away a deeper curiosity of the universe and our place in it after seeing my photos as well as a sense of wonder and awe, similar to what I feel after a night under our galaxy. - Marcello Romano