Chroma

Alamo Danville Artists’ Society will host the opening of Blackhawk Gallery’s new Exhibit ‘Chroma’. Gala Reception will be held on Saturday September 24 from 5 to 7pm, with wine and Hors d’oeuvre. The exhibit will be on view seven days a week from September 23 to November 27. The Reception and Exhibit are free and open to the public.

The ‘Chroma’ exhibit features one guest artist and forty member artists. Guest artist Margaret Dorfman will be showing her vessels, jewelry, and functional serving pieces made with vegetable and fruit parchments. Members’ artworks include paintings, drawings, sculptures, ceramics, photographs, and wearable art.

The exhibit is curated by Pete DeFao, Debby Koonce, and Kerima Swain.

Blackhawk Gallery is located at 3416 Blackhawk Plaza Circle in Danville, California, in the Blackhawk Plaza.

Telephone: (925) 648-8023. Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AlamoDanvilleArtistsSociety

Gallery hours are Monday-Saturday 10AM-8 PM and Sunday 11AM-6 PM.

For more information, please contact Blackhawk Gallery Director Kerima Swain at swain.kerima@gmail.com

Guest Artist

Margaret Doorman Vegetable and Fruit Parchments

Artist’s Statement

I have always found delight in creating things. I discovered at an early age that I did not need to go to stores to find materials for my projects; just looking around me turned up acorns, bark and moss.

To this day, I enjoy searching for unconventional materials in unexpected places – Chinatown for lotus root and bok choy, small Mexican mercados for chili peppers and papaya, Japanese markets and Korean groceries for green-necked daikon. Although I now use a produce supplier, I still visit these venues with an eye out for the unusual.

I cut all the fruits and vegetables by hand with an old-fashioned mandolin slicer, a few exotic Japanese tools, and a wickedly sharp assortment of knives. My studio follows sustainable practices: using reclaimed water and recyclable packaging; and no toxic products are used. Leftovers are composted and unused produce is donated to the local zoo.

For the last 13 years, I have worked full-time creating art using elements from the natural world. It is never boring and I cannot imagine doing anything else. It feels like there must be some mysterious alchemy involved as these ordinary fruit and vegetables transform from commonplace, everyday items into objects of unexpected beauty. But I know it is not magic and I am not actually creating something new. I am only uncovering what was always there, waiting to be seen.

Margaret’s website: www.MargaretDorfman.com

Member Artists

Akio Aochi, Geraldine Arata, Dana Beebe, Beki Bennun, Claudia Bossert, Doug Brown, Loralee Chapleau, Don Cresswell, Barbara Davies, Peter DeFao, Patricia Devitt, Elena Doronkina, Barb English, Kathy Flint, Bobbi Garrop, David Gates, Lynn Glenn, Gene Gracey, Kathie Hackler, Debby Koonce, Roseann Krane, Walter Krane, Tom Lemmer, Andrea Markus, Claudette McDermott, Mitchell Neto, Julia O'Reilly, Lin Padden, Dan Riley, Michael Rizza, Joanne Robinson, Jean Slavin, Pat Smith, Greg Starnes, Mary Claire Stotler, Kerima Swain, Beverly Turner, Jim Vlantis, Norma Webb, Charles White, Richard Woods.