Mixed Media Abstracts And Abalone Jewelry At the Coast Highway Art Collective • Opening Reception Saturday, March 5
By Rozann Grunig
This month, the Coast Highway Art Collective welcomes Chris Hagie, mixed media and Deborah Threlkel, The Abalone Queen jewelry. The opening reception is on Saturday, March 5 from noon to 5 p.m. The show runs from March 4-28.
Hagie works mostly with mixed media abstract pieces. She says her goal is to make “eyes smile” with the intersection of unique elements in an attempt to lure a sense of well-being. She loves color, how shapes interact with each other, the quality of lines and marks, lots of different textures and values of the palette. She finds inspiration during walks on the Northern California coast, in the Redwood forest in which she lives, and also in the energy from her visits to urban areas.
“I am in love with paint! says Hagie, “and I love color and how shapes interact with each other. I see shapes, colors, lines and patterns when I walk on the coast or look at houses and buildings. I love how shapes are defined with sharp edges or blurry lightness, or how they can highlight a focus of interest in a painting. I also love textures - folds, patterns, gold or copper foils and mesh-like materials, and how these mediums act upon each other and with paint. My paintings and mixed media pieces are like little experiments of many different elements.” Hagie lives in Fort Bragg, where she is a member of Edgewater Gallery in the town. She is on the board of Art Explorers, a studio and gallery in Fort Bragg for artists who have developmental disabilities. Her work is available online at chrishagie.com.
Threlkel is well known along the coast for her creative and innovative abalone jewelry, earning her the name The Abalone Queen. She finds many of the elements she uses in her pieces when beach combing, as a rock hound and a collector of interesting things. Threlkel says every piece crafted has its own inspiration and story from within her experiences and each result is a one-of-a kind creation. “With the earth and oceans always changing, I can see as I gather and collect that there is no longer the abundance of material that used to be found as I beach comb. Many of the shells and their inhabitants are gone, some facing extinction, making each piece of jewelry that much rarer and more precious.”
Using a combination of gemstones, coral, luminous pearls, shells and beach glass, she wire-wraps each necklace creating a chain out of a single piece of precious metal wire. As a result, the finished product is delicate in appearance but also very strong and durable. “I love every part of the process that brings me to a completed necklace or earrings. My goal is that when you are wearing a piece of Abalone Queen jewelry you will feel as if you are wearing the ocean,” Threlkel concludes.
The Coast Highway Art Collective is located at 284 Main St., Point Arena, the little red building with the big yellow sun, located next to the Redwood Coast Credit Union. Regular hours are Friday through Sunday, 11 am to 4 pm. Visit the website at www.coast-highway-artists.com for information about the collective’s artists, upcoming events and how to join. To find out more about becoming a member of the Collective, contact Ling-Yen Jones via the website above.
