Peggy Sebera, oil paintings, and Jan Maria Chiappa, clay and textiles. Dolphin Gallery Exhibit

Peggy Sebera

Painter Peggy Sebera titles her artist’s statement “Listening to Nature” and visitors to the June Dolphin show will understand that title immediately on seeing some of Sebera’s vibrant works.  She focuses quietly and intently on details—the shimmering shape of a single flower blossom, for instance—that invite viewers into intimate contact.  Working in oil on large canvases, Sebera evokes the natural world she is so attentive to:  in her words, she brings the object of her gaze “to life as fully as possible” and feels “as if I am there listening to nature reveal its magic to me.”

Jan Maria Chiappa

In this exhibit her fascinating and functional pieces in black clay and white porcelain reflect the influence of the Mendonoma Coast, whose sometimes austere, often lush landscapes, textures, and colors inform her work. Her mixed media pieces for this show are “hanging collages” using found objects, glass, and handmade clay beads. These pieces are strung to hang indoors or outdoors.