Photographer Michael Miller begins with things like coral, a tomato, or even an ordinary screen door, and goes in close. The macro photograph is then manipulated to find a new and dynamic image that realizes his vision; he strives to find the beauty in unremarkable objects. The process is mysterious but surprising in its clarity. He seems to see what’s latent there, before he makes the photograph, and experiments with a wonderful freedom. His images are filled with light. Some compositions beg to be called surrealism, such as “Green Sphere.” I am so pleased to have Michael at Bandon Library Art Gallery for the first time.

The work in the cases harmonizes with Michael’s photograph. A selection of Ken Ayers’ sculptures return to the gallery. These bronzes all started with plant parts, but are not copies of them. Instead, Ken put disparate elements together—a leaf from this plant, a stem from another, seaweed, a pod, some twine, a bulb—to create otherworldly flowers and plants; plants that have more than a touch of the surreal about them. They are unnatural yet graceful, strange yet intriguing, and both familiar and unfamiliar simultaneously. They are beautiful.

The gallery is open during regular library hours, 1204 11th St. SW, in Bandon City Park. For more information about the gallery, visit the Bandon Library Friends and Foundation website, Bandonlff.org.

Article courtesy of Tracy Hodson, photo by Michael Miller.

The joy of discovery is the experience of these paintings. Geri’s gift is the depth and complexity of her work. There is musicality to these paintings are hung; the violets and blues carry you from one painting to the next. Move in close to be pulled deeper into the many small moments happening within the larger canvas. Interplays of contrasting color create small eddies in the wide stream of each image, and mysterious darkness contains surprising saturations of pure color. And there is texture, created by layers of fibrous papers and sinuations of pure paint. Some of these are made of paper alone, torn sheets overlapping to build up pieces that float within the rectangle of the frame, making a nice change from a rectilinear discipline of the others. In all of these, a spirit of exploration is evoked, and the viewer is asked to take the time required to really see what is there, and to return again and again with fresh eyes. These paintings hold rich rewards for such efforts.

In the cases, Jane Újházi’s jewels reflect the inspiration she also gets from the natural world. Graceful butterfly wing and Autumn leaf porcelain mix with glass beads to make unique earrings. Some necklaces are chunky, some delicate, but all are made with semi-precious stones, pearls, and gold or silver. These exquisite elements she uses are handmade and were made by artisans from around the world. Her work has elements of both the familiar and the exotic, and all of it delights.

There will be a reception for the artists on Sunday, January 15th, from 2 – 4 pm, in the Sprague Room at Bandon Public Library. Refreshments will be served.

The gallery is open during regular library hours, 1204 11th St. SW, in Bandon City Park. For more information about the gallery, visit the Bandon Library Friends and Foundation website, bandonlff.org.

Article courtesy of Tracy Hodson. Art images, “Bright Idea” by Geralyn Inokuchi, Butterfly earrings by Jane Újházi