Pacific Park Gallery

Victoria Tierney's large prints of photos  taken at various stages of 4 paintings are  now  on display UPSTAIRS at PACIFIC PARK GALLERY (1957 Thompson Road --just down the hill from Bay Area Hospital) 

metamorphosis:the life cycles of 4 paintings

friday, May 16th from 5-7 pm--ARTIST'S RECEPTION--(with wine  & cheese & music) ..please join us!

show dates: May 6th through July 28th

newborn painting                                                                           prime of life                                                           ringing down the final curtain

METAMORPHOSIS --The Life Cycle of a Painting

 I'd like to invite you all to a show that's different from anything I've done before.  It's not a show of paintings -----it's a show of  large prints  of photographs of the many stages of   four different paintings.  I call it "METAMORPHOSIS - The Life Cycle of 4 Paintings."  It opens Friday , May 16th at PACIFIC PARK GALLERY (1957 Thompson, just down the hill from the Bay Area Hospital in Coos Bay) with a reception from 5-7.  There will be music by Stacy and Gail (the acoustics there are truly fine) and refreshments and everyone is welcome.

 You will be able to follow  the life cycle of these new paintings - from their beginnings as "newborn" sketches on the still white paper, (see image on the left)  through their youthful stages, their "prime of  life" (center image) to the "ringing down the final curtain" (on the right.)  It's a show about the process of a painting, but  it's also a show about the process we all go through, from birth to death.  I recently went on a "baby worship" journey to Yoncalla and Eugene, and got to see four wonderful new babies , ranging in age from 5 weeks to 5 months...........so new, so bright-eyed, so full of possibilities.  That's how a painting starts.  Their parents, too, looked young and beautiful to me..........so ready to take care of their new arrivals......both the mommies and the daddies holding and feeding them, changing their diapers......rocking them to sleep; they were in the prime of life. Kind of like the painting in the center.      I got to visit the grandmas and grandpas as well. Older, saggier, more wrinkled, but with such joy and wisdom in their faces..........a little overworked, maybe, but with the richness and beauty of old age........like a painting in its final stages.

From the start I had thought of this series as "METAMORPHOSIS", because the first painting went through so many stages.    It was only after my (then) 24 year old granddaughter Angelica asked me "well what is it morphing INTO?"  that I looked again and saw a BIG FAT GREEN CATERPILLAR  that had appeared in the very first version and remained throughout the painting, getting more developed while everything else was transformed beyond recognition.  Last year, while devoting most of my time to curating art shows, I felt like that caterpillar had spun its own cocoon.  This show seems to be part of what is emerging.

 My show is really the little show upstairs.  The main show --(the real attraction!) is  "BEAUTY AND THE BIRDS"  --  Susan and Steve Dimock's fabulous photographs.  Susan has  been exploring all kinds of wonderful colors and textures as she uses Photoshop with her (already amazing) images of the Bandon Beach, of flowers, and of course their specialty: the birds.. They have over 30 works and they are stunning.  I hope you will all come see this show.  It will be up through July but it would be lovely if you could join us Friday evening, MAY 16TH, for the artists reception.

Hope to see you there!

Victoria