Saratoga News Photograph by Scott Lechner ShaRon Haugen is one of the artists featured in the 'Paws' exhibit showing at Gallery Saratoga Paws scamper in Gallery Saratoga Animal lovers show their work in current exhibit By Shari Kaplan Gallery Saratoga has gone to the dogs--not to mention cats, raccoons, horses, bears and a handful of other four-footed friends. Its new group show, Paws, is the first of what the member artists hope to have as a yearly exhibit dedicated to animals in all shapes, sizes, colors and habitats. Paws includes works in watercolor, oil, acrylic, pastel, scratchboard, encaustics, ceramics and photography. Some artists' contributions are in keeping with the sentiment of the upcoming Valentine's Day. Saratogan Jane Garrod's "African Lovers" puts a literal spin on the term "necking"--two giraffes stand among the tall savannah grasses with their necks intertwined affectionately. The two animals--which resemble cartoon characters--in Los Gatan Linda B. Spencer's "Best Friends" show obvious affection too, as evidenced by a friendly cat sidling up to a happy dog for a little cuddle. In "Cat Nip," by Cupertino resident Dori Simmons, cuddling is the last thing on the mind of the black kitten poking its nose inquisitively into a fishbowl. The scene in Saratogan Dori Phifer's "You Left the Seat Up Again" is even more humorous. A portrait of a lioness and a huge-maned lion companion has the appearance of a lovers' spat. Phifer attributes the open-mouthed pose to a woman's common complaint about toilet seats. The lion, appropriately, wears an expression on his face akin to "huh?" Dennise Meier of Monte Sereno likes to paint cats as well as raccoons. The latter turn up in "Young Raccoons," in which a small pair of masked bandits regard the viewer with curiosity. It was a real raccoon that Felicia Peters Pollock of Saratoga captured on film in her color photograph simply titled "Raccoon." The pointy-nosed scavenger is clearly startled by the sudden flash that caught it scampering furtively among a thicket of blackberry vines. The subject of Saratogan Lillian Isaacson's "Splendor" could never be accused of scampering or sneakiness. On the contrary, the dapple-gray horse gallops proudly out of a snowy forest glade. The color scheme of white, gray and shades of glowing turquoise add to the power of the image. Using the challenging medium of scratchboard to sketch out her subjects, San Jose resident ShaRon offers precise, detailed black-and-white likenesses of a coyote, German shepherd, panda, koala and cat. Ceramics are the medium Los Gatan Jeanne Redig prefers. Among her animal-related works are pet-food dishes with paw prints inside, a roly-poly piggie bank with a cork (for money removal) in place of the pig's round snout, and little toothpick holders cleverly fashioned in the shape of prickly-backed rodents like hedgehogs or porcupines. Gallery Saratoga is at 14531 Big Basin Way, Unit 3. Gallery hours are Tuesday through Sunday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. [ Back to Contents Page | Saratoga News Home Page | Archives ] This article appeared in the Saratoga News, February 10, 1999. ©1999 Metro Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved.