Photograph by Kathy De La Torre
'Bamboo in Snow,' by Renata Radcliffe, is one of the chilly scenes of winter on exhibit at Gallery Saratoga.
Gallery becomes 'Marshmallow World'
By Shari Kaplan
The title of this month's featured show at Gallery Saratoga, "It's a Marshmallow World," belies the fact that the weather outside has been unusually sunny and mild for January. Inside, however, is a wall filled with falling snow, crisp winter air and chilly waters. "It's a Marshmallow World," whose title was created by artist and assistant gallery manager Daryl Joseph, features winter scenes by some of the gallery's member artists.
Saratogan Dori Phifer and Los Altan Avie Urch apparently had similar themes in mind. In Spring Thaw, Phifer uses oil paints in soft hues of purple, mauve, green, blue and yellow to create an impressionistic view of a thawing lake bordered by snowy trees and mountains. In Spring's Last Snow , she depicts a winding river, not a lake. On the tags beneath both paintings, Phifer mentions they are of areas near Squaw Creek.
Although Urch's medium, rice paper and watercolor, is quite different, the theme of her Winter Thaw is not. A frigid river, whose "water" consists of flecks of gold thread and delicate green and blue papers, meanders among snowy hills dotted with bare-branched trees. About the only sign of warmth is a lone animal--it looks to be a deer--grazing at the riverbank.
It's not clear whether the water is thawing or freezing in Los Gatan Wanda Kownacki's mixed media Stream, but it certainly looks cold! She, too, includes leafless trees that stand out as intrepid sentinels among the piling snow.
Inclement weather doesn't matter much in Saratogan Norman D. Carter's watercolor Lake Wilderness, as its main element is a cozy little cabin, its roof blanketed with snow. The chimney emits a trail of smoke through the thin, still mountain air--no doubt a sign of hearty food and a warm fire inside the cabin. In Winter Tracks, Carter offers mystery instead of comfort, as a small trail of footprints--or pawprints?--makes its way through the snow and into the trees.
Things warm up a bit in San Jose resident Carolyn Larsen's Winter Pueblo, where a light dusting of snow covers warm, earthy brown pueblo buildings and what appears to be a stove or chiminea. Renata Radcliffe, also of San Jose, uses a universal symbol for warmth in her Bamboo in Snow. The sun, painted in bold hues of red and yellow, hangs in the upper left corner of the canvas, shining down on canes of bamboo that possess a Japanese artistic quality.
And then there's Mt. Shasta, a large color photograph by Saratogan Felicia Peters Pollock. Winter hasn't fallen yet here, as evidenced by the long string of trees in the foreground, decked out in their autumn colors. The mountain, of course, is already capped with snow, a reminder of what the valley will have later.
A variety of jewelry, ceramics, silk scarves, greeting cards, wood-turnings and paintings unrelated to "It's a Marshmallow World" are also on display.
Gallery Saratoga is at 14531 Big Basin Way, Unit 3. Gallery hours are Tuesday through Sunday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. For more information, call 408.867.0458, or visit www.geocities.com/SoHo/Gallery/8678/saratoga on the Internet.
Saratoga, California Since 1955
