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Show Companion Exhibit Reflects Southwest Desert : r . ' -v.--- ' ' . ' " , ' : I f - ' . . . : i r :- - .. . - ( w ! . , til , - - ' i i x f sv - - " V ; , - - n x. Artists Mona Rowley and Manual de Srce and their art. by Max Jarman - The simple images and soft pastel colors of the southwest desert are reflected reflect-ed in a companion exhibit now on display through March 29 in Kimball Art Center's "Little Gallery." Sculptor-potter Mona Rowley and landscape artist Manuel de Arce have worked together since 1975, sharing studio space as well as one another's creativity and inspiration. in-spiration. Although the two artists work in very different mediums, me-diums, their art is distinctive, distinc-tive, yet entwined both emotionally and physically. Rowley's earthy, sandstonelike sandstone-like pottery is found in the foreground of many of de Arce's sweeping desert . landscapes. And, similarly the soft lines and colors of de Arce's landscapes come through in Rowley's hand-built, hand-built, bisque fired pottery. "We've influenced each other greatly over the years," said de Arce, who adds it was Mona who first showed him the sandstone desert country of the desert, they decided to pick up and move. They settled outside of Palm Springs, Cal. where they currently maintain main-tain their studios. "Artists need cities," de Arce said, "that is where the people and galleries are." "But." He continued, "If you can escape it and still survive it's must better." In their new found desert environment, de Arce began to paint landscapes and changed his medium from primarily watercolor to colored pencil. He said the pencils capture more perfectly perfect-ly the soft colors and simple shapes of the desert. "Color is what is important," he said, "And natures provides a beautiful excuse to use "a lot of color." Rowley, on the other hand, was influenced by the natural shapes in the desert and began making pottery that reflected, in many ways, those shapes. "My inspiration comes from the red and pink sandstone formations in the desert." she said. "My Arce's work. de Arce says he feels the sea everywhere in the desert. "The desert was once the floor of a huge sea." de Arce. said, "you find the remnants of ancient shells and marine creatures everywhere. I feel the desert and sea are very harmon- 10US. From his interpretation, the starfish or conche shell, placed incongruiously and almost surrealistically beside a desert cactus, seems almost natural. Both Rowley and de Arce have exhibited extensively through the southwest, de ' Arce was featured in a main gallery exhibit last year at the Kimball Art Center. This is the fourth time the artists have exhibited together. i 5 iimmKHmm wim mimm : I IIIIlllllilllilllliK j: -v .: WMy : ISiM'l - ' ; 'i I ' ' i3E , - t - '. llllllllj JSHWte-'5!1 till- -' Ml 1 Rowley's lab sculptures compliment de Arce's landscape. "I like an asymetrical feeling and build all my pots by hand," she said, "I have a wheel but I'm going to get rid of it because I never use it." Currently Rowley has turned from the pots to more sculpturally oriented work. Her "slab formation" sculptures sculp-tures are a fascinating interpretations of the desert landscape in which she works. The asymetrical, vertically ver-tically rounded pieces are very reflective of the windswept, wind-swept, sandstone formations found in varying shades throughout the 1 Southwest. They can be purchased individually, but are most effective in groupings that can be arranged together in a multitude of designs. The two artists tour the national parks of the southwest south-west extensively, gaining inspirations for new work, as they grow continually sympathetic sym-pathetic to the desert landscape, land-scape, it's raw beauty and complex biology. "I go to the parks for inspiration." said de Arce, "And, I find it there in the form of cactus, wildflowers, ,x rock formations, seeds, feathers, pottery chips and even people." Although de Arce paints some pure landscapes, most of his work is multi-thematic, and in some respects surrea-. surrea-. listic. de Arce's landscapes are flawless in their interpretation interpreta-tion and execution but in many respects only serve as background to desert objects that figure prominently in the foreground of his canvasses. can-vasses. Those objects include in-clude wispy desert flowers, pale green cacti, pottery, feathers, beads, pebbles, (drawn to huge proportions) and sea shells. The shells fieutepxQmicsnpine southwest, from which he has gained inspiration for the past 10 years. The two artists first met in San Francisco where de Arce, who had recently arrived in this country from Spain, painted city-scape watercolors and Rowley, desert landscapes. Finally, after their first trip to the shapes are taken from rock formations, plants, seeds and other desert objects." Rowley's asymetrical, rounded "jewel pots" have been exhibited and collected throughout the country. The pots get their name because each has a piece of turquoise imbedded in the rough natural clav finish. |