Matthew Gagliardi has always been attracted to the fluidity of working hot glass. He explains that most of the process of blowing soft glass is spent trying to influence a material that is not totally in a liquid form or a solid state, but tends to ebb and flow between the two. He says with some sincerity that when blowing glass his perception is often in a similar tidal pattern, drifting between daydreams in the etheric realms and physical reality, yet at the same time it requires his complete attention and total focus.

    Jim Lowry’s photographs are collected internationally, and he has won a number of awards for his stunning photographs, including Photographer of the Year and a second place award for landscapes in the International Panoramic Photography Contest.
 
   Here in Humboldt County, Lowry is perhaps best known for his landscapes and beachscapes. While his use of color is always effective, he especially enjoys the stark minimalism of black and white photography, and he can be strongly reminiscent of Ansel Adams. 

Elaine Y Shore has been creating original, hand painted and hand carved, one of a kind , functional porcelain since 2009, when she moved to Humboldt County after a career in financial modeling and corporate finance.  Her pieces are meant to be beautiful, functional art to be used every day and include bowls, vases, mugs, tumblers and dishes.

    Recently, Elaine has been working in two complementary styles: She uses colored underglazes to hand paint the porcelain, which is then fired, then dipped in a clear glaze and fired again, resulting in bright, colorful work featuring flowers, fish and animals. She also creates striking, black and white pieces which she hand carves, using a technique called “sgraffito”.

Jim Lowry
Redwood Park

Jim Lowry
South Fork Eel River
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Jim Lowry: "The world of digital art allows for fantastic freedom of expression. The possibilities are infinite. I love the whole process; identifying dynamic possibilities, overcoming technical obstacles, shooting in many different ways and processing the images with my magic computer."
     Additional prints can be seen at Arcata Artisans on the Plaza in Arcata and at the Morris Graves Museum of Art in Eureka.
        Read more about Jim Lowry at the Times-Standard.

Laura Rose is a potter specializing in reproducing the oldest of human art onto her
 raku work. She has become enamored of these images which stand up to any of the finest art ever made.
   As she says, "Through these lively animals we hear the direct voice of artists tens of thousands of years old, the earliest connection by far that we moderns have to our ancestors. While we will never be sure of their intent in creating these masterpieces, we do know that they were part of spiritual life and practices and probably of myths, heroes, and constellations.These ancients are speaking to us of their deep love and respect for the natural world and of the everlastingly vital importance of art to the human spirit."
     Rose just held a show at the Fire Arts Gallery in Arcata where she does her raku work, and has just returned from showing at the American Craft Council Show at Fort Mason in San Francisco. She is currently working on raku lamps for Old Town Lighting and on cave art works to go to the Highlight Gallery in Mendocino.
      Read more about Laura Rose at the Times-Standard.