ON FRIDAY, March 20, 14 local galleries will participate in the monthly stroll. New shows generally open at that time. However, this month, many have already begun, allowing gallerygoers "sneak previews" of what they'll see on Friday.
In fact, anyone who attends a reception today (3-5 p.m.) at the Dolores Chase Gallery will not only see the new show but meet many of the women artists who participated last year in the regional and statewide shows "Out of the Land: Utah Women."However, don't expect to see that show hanging at the Dolores Chase Gallery. The exhibit is currently on display in the Gudelsky State Gallery at the National Museum of Women in the Arts in Washington, D.C. Continuing through May 6, the exhibit has received praise for the sensitivity, diversity and sophistication of Utah women artists.
- The artist now being featured in the Chase Gallery is Stephen Bartholomew, a young artist who has been a regular at the gallery ever since Chase was introduced to his large landscape paintings, which she describes as "bold, colorful and enigmatic."
On display are Bartholomew's large oil paintings as well as smaller casein works. Reportedly, he prefers to work in the latter medium.
Large boulders in southern Utah provide the subject matter for his latest work. One of his best oils is "Deimos," in which Bartholomew has done a masterful job creating a three-dimensional feeling on a two-dimensional surface. However, a couple of other paintings fall short in achieving this.
Although the artist received his master of fine arts degree at BYU in 1990, he had participated in group exhibitions for 14 years prior to that. The first was in 1976 when his work was accepted in the annual All-Utah High School Juried Exhibition. Since then, he has won a number of honors, including jurors' choice awards in 1990 and 1991 at the Dixie Invitational, St. George.
Not all the walls in the Chase Gallery are filled with paintings by Bartholomew. You'll find artwork by Lee Deffenbach, Nel Ivancich and Edie Roberson - three women included in the "Out of the Land" exhibit.
Male artists displaying provocative works are Wulf Barsch, Doug Himes, Brian Kershisnik, Layne Mecham, Clay Wagstaff, Shao-Yuan Zhang and others.
- It's no coincidence that LeftBank at Pierpont, located two doors north of the Chase Gallery, is focusing on four women artists whose works were also selected for the "Out of the Land" show.
There are drawings and installations by Helene Fischer Elbein, mixed-media sculpture by Kristi Mercer and photography by Pamela Stanger. Most of these works range from white to black. Exciting color, however, is provided by Carole Doubek, whose soft-sculptured reptiles occupy the center of the gallery. Incidentally, her works are also being featured in the children's section of the Salt Lake City Public Library.
Although the opening reception at the LeftBank is also set for the night of the gallery stroll, the exhibit is already open to the public. In fact, the doors will be open today from 3-5 p.m. during the reception at Chase's gallery honoring the women artists in "Out of the Land: Utah Women."
The exhibition catalog "Out of the Land: Utah Women" will be available to purchase. Cost is only $18. Attending artists will be happy to sign their names in the catalogs that are sold.
If you cannot attend the reception, you can order the catalog by sending $19.80 ($18 plus $1.80 postage) to Sego Gallery, 637 E. 500 South, Salt Lake City, UT 84102 or by calling 328-9848.
- Fortunately for gallery strollers, the Salt Lake Art Center will also be open this Friday night. Attracting attention are two relatively new shows "10 + 10" and "Intimate Views."
- "10 + 10" is patterned after a successful exhibit held at the center several years ago. The concept was to invite 10 artists to exhibit. Each artist then asked another artist to participate. Thus, works by 20 artists were spotlighted.
This year, participants hail from Ogden to Provo. The diverse group comprises students, teachers, graphic designers, emerging and professional artists. Stylistically, their work ranges from representation to abstraction.
Frequently, each invitee selected someone also working in the same medium. Although Royden Card submitted paintings for this show, he is better known for his woodcuts; he selected printmaker Jenni Christensen. Photographer Suzanne Simpson chose Whitney King; ceramist Betsy Quintana invited Will Shynkaruk.
With so many styles and media from which to choose, there's bound to be something to enthrall every viewer. I was particularly drawn to Christensen's colorful floral etchings; Louise Fishman's painting-sculpture, "The Wait"; Wayne Geary's wall hangings that look like miniature stage sets; Antonia Hedrick's large abstract paintings; Quintana's amphora forms; and Shao-Yuan Zhang's printmaking.
- "Intimate Views," now in the Upstairs Gallery, focuses on small, creative works by 14 local artists. Their paintings, mobiles, prints, sculpture and mixed-media works were selected because of their ability to draw the viewer to them like magnets.
Pleasant surprises await those who take time to carefully study these works. I was intrigued by Kristie Krumbach's forest of totems, John Erickson's stylized portraits, Thalo Porter's "Box of Rilke" (note the message that wraps around it), Stephen Seko's "Broken Eros," and Todd Stilson's beautifully painted human figures.
"Intimate Views" continues through April 9. Art-lunch lecture tours set for Wednesdays at noon will be given by Renee Fitzpatrick (March 17) and Dave Ericson (April 7).
The last day for "10 + 10" is April 1. Lectures for this show will be given by Suzanne Simpson (March 24) and Susan Cheal (March 31).
Hours at the SLAC are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 1-5 p.m. on Sundays. The center is located at 20 S. West Temple.