February 24 - April 6, 2024
Catalog design: Michael Yochum
Logo design: Priscilla Otani
Arc Gallery © 2024
48 Pillars was inspired by a chance encounter at Flax with a close-out sale of deep
vertical panels, 48” x 12” x 1 5/8”. 24 local Bay Area artists will produce two pieces each
on these identically-sized panels that will exactly ring the gallery – 48 works total.
This is the 9th Annual iteration of this exhibition at Arc Gallery. Along with our iconic
FourSquared exhibition, this is essentially an exercise in "structural constraint". In both
exhibitions, the artists are unconstrained in subject matter except to the extent that
works need to be a series; but they are constrained in format. One might expect that
constraining format would constrain creativity. Our experience has been the opposite -
creativity has been unleashed. The results have been visually stunning.
Michael Yochum, Curator
Exhibition Statement
OPENING RECEPTION:
Saturday, February 24th, 7-9pm
ARTIST TALK & CLOSING RECEPTION:
Saturday, April 6th, 12-3pm
Participating Artists
Kathryn Arnold
Richard Bolingbroke
Stacey Carter
Jennifer Ewing
Carolyn Ferris
Annie Galvin
Howard Hersh
Uma Rani Iyli
Ivy Jacobsen
Julia LaChica
Katja Leibenath
Lisa Levine
Fernanda Martinez
Nance Miller
Leila Noorani
Yari Ostovany
Namita Paul
Eric Rewitzer
Wendy Robushi
Sawyer Rose
Michael Shemchuk
Stephanie Steiner
Paula Valenzuela
Fumiyo Yoshikawa
Kathryn Arnold
website: artistkathrynarnold.com
IG:
@kathrynarnoldartist
A Tapestry of Fragile Bloom
Each spring, my soul echoes with the vibrant pulse of poppy
fields. They rise in a riot of color, knee-high and exuberant,
forming tapestries woven by the wind. More than beauty, it's
a profound connection, a reminder of humanity's vital thread
in nature's grand loom. Yet, a shadow stirs in my mind. What
becomes of this tapestry in the face of escalating heat and
parched earth?
These pillars are not just paintings on wood panels; they are
elegies and prophecies. The first, a sun-drenched field of
vibrant oranges, pulsates with the joyous vitality of poppies in their prime. The second, a panel of muted
greens and veiled textures, speaks of a future where drought has cast its long shadow. These are not
mere artistic exercises; they are urgent conversations about the pillars of our well-being – color, light, and
the life-giving force of plants.
Kathryn Arnold, artist, stands on this threshold, where artistic traditions of color field abstraction meet the
stark reality of environmental change. These pillars are not mere abstractions; they are doorways, urging
us to contemplate the vibrant present and the uncertain future of our shared canvas. Let us remember
the poppies, not just for their fleeting beauty, but for the profound connection they weave between nature
and our very being.
oil on gessoed wood panels
48" x 12" each
$2,500 each, $4,000 diptych
A Tapestry of Fragile Bloom
Richard Bolingbroke
website: rbolingbroke.com
IG:
@richardbolingbroke
These urban abstractions are inspired by the patterns, rhythms
and structures I see all around me walking around San Francisco.
The old weathered stipple, the ridged metal siding, and the fancy
marble facade contain a rich and detailed narrative that is the
essence of life.Their beauty is in their simplicity, and their power
is in their ability to create a cosmos. The smallest part, the
fragment, the microcosm, contains many stories about the
incomprehensible vastness in which we live.
To quote Hermetic Philosophy "As within, so without, as above,
so below, as the universe, so the soul."
mixed media on etched wood panels
48" x 12" each
$2,800 each; $4,500 diptych
Surfaces 34 & 35
Stacey Carter
website: www.staceycarter.net
IG:
@stacey_carter_art
My artwork serves as a visual documentation of the urban
environment that surrounds us. I create multimedia
compositions by blending photographs, whether they are my
own or from historical sources, with a combination of skilled
printmaking techniques and loose, expressionistic hand
painting. These layered and compositionally rich works
serve as a study of how personal experiences shape our
surroundings. They also pay homage to what has transpired
in the past and its significance in our present. Through my
creative process, I breathe new life into photographic images,
effectively "freezing time" and providing a platform for
individual histories to be revisited and shared once more.
The piece I created for 48 Pillars is part of an ongoing project
centered around the former Hunters Point Naval Shipyard in San Francisco, where my studio is located.
My curiosity about the surrounding old shipyard buildings I was painting led to independent historical
research, unveiling a fascinating, lesser-known history of the shipyard & the pivotal role the site played in
events that helped change the course of global history. This research has continued to inform my work,
resulting in a long-term, multi-faceted visual documentary art & history project I have been engaged with
for the past 20 years.
The painting, Turning the Shell Plate, portrays a crane-held adjustable turning jig lifting an aluminum
shell plate for the USS Mahan, a new Navy ship constructed at the Hunters Point Shipyard in 1957. This
custom jig, meticulously crafted by the skilled workers of Rigging Shop 72, was designed for the precise
lifting and rotation of aluminum deck-house sections during the fabrication & construction of US Navy
ships.
Ink, pigment and acrylic on wood panels
48" x 12" each
$2,500 diptych
Turning the Shell Plate, 1958
Jennifer Ewing
website: www.jenniferewing.com
IG:
@jnnewing
In creating this pair of pillars, I found support in my
favorite symbols, the spirit boat and the ladder. I played in
the spaces between these two. Within the strong vertical
panels, I found a tall story to tell.
Both ladders and boats have served us since ancient
days when we wanted and needed to travel in new
directions and make new connections. They also hold
powerful spiritual associations. The boats go across
watery spaces and ladders give us a means to venture
up or down. Both are a kind of bridge to somewhere else.
Worldwide cultures across time have recognized them
and included them in their art.
It was satisfying for me to combine these two so that each of their own unique qualities is expanded
by the other in a dynamic exchange. The interplay between this duo of symbols is heightened by a
monumental format.
The larger theme of my work is movement and fluctuation. I like to present varying degrees of time, color,
light, texture and power of presence. The idea of continual change inspires me for here I feel alive and
artistically challenged. In my paintings I offer an opportunity to explore universal forces found within
them. I think of the tides going in and out, of a feather rising in the air then returning to settle on the
ground, and clouds gathering water then delivering rain to us. These continual cycles guide our existence
and help us feel more alive when we notice them.