The Yuba-Sutter Regional Arts Council (YSRAC) gallery is having a Funky Folks art exhibit through February 12th, 2011. The three hour Artist’s Reception with food and refreshments was Friday February 4th. The exhibit is open to the public and includes works on display and for sale from many local artists.
The exhibit offers clay, ceramic, steel, wood and glass sculptures. There are acrylic, india ink and watercolors in the form of paintings, collages, drawings, fused glass, woodwork and even hand made greeting cards. Much of the work was selling for very reasonable prices, even for the budget watchers.
Rick Prondzinski, Yuba College’s Culinary Instructor is showing a handmade, adult sized wooden rocking horse and almost a dozen sculptures created with clay, ceramic, and raku. The sculptures were all hand-fired in a clay oven he built himself, much like the clay pizza oven the culinary class made for Flavors Restaurant last semester. Prondzinski has been sculpting for about a year and plans on spending much of his retirement exploring and producing art because he has, “the love of the craft.”
Joseph Stottman is another artist affiliated with Yuba College; he is the light and sound technician in the theater for shows and recitals. Stottman is originally from California. He started out volunteering at YSRAC and has since become a board member. He has held his own solo show prior to this exhibit and often sells his photography. He submitted a wood piece painted with acrylic called “Passive/Agressive“, which is a part of a series of work for him. In response to being asked what his favorite part of being an artist was, he replied, “Sharing the emotions and seeing what the viewers take from the work.”
Chris Parent was showing an amazing table crafted on top of legs and cowboy boots. Parent celebrated his 71st birthday at the Artist’s Reception, complete with an ice cream cake to die for. Parent, who was raised in Santa Cruz and has lived all over, stated that he seemed to have found a real home in Marysville and has gravitated toward the finest group of artists and performance oriented people he has ever met. He has taken classes in sculpting, watercolor and pastel painting, voice, and piano. He says “Life is full of inspirations if we open our eyes and our minds. I lead with my heart and let my body follow.”
Inger Price had every form and medium of art offered at the show ranging from handmade greeting cards to steel and glass sculptures, crafted masks, acrylic paintings and painted wood, fused glass and much more. I did not have the chance to interview her but she is incredibly well rounded with many different artistic talents, much of which is shown at ingerarts.com
Lily J. Noonan is an extremely talented painter but she also works with writing and photography. She is the Arts Coordinator and Treasure at YSRAC and volunteers for many non profit activities. Noonan stopped selling her work several years ago but decided to put some of her Saints paintings in the exhibit. She and her husband are very attached to her paintings and although they were sad to let some of them go, they were thrilled that they went to someone who would cherish them and gain inspiration from them. She loves color and humor in art and art with a story. She doesn’t like hidden meanings and usually writes on her art, so what you see is what you get. She hasn’t had formal art training since middle school until she recently took photography at Yuba College with Rick Murai, and drawing with Sara Sealander. Check her out at www.onlinelily.com
Ernie Leyva is a local artist who had several interesting paintings drawn in india ink and watercolor, some of which he says were inspired by plays of Shakespeare. He does his work freehand, rather unconsciously according to him, and he doesn’t usually know what he will create until it’s finished. He has never had formal art training but shows a lot of talent and skill. He is also super friendly and truly enjoys talking about art. Leyva has had two solo shows at YSRAC and there are some fine art venues from Sacramento interested in showing his work. He was featured in The Appeal Democrat just last week and the article shows a lot of his work that is currently for sale at the art exhibit. http://www.appeal-democrat.com/articles/oak-103630-spends-live.html
To find out more about the work of these artists and many more, check out the exhibit at The Yuba-Sutter Regional Arts Council gallery at 624 E Street, Marysville. It’s free and open to the public. You can also call (530)742-ARTS or log onto www.yubasutterarts.org
Heather Meunier, current Print Editor of The Prospector, is a 4th semester Journalism student, and 3rd semester English tutor who also freelances for the Yuba-Sutter Community magazine. She has a passion for reading, writing, photography, and travel and plans to one day have a full time writing career or be a publicist. She prefers to write positive stories about inspiring people doing beneficial things in the community. You can reach her at prospector.hmeunier@gmail.com if you have comments or suggestions.
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