Festival of Light

Exhibit: Nov 10-Jan 5
Opening reception: Saturday, Nov 10, 4-8pm
Event Location: Confluence Gallery

Light up your winter at Confluence! Confluence Gallery presents a dazzling winter holiday exhibit, “Festival of Light” opening November 10 with a reception from 4 -8pm. The exhibit features over 40 local and regional artists in a vibrant and diverse display of ‘illuminating’ art. To fulfill the public’s seasonal need to show appreciation for one another, the gallery and gift store will be chock full of gift possibilities, and on weekends the art center offers affordable gift making classes.

Donna Keyser, Curator of this final Confluence Exhibit of 2012, asked artists to envision a world of light, physically, spiritually and culturally. What does it look like? What can an artist create that will bring on, or illuminate this transition to a New Year or new era? The results are expected to be illuminating, entertaining and inspirational. Keyser states, “At first I just wanted to fill up the gallery with actual lights, but as I thought about it more, I felt that the light needed to come from within the artist and the medium serve as the vehicle to communicate hope”.

The exhibit features long time favorites as well as newcomers from within and outside the valley. Dan Brown exhibits solar illuminated garden sculptures, Cheryl Wrangles show’s her intimate and familiar Methow landscapes and Yuko Ishii displays sensual photos depicting hope and quiet reverence for nature. The holiday exhibit is an opportunity for artists who are new to the community to show their work and the curator has also asked local artists to invite their favorite artists.

An accomplished group of graduates from Seattle’s Gage Academy is showing their work. Kathie Bliss, K Robinson, Mary Lou McCollum, Sandra Kahler and Claudia Pettis are master painters, each expressing different kinds of illumination, from the pure depiction of light on the landscape to the exuberant portrayal of dogs in party hats! Confluence introduces the art of hometown gal Zephyr Wazallann recent graduate of University of Washington’s fine art program.

From Tonasket, the prolific Quill Hyde brings his imaginative metal creations, and Delia Severin uses found glass to form towers of sparking light. The gallery walls will be packed with paintings and everywhere else an abundance of exceptional hand made items.

An additional holiday treat is served up by the board members of Confluence Gallery. For a second year they host Sip and Shop every Friday night in December, with live music, wine, hors d'oeuvres and socializing until 7pm.