My Farewell to Edgewater by Happy/L.A. Hyder

 My Farewell to Edgewater 

Spring is sprung, the grass is riz,
I wonder where the flowers is.                ~ unknown with multiple variations

 Spring is sprung this month ~ new buds on trees, new energy in the air, new steps to take. My new steps include leaving Edgewater Gallery as a member and becoming a viewer. 

I was an Edgewater member for approximately 4 years. It was always exciting to choose work to hang as feature artist, to place in a front window, and, quite simply, to hang in my exhibition space within the gallery. 

Sometimes I chose work because I wanted it to be seen, no matter what era in my 50+ years in photography it came from. Sometimes I gave myself a theme. That especially happened with a feature spot, which gave me (gives all the artists) a chance to showcase work different than what is generally shown. For instance, a few years ago I had five pieces from 'The Feminist Series…' printed on a lovely rag paper at Braggadoon, much larger than I can print myself, and hung them with magnets, unframed. The images here are from features and windows I especially liked. 

Thank you to all who now have my work in your homes or who gave my work as gifts, and to all who talked with me about images you were especially taken with, and why…mine and others'. And thank you to past and present Edgewater members, may you all continue making art with passion. 

I am pleased to let you know I am participating in the Mendocino CA ~ Miasa/Omachi Japan Sister City exhibit at the Mendocino Art Center, July & August 2022. I have been in the Japan exhibit since 2019 and this is the first year Mendocino artists are exhibiting here alongside the Japanese artists.   Last year the original plan, to send work to Japan for live exhibition, shifted to online in face of the pandemic. You will find the exhibit here: https://www.mm-artexchange.org/ 

Though I'm leaving the gallery, my Spring Ranch barns, on canvas, are available in Mendocino at Tangents (on Lansing at Calpella), varied Pacific-inspired work at Indigo (on Kasten at        ) and varied images Sol de Mendocino (Main below Kasten). And in Ft. Bragg at KW Saltwater Grill,  varied ocean-specific images from b&w to digital (Hwy 1 at    ). And, of course, you can reach me directly at lahyderphotography@gmail.com.

 I am looking forward to this next chapter as a visual artist & writer, thinking about printing onto images using a letter press, working on the many mixed-media pieces in my head or already sketched on paper, and printing images simply because they catch my fancy. 

Enjoy Spring and let her catch you up in the dance of new beginnings. 

Happy 

Happy/L.A. Hyder
visual artist & writer  

Feature October 2021 –

Dahlias photographed August 2021 at the Mendocino Coast Botanical Gardens

Honoring the Mighty Redwoods and the Mighty Pacific, 2020

Feminist Series feature October 2019 –

The oversized prints alone & with b&w prints from the 1980s – portraits of Alice Walker & Etal Adnan and a self-portrait: New Country Daughter/Lebanese American on the left; four of my favorite b&w images on the right.

Window: Flowers for February 2021 –

featuring 'Iris Haiku' b&w from 1982 along with Cherry Blossoms (DC), Bird of Paradise (Oakland), Tulips from the Keukenhoff Gardens (The Netherlands), and, of course, the Mendocino Headlands.

The Best Traditions

By Alexis Moyer

This is the best time of year for treasured family traditions and celebrations. One of my favorite traditions is delivering the Costello’s Christmas commission. Dinah has made adding a special piece of my work to their art collection part of her family’s holiday tradition, which has made me part of their tradition, and them part of mine, as well.

I love going to their home each year to present Jim and Dinah with their new piece because it means that I also get to visit all of the past pieces while I'm there visiting and catching up. The memories each sculpture brings back for me are so wonderful, it’s like a reunion with old friends. It’s funny to think that I would feel so much joy from these pieces but I guess maybe it makes sense when I think of how much joy went into creating each one of them.

This year Dinah asked for a giraffe. She wasn’t sure I could do one because of the skinny legs. Truthfully, I wasn’t sure either but I gladly took up the challenge. I danced around the project for a while trying to figure out the ‘engineering’ behind how to keep the legs straight during the firing. Clay gets soft when it reaches its highest firing temperature – it’s almost at its melting point - so supporting the body was going to be the challenge.

One day I noticed a little wooden stool on a shelf in my studio. I picked it up a while back and had it waiting there for just the right animal to pair it with. Well, there was my answer, a seated giraffe! It would be humorous, which I love, and solve my leg problem at the same time. Plus the color of the stool was going to look amazing with the spotted coat on the giraffe. Sometimes the universe provides.

There were a few tense moments along the way but over the summer and fall, Tammy, took form. She is a lovely creature with a long supple neck and the most beautiful eyes.

I’ll miss having her in the studio as she joins the rest of the collection but I look forward to seeing her again next year as we ring in a New Year with a new piece.

Jim, Tammy the Giraffe and Alexis

How do you look at abstract art?

by Chris Hagie

This question seems to be in the minds of art viewers when they look at abstract art. A lot of people ask me what is on my mind when I paint and create mixed media pieces that are abstract.

Some who view abstract art- work that is truly non-representational- try to identify something recognizable in the work. "I think I see a bird", or "look, there is a car on the water" kind of statements. I notice that they are squinting their eyes to pull out something identifiable in my most abstract work. Others comment on the colors and shapes and sometimes lines or marks, which is how I view abstract art. Still others like the title of a piece, more than the piece, it seems. There is certainly no right or wrong way to "see" abstract art.

Love of my Life

When I start a new abstract piece, my interest is in color, shapes, value and lines and how these things interact with each other in the piece. I literally start with the colors that I want to use, and their variations, and also a basic composition foundation. I paint, then look at the piece for a while, then add something, and so forth. I also love textures and sometimes add collage, netting, string, found objects and copies of photographs or papers.

Global Interference

I can't explain in words and don't seem to have the language to express what I am looking for, or the end point. Except to say it is when my eyeballs smile. Not my heart smiling, or my brain smiling, but my eyeballs. It is not that the piece conveys a political or social message, other than that of satisfaction. It is simply visual and makes my eyeballs smile. Does that make sense to anyone else?

Other times when I start a piece, I have visual images in my mind of the huge Redwood trees in my yard or garden plants, the beautiful ocean nearby or the shapes and energy of a city like San Francisco. These images seem to show up in the new artwork, but typically in an abstracted version.

The degree to which one's eyeballs smile comes from within the person, it seems to me. The art viewer brings something very unique to the experience of looking, and perhaps that accounts for why we each like something different. How do you view abstract art?

I would love to hear from you with feedback or comments about my work or the ideas in this newsletter. Feel free to share this with friends who might be interested. You can see some of my work in Edgewater Gallery in Fort Bragg, CA, open every day from 11am to 5pm.

Global Interference

Caring for Your Pottery

How to use and enjoy handmade pottery by Alexis Moyer

Most functional pottery is fired to over 2000 degrees Fahrenheit. If used properly, pottery can be used and enjoyed for a lifetime.

There are three main types of pottery you likely have in your collection: Earthenware, Stoneware and Porcelain.

Earthenware is the softest type of pottery and is fired at the lowest temperature so it is the most likely to chip or break. These pieces are often from other countries, like Mexico, and may be pieces you have collected or inherited over the years. If you were given this type of colorful, painted pottery and you don’t really know its origin, then it is a good idea to get a lead test kit from your local hardware store and test the surface to make sure it is lead free and safe to use for food.

Lead was used for many years in glazes to bring out the bright shine and beautiful colors in the glaze. The problem is that when we put acidic foods onto lead glazes the lead leaches out into the food. This becomes especially problematic if acidic foods are stored in lead glazed pottery. It is always good to test your pieces to be sure they are safe for use. If not, they make beautiful decorations!

Stoneware is the most common type of pottery and is what I make at The Pot Shop. It is fired to a higher temperature than earthenware so it is stronger and more durable. If you’ve purchased pottery at an art fair or gallery it is likely stoneware. This type of pottery can be used and enjoyed on a daily basis.

Porcelain pottery is also fairly common and preferred by some potters for its translucent surfaces. It is fired to the hottest temperatures of the three types of pottery and is the strongest overall.

Your pottery can safely be used in a regular oven or microwave oven. It will become hot in either type of oven so be sure to use a hot pad when removing it after heating.

Baked goods like pies will need to bake a few extra minutes because it takes the clay time to heat up in the oven. Once heated though, the heat radiates through your pie and bakes it beautifully and evenly for a delicious result.

Your pottery can safely go into the dishwasher as long as it doesn’t have a China painted surface. Stoneware is generally safe in the dishwasher. When you purchase pottery it is always a good idea to ask and make sure it is dishwasher safe. My pottery is safe to wash in your dishwasher.
Here are a few things to avoid:

Don’t put cold pottery into a hot oven: If you’ve had your pottery in the refrigerator it will need to sit out and come to room temperature before it goes into the oven. Putting it in too soon will cause it to crack.

Don’t Microwave any Pottery with a Metallic Accent – usually gold or silver. Pottery decorated with metallic accents – usually found on the rim – cannot go into the microwave. They also cannot go into the dishwasher.

These accents are made of metals and are fired on at very low temperatures. This type of pottery must be treated very gently and hand washed.

Don’t Use Pottery on the Stovetop: The burner on your stove puts out a LOT of heat and the clay can’t expand fast enough to prevent cracking. It will break if you put it on a burner.

Don’t Use an Electric Mixer in the Bowls: Even though the pottery is high fired it is not durable enough to handle the abuse of an electric mixer. Hand mixing with a wooden spoon or spatula works just fine though.

Don’t Leave Pottery Soaking in Water: Your pottery will be fine going through the wash cycle of your dishwasher but it is good to avoid leaving it soaking for a long time in the sink. Most foods don’t stick too badly to the glaze so a shorter soaking time should free up any stuck foods.

So, Use and Enjoy your Handmade Pottery. If cared for properly your pottery can last for generations.

See my pottery at https://AlexisMoyerPottery.com

Art Connection on Another level

By Neno Villamor

Two women came into the Gallery while I was sitting this afternoon. They were looking with great interest at the art then started using sign language with each other to discuss their impressions. I'm a "signer" due to my Hard of Hear status and also the visual language of sign was the only language I learned fairly easily.

I waited until I caught their eye and signed to them that I could be of "help". Like many of the deaf community they reacted with delight that I had used their language to engage them. I told them I was "rusty" in my skills. They asked me (in sign) where I learned and I responded "school". They asked about the gallery in general and I said "Artists, all are from here". They asked where my art was and I pointed it out.

After they perused the gallery at length, they did stop at my art and asked me some questions about the process. I've never had to sign my whole process before; I managed to get through it with some stumbles, and they understood. I'm reminding myself I need to practice how to correctly sign the steps in my art process for future visitors from our deaf community.

I was thinking that including this story might encourage more folks from the deaf and Hard of Hearing community to stop by.

Good Fortune Wrinkles

Maybe we should embrace our wrinkles

One of the great things about being commissioned to do different animal sculptures is that I get to ‘study up’ a little about each animal along the way. It helps me understand what the sculpture needs to look like along with trying to capture the personality of the animal I’m sculpting. Right now I’m working on Sal, a sweet Pug, who will be joined by his sister Olive on a totem pole for their family.

Pugs make great family dogs. They love the companionship of being part of the family and are excellent lap dogs. They have a playful side and are clowns at heart, but they carry themselves with dignity. I see this in Sal’s face and posture– he likes being the center of attention and all those wrinkles are fun to sculpt.

Legend has it that the Chinese, who mastered the breeding of this dog, prized their wrinkles because they resembled good luck symbols in their language. Especially prized were dogs with wrinkles that seemed to form the letters for the word "prince" in Chinese. I wonder what Sal’s wrinkles say? I sure hope I got the translation right!

I hope I had better luck capturing the meaning in Sal’s wrinkles and that it’s a message of good fortune for him and his family.

Do you see messages in wrinkles?

Alexis Moyer

The Magic of Holiday Traditions

@PotShopCookingChallenge has been sharing special drinks that celebrate our holiday traditions. We’ve prepared our family favorites along with your suggestions. Some drinks were new to me, like the Tom and Jerry, and others are old favorites that bring back fond memories of Christmases past.

The Cosmopolitan is the drink I most associate with Christmas. From the time my girls were little, until they moved away to start their own traditions, we celebrated a whirlwind tour with 5 family Christmas parties in 48 hours. It was brutal, stressful and so much fun. We’d load up the car with dogs, presents, tins of homemade cookies, kids, suitcases… and off we’d go.

The first stop was at the girl’s godparent’s house. We’d gather by their tree to exchange gifts, a crackling fire in the fireplace added a warm and merry glow to the festivities. They always prepared a fancy holiday drink for the girls and an adult beverage for the grown-ups. The girls loved it! Over the years we grown-ups settled into the Cosmopolitan being our usual selection.

It’s magical how beverages transport us back to special times. For me Hot Chocolate is a childhood-rainy-winter-day drink. Mulled wine is a holiday open house drink and the aroma of spiced cider makes me want to shop – it must be a popular pot-pourri scent in stores!

Still doing your shopping? With all the drinks I’ve prepared the past few weeks I can heartily recommend a handmade mug as a great holiday gift. You can dress it up by adding a kit to make a favorite beverage or fill it with someone’s favorite coffee beans to make it extra personal.

Here’s a review of the 12 Drinks of Christmas we’ve done so far. The last 2 will be out next week so please join us @PotShopCookingChallenge to share the fun.

Honoring the Mighty Redwoods and the Mighty Pacific…

Honoring the Mighty Redwoods and the Mighty Pacific…
Happy/L.A. Hyder 

With all that has been going on this year, I was most affected by the fires here in Northern California. Although not in direct danger myself, I was astounded at the red skies that first night. The next few days, as the sun shone like a red ball in a sky dense with ash, the temperature dropped rapidly. It reminded me of hearing on a radio program a few years earlier the fact that it would simply take six months without a sun to have this planet undergo another ice age. 

A solace for me is walking in a woods near my home, second growth redwoods towering above my head, mushrooms at my feet at wetter times of the year, quiet though the few acres I walk in are surrounded by houses.  

I loved coming upon this redwood with its lower limb reaching for sunlight and the resulting image. Knowing I would feature 'Morning Walk' in the window, the fires sparked my imagination (pun intended) to also bring part of 'my' woods to the window.  

Though I generally like a 'cleaner' window, it was fun to imagine and to produce. I kept thinking about past Edgewater member and friend Barbara Bonardi's sand and sea glass windows supporting her glass jewelry and paintings. I liked to tease her about all that stuff and here I was taking a page from her book. 

Since walking the cliffs along the Pacific Ocean has brought me so much space to think and dream in, I decided to bring the ocean to the window, too. I have been photographing the exquisite sensuousness of the kelp for a few years, not as easy as it would seem. This image is titled 'May' for the month I photographed it. The silk material in front of the framed image has one of my kelp images from 2017 printed on it. The small prints are abstracts of the play of the ocean showing its many layers and colors seen from the height of the headlands.  

Wishing wellness to all and a moment to reflect on what is important in our lives, beginning with human connection. May we learn compassion for all living things and beings. I am ever grateful for my walks and for the ability to share my vision.

Peeks into Our Studios & Into Your Home by Spencer Brewer

In recent months, galleries, artists, museums, places to see art have either truncated the hours they are open, have closed altogether or have moved their art online. There has been another option that has gained popularity to see or own art that moves you in the time of Covid - Commissioning a piece specifically made for or with you in mind, possibly even seeing ‘behind the scenes’ with the artist in their studio.

The space in your dining room, above your bed, the entryway to your home (that one has been begging for something for years), in the kitchen or at your office - wouldn’t it be special if you worked with one of your favorite artists on what the piece could be?

The possibilities are endless as you are now part of the creative process, incorporating objects or ideas that are dear to you or someone you love, visuals or themes that really mean something to you! A piece of art that speaks to you in particular in the space you have always wanted something unique and special.

Why wait? Many artists love interaction, input and collaborating with a partner’s vision in mind.

These photos are just a few samples of works that were commissioned or purposefully acquired with the buyer’s input in mind.

Now that we are home ALL OF TIME, connect with one of us to help make a fantasy come true with that special piece or art for that special place.

Ouch

Have you ever noticed how accidents seem to happen in slow motion? Once I lost control of my car and it spun around and slammed into a muddy hillside – no one hurt, not even the car – and even though it all happened in a split second I remember spinning slowly for a long time before the crash.

The other day I was putting the finishing glaze touches on a rabbit for a totem pole I’m building. I laid the rabbit on its’ side, stepped around the table to get something, looked back and the rabbit was slowly rolling off of the table. Nooooo!! Even though I leaped into action to grab it, I was too late. SPLAT! onto the floor.

After the horror of the moment passed, “On Top of Spaghetti”, that old childhood song about the meatball popped, into my head. ‘It rolled off the table and onto the floor and then my poor meatball rolled out of the door’. Some type of coping mechanism I guess so I could laugh for a minute, shake it off and get myself started on making the piece over. I decided to look at it as an opportunity to make an even better rabbit than I had made the first time around.

It’s nice when we get a ‘do over’ opportunity. So many things happen and there is no undoing them. As much as we have that instinct to fix everything and make it better again sometimes we just can’t. I am grateful that in the studio doing it again is just part of the game.

When I first started making totem poles part of the appeal was that each piece of the totem was separate so I could rearrange or remake any piece that didn’t suit me. Over the years I’ve swapped out many pieces during the construction process to make each of my totem poles my very best work. This time around it was just not a swap I had in mind.

I do like the new bunny though!

Alexis Moyer

Re-Opening July 3rd! Woo-Hoo!

After three months of Sheltering in Place, Edgewater Gallery, one of Mendocino North Coast’s premiere art galleries, is opening it’s doors Friday, July 3rd. The gallery has been home to dozens of great artists for decades and has new exhibits and artists for their re-opening. The gallery is open every weekend in July from 11-4. Fridays through Sundays.  

A new video tour of the gallery highlights it’s history, the artists and showcases the artwork within. Check it out at https://youtu.be/jFuTu4/A9cc. Visit the Edgewater’s website http://www.edgewater-gallery.com/ which also has new facelifts and video tours of each of the artists. 

Focused on the safety of you and our staff, we are observing all public health recommendations:

• Social distancing observed (6') and masks are required. Hand sanitizer is at door.

• Gloves required when looking at cards and art in bins and volunteer staff will be sanitizing between customers

We look forward to seeing you at the Edgewater Gallery, 356 N. Main St in Ft Bragg. 707-964-4668.