Arcata gallery features work of 2 artists
Images of Yosemite National Park by Vaughn Hutchins and weavings by Carolyn Jones are the featured works at Arcata Artisans Cooperative Gallery, 883 H St. in Arcata.
The gallery consists of 24 local artists who cooperate to run the business while exhibiting their work, all made in Humboldt County. This gallery offers fine art and gifts in many media including jewelry, ceramics, woodworking, fabric arts, both stained glass and hot cast glass, metal work, painting and printmaking. The gallery is open Wednesday through Sunday, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Masks are required to enter.
Hutchins’ images were taken just before the pandemic and the closing of the national parks in 2020.
“Every place has its own quality of light that helps to define it. I use my experiences of working with the light of far-off places to better understand the light I find here at home,” said Hutchins, who has been using the 19th century photography process of platinum prints for over 20 years.
In this process, the paper is hand-coated with a solution of iron and platinum salts, the negative laid on top, then exposed to ultraviolet light. The result is a permanent photograph of wonderful tonality, the image being made of platinum metal trapped in the fibers of the paper.
Jones weaves scarves, shawls and towels in natural fibers including cotton, bamboo, tencel, silk and fine wools, combining lots of color with bold woven patterns. Her newest series of towels and shawls are inspired by the prairie style designs of Frank Lloyd Wright, particularly his stained-glass work. Leftover scraps of yarn and cloth are turned into wall pieces that explore themes of landscape and distance.
Jones’ fiber journey began in the 1980s at Humboldt State University when there was a weaving program in the Home Economics Department. She has since studied woven techniques with masters from across the U.S. For her, weaving is a way to bring art into objects that are used in everyday life. Her focus is on functional items — “art” pieces for the wall are just one way of using up leftovers and scraps. For more information, call 707-825-9133 or go to www.arcataartisans.com.