Artist Lecture Tonight- Maija Peeples-Bright @ ARC 7PM

Artist Lecture: Maija Peeples-Bright

Today, Wednesday, Sep 29 7:00p

at American River College, Sacramento, CA

Room 547 (Music Building), at the corner of College Oak & Myrtle Ave.

Born in German occupied Latvia in 1942, Maija Peeples-Bright's parents, Herberts and Biruta Gegeris, were forced to flee the country with their infant daughter. Through the assistance of relief agencies they were able to find a sponsor in Orangevale, California. In 1951 the family moved to Sacramento, and when Maija began attending college at the University of California, Davis, in the 1960's, she was a math major. A requirement for graduation was that she complete an art class, and it was that first class, taught by William T. Wiley, that prompted her to change her declared major to art. She earned a Master's Degree in 1965, and the home that she shared with her husband, a professor at the San Francisco Art Institute, became known as "The Rainbow House". Painted inside and out with every color created by Dutch Boy brand house paint, visitors included UCD notables such as Wiley, Robert Arneson, Clayton Bailey, Roy de Forest, Wayne Thiebaud, and Peter VandenBerge, in addition to those from the Art Institute included Joan Brown, Jay DeFeo, and Manuel Neri. Many of the artists either became known as California Funk artists, or associated with the Bay Area Figurative style. Funny phrases, silly creatures, and word puns continue to inspire Maija Peeples-Bright's drawings, paintings, sculptures and prints which are held in high regard in collections throughout California, Nevada, New York, and Canada.

To view works by Maija, please click here to visit the SD Gallery site.

SD Gallery Extraordinary Objects and John de Wit Today

We've had a very busy day today here in the gallery. This morning, we had a special artist reception in honor of our current show, Extraordinary Objects. Following the reception, we hosted an informative lecture by amazing glass sculpture artist John de Wit. Extraordinary Objects will be on view through January 15th.

Extraordinary Objects artists: Paul DiPasqua, John de Wit, Laura De Anna, and Gale Hart.

Crowd shot: Can you spot Maija Peeples-Bright, Mike Solomon, and Jian Wang in this photo?

John de Wit gave us a very informative lecture on the process of his work. Thank you John for sharing your knowledge and experiences with us. We all enjoyed your lecture.

The day is not over! Please come by to see our show, we are open this evening until 9pm. Or stop by Capital Public Radio to see Les Birleson's River Series paintings.

SD Gallery John de Wit: Special Artist Lecture Saturday

Please join us this Saturday at SD Gallery for a very special artist lecture with John de Wit.

Glass Artist John de Wit to Speak at Solomon Dubnick Gallery

Renowned glass artist, John de Wit, will present a slide show and lecture on his work at 2:00 pm on 2^nd Saturday, January 9^th at Solomon Dubnick Gallery.

John is recognized internationally as a leading glass artist for his unique and ever-evolving work. Born in Panama in1952, de Wit was raised in Woodland, CA and attended California State University, Chico, simultaneously studying in Sociology and Ceramics. He graduated with a Bachelors of Art Degree in Sociology in 1976 and continued his education with postgraduate studies in Ceramics and Glass before accepting professional employment at Orient & Flume Art Glass in 1978.

John moved to Washington State in the early 1980’s and soon opened his Cultus Bay Studio on Whidbey Island. After working as a glassblowing assistant for Dale Chihuly in Seattle, de Wit went on to teach at Pilchuck Glass School, Pratt Fine Art Center, and several workshops and lectures in France.

Pursuing his vision of using “glass as a canvas” de Wit is credited with developing the innovative use of high-fire enamel paints in the glass blowing process . Ultimately, his works are both paintings and sculptural vessels, with interiors and exteriors, multiple layers and all of the qualities of paint, metallic leaf and the glass itself.

John has participated in solo and group exhibitions across the United States as well as in Europe and Asia. In 2007, he was the recipient of the Gold Prize at the 4th Cheongju International Craft Competition in South Korea. His work is included in important public, private and corporate collections world wide, including the collections of the Boeing and Microsoft corporations, the Corning Glass Museum, di Rosa Preserve in Napa, California, and the Niijima Contemporary Glass Art Museum in Niijima, Japan. His sculpture has been the focus of feature articles in national publications such as American Craft, Glasswork Magazine, Glass Art Magazine, Glass Quarterly, and the French Revue Céramique & Verre.

John's inspiration comes from various sources: African objects, Japanese and Korean ceramics and Persian and Indian metal work. He combines his own painting techniques with hybridized Swedish and Italian glass blowing processes. When it comes to describing a theme or thread in his work, the artist states that, "The vessels and objects I produce reflect an interest in glass transcending its common purpose and achieving a sculptural possibility".