Eyes upon us: UVAL exhibition offers the pure pleasure of being entertained by art

3 weeks ago 182

“Eyes” has a youthful vibe about it and is a joy to explore.

A considerable exhibition boasting 90 works of wall and pedestal displays submitted by 18 artists, this year’s fiber arts exhibition at the Upper Valley Art League plays with the concept of eyes as subject, jarring viewers to see the unexpected. Curated/coordinated by Sue Sherek, UVAL member, with a focus on variety of expression and materials, this show expands on the common opinion of what “fiber” can describe.

“I came to this as someone who had done a lot of project management getting disparate pieces together to make a whole, and so that’s kind of my goal here,” Sherek explained. “We have wearable arts and art quilts, there’s found art from Karen Schmidt, wire wrapping and fiber wrapping, needle-felting and weaving with seagrass and pine needle, so just the whole concept is that not all things fiber are fabric.”

“Silent Windchimes #12” by Karen Schmidt is a mixed media piece where the sound of the wind alone is sufficient, and a portrait of “Trusty” by Sharon Denier is a fascinating work painted with wool that leaves us wondering how she did it.

Many works express lighthearted ideas such as Fran Wessel’s “Fairy Lanterns,” that incorporate tiny blinking lights into a quilted surface, and works that merge quilting into composite concepts as in “Hello Monkey” by Sondra Bagot. This piece can be seen as a quilted wall piece or unzipped to display a 3-D stuffed monkey playfully hiding inside.

Vicki Guerra’s “What Are You Eating” also brings zippers concealing the unexpected into the conversation with a traditionally quilted and appliqued work that takes a wild interactive twist; visually humorous at the onset, the lips unzip to display what’s being eaten — participation is encouraged with the zippers, not the eating.

An artist already noted for weaving with unexpected materials, Pat Cooper uses weed-whacker cord as a weaving warp for her “Small Basket #5,” a modest but aggressive container that reflects the countenance of a hybrid sea predator. Cooper also updates ancient Paleolithic cave art based on the prints of ancient hands with a meticulously beaded version in “The Matriarchy.” Who do the hands really represent? A poignant poem accompanies this work.

The UVAL Challenge Wall is always an area of interest and accommodates works based on subjects involving circles, books, eyes, or a favorite memory, with techniques limited to reflect woven, stenciled, free motion stitching, and metallic incursions.

The most expressive work in the show is found here: “Don’t Know if I’m Coming or Going” by Dori Perez. With this bizarre piece, Perez has truly visualized today’s sense of frustration. Playing on the concept of the eye, it contains a mouth and more legs than it can handle; its text balloon calls for help.

Guerra remembers a gum-ball machine and creates circular images of the candies containing negative circumstances as prizes in life’s game of chance, while on a softer note, Charlyn Trussel’s lush “Memory Book” remembers embroidery techniques in this unusual format.

UVAL has again increased its membership allowing for a broader range of ideas in its shows.

“Eyes” is a witty and thoroughly engaging gallery experience with appeal for anyone who is young at heart. Hopefully, that’s all of us. Filled with ideas and an unusual amount of humor, It’s a nice escape from current news events.

‘Eyes: A Fiber Arts Exhibit’

WHERE: UVAL, 921 E 12th St., Mission

WHEN: Through April 26

HOURS: 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Wednesday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday

CONTACT: (956) 591-0282 or visit www.uppervalleyartleague.org

COST: Free and open to the public