The new Dolphin Gallery in Cypress Village opens on Saturday, July 4 with a new exhibit. Titled “Come Fly With Me”, the exhibit features the jewelry of Ling -Yen Jones and the paintings and prints of Barbara Kelley. Now in a larger space and with Saturday’s extended opening, from 10:00 a.m. until 7:00 p.m. the expanded Dolphin Gallery welcomes the community to explore the new space and see an exciting new exhibit.
According to Ling-Yen Jones, “Come Fly With Me” is a journey. “I thought it was about learning more about my work with some of my favorite birds—the crane and swallow. However, it is also about learning how to transition from being at home ‘sheltering in place’ to exhibiting, showing, and sharing my work. My jewelry is my story.” Barbara Kelley’s work is known to many on the coast who’ve discovered her prints and paintings at area galleries, or by visiting her studio in Sonoma County or at her home during the annual North Coast Artists Guild studio tour.
This show marks the sixth time Barbara Kelley has exhibited her monotype prints and original paintings at the Dolphin, works that she has created at her Moon Catcher Studio in Sonoma wine country or at home on The Sea Ranch. Talking about her pieces, Kelley says, “the central intention of my work is to create visual reflections of universal themes. I strive to create a visual language that is both evocative and straightforward. The title I give to each work holds a key to understanding its story.” Kelley grew up in remote Alaska where her first bassinet was the top drawer of a dresser, which may explain her search for new frontiers to explore and her desire for experimentation. For example, she may employ found objects such as leaves, sea weeds, bird feathers, even snake skins in her prints. She also creates encaustic paintings, employing a hot wax technique that dates to ancient Egypt and is difficult to master. She draws on her experiences living in Alaska, New Mexico and along the Pacific coast as well as contacts with other cultures, particularly Japanese and Chinese experiences, which inform her artistic vision.
Joining Barbara Kelley (in a two-person show for the third time,) is Ling-Yen Jones. Jones shares her personal vision of jewelry as not just ornamentation, but also as an artistic statement and symbolic representation of both the personal and the universal experience we all share. Each hand-crafted piece is a one-of-a-kind creation, even when it is part of a series with repeated motifs. Jones defines jewelry as creations “which are useful, artistic, symbolic expressions of a personal idea.” She wants her work to represent various themes such as new beginnings, changes, hope and personal growth. A brief survey of her extensive collection at her online virtual gallery confirms that she lives up to that ideal. Jones works with sterling silver, copper, gold, pearls and colored stones. Her reasonably priced work is immediately recognizable to many because of the clean shapes and repeated motifs including leaves, birds and windows. The effect of the jewelry when worn is subtle and dramatic at the same time. Many of her pieces incorporate traditional Asian influences, such as the cranes and Chinese chops, and she also echoes the modern emphasis on simplicity and abstract lines.
The exhibit, “Come Fly With Me”, continues through Sunday, June 26. The new Dolphin Gallery and Gift Shop is at 39114 Ocean Drive in Cypress Village, Gualala, 95445. A preview of their work can be found on the gualalaarts.org website, and at the artist sites, ling-yendesigns.com and mooncatcher.info.
