Art that sticks

 Here's another Portland Sneak peak. The flowers are so impressive. Zach said this bush looks like a wedding cake.





















Kathy Wosika

There are rare shows that stick, that roll around in your head days after you've left the gallery and get you thinking about their elements on a deeper level. While meandering across Fresno City College in March I stumbled into Kathy Wosika's retirement exhibit, the selection of pieces featured here are the ones that continue to haunt me.

The colors and textures are subtle and rich at the same time. The textures and details on the small houses drew me in, but for days after all I could think about was the colors and the texture of the soft handmade papers, the tiny stitches and woven colored bits.

I am particularly drawn to found objects and Kathy's use of plants, fibers, textiles and other gathered bits are arranged so delicately it was hard to not find them intriguing.

Tiny stitches with dried tomatillo skins. I was attracted to the various methods she uses to attach or embed objects into each piece, sewn, wrapped, woven or pressed; each felt very natural to the elements being arranged.

The above set of pages, "Whispering Pages from an Unbound Book," are imbued with a sense of slow deterioration as the petals and leaves and plant materials are allowed to dry, fade, shrivel and wither on their own. It's as if each element has it's own life story and aging process to tell.

This particular piece is about 10-12" high or so, and the center element is a mixed media weaving with some of the tiniest threads. "No More Hiroshimas." The arching branch suggests the circle of rejuvenation in nature and wholeness, and the stretching threads pulling it under tension paired with the tightly woven materials suggest strain or stress; such a beautiful combination of a push and pull of elements.

This set of ceramic platters were some of my favorites. They look as if the materials have been pressed right into thec lay, but when you look closely it's clear they are a combination of pressed textures and carved elements. The echo of shapes and lines in nature found in her other pieces are mixed with tight hand painted elements.

This last piece drew me in because it was so distinctly different. This piece feels like a personal gift for someone I don't know. I enjoy how it is constructed with plaster and dry wall into an exposed wooden framework with pencil drawn imagery, but the element I particularly enjoy the most if the tiny photograph of a newborn baby fit into what looks like glass windowpanes.