Carving Magic — carved ceramic artworks by Misako Kambe of Menlo Park — is the exhibit on display in May at the Portola Art Gallery. A reception for the artist will take place on Saturday, May 4, from 1:00 to 4:00 pm.
Misako creates ceramic artwork carved using three different methods: line carving, relief carving and erosion. Her line carving is inspired by celadon wares of the 11th century Chinese Song Dynasty. When line carving, Misako uses an X-ACTO knife to first cut the outlines at a right angle to the clay surface, then she cuts the same lines with a 45-degree angle slanted toward the surface. When the clay has then dried to a certain point, the cut clay peels off easily.
When relief carving, Misako waits for a piece to reach a bone-dry stage, then she carves out the background. This method allows her to create very dramatic effects but is very time consuming and can take up to 10 times as long as line carving designs.
Misako’s final method, erosion, creates shallow relief carving effects.
Once Misako has used one of these three methods to create a decorative surface, she then applies celadon glazes or uses natural wood firing or wood-soda firing techniques to add variation.
Portola Art Gallery exhibits representational art by 13 award-winning Bay Area artists. Painting, pastel, photography and ceramics can be viewed at the gallery, located at the historic Allied Arts Guild in Menlo Park, CA.
Photo caption: ”Reborn” (2011, 6x6x13″, porcelain)
Portola Art Gallery artist Jan Prisco will offer weekly pastel plein air painting classes at Allied Arts Guild on Wednesday afternoons from 1:30-4:15 pm, starting April 17 and running through August.
Beginning and intermediate pastel painters are welcome, along with watercolor painters. Classes will be limited to six painters per class to ensure individual attention. The cost will be $30 per class, or $100 for a four-class bundle. To sign up or get more information, contact Jan at (65) 341.9519 or jan_prisco@yahoo.com.
Pastels provide a natural medium for plein air painting due to their immediacy and their vibrancy of color. Allied Arts Guild is among the most beautiful and historic spots on the San Francisco peninsula, and artists will enjoy painting both the gardens and the buildings.
Classes will cover valuable pastel tools for success, including hard pastel, soft pastel and watercolor underpainting, as well as the importance of sketches and value studies in order to create a solid composition prior to beginning a painting. Watercolor painters who wish to learn to apply pastel on top of their watercolor paintings are welcomed.
Jan Prisco, of San Mateo, works primarily in pastel and oils. In portraiture, her goal is to capture the likeness and vitality of those she paints by studying and capturing the gesture, reflection of light, facial expression and color. When painting landscapes, Jan works toward capturing the mood and light of the spot she is painting.
Winter Fog Approaching, SF Baylands, oil on canvas by Jan Prisco
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