WCA August Exhibit:

Exhibiting Artists are:

Carolyn Carpenter

Kat Emerson

Devi Chase

Margaret Pirrouette

Dorea Hankin

Alissa Mittl

and Charlotte Tefft

August 4th-August 26th. Opening August 4th, 6PM Members Preview, 7PM Public Opening.

A collection of seven local artists will be the focus of the August show at Willits Center for the Arts, 71 East Commercial Street in Willits. The main focus of the show will be depictions of women, done by women. Kat Emerson explained, “I’m interested in expressing something essential about the spirit and humanity of my subjects. My hope is that the viewer will see that spirit and be moved by it. Many of the paintings in this show are from an ongoing series I’m working on called “Not the Enemy”. They are my response to the attempt to demonize certain groups by our country’s current “leaders”. How can anyone look closely at these beautiful faces and see only enemies instead of fellow travelers on the ofttimes difficult human journey?”

Carolyn Carpenter recently finished a series of paintings of flowers, then turned her attention to granddaughters. “I enjoyed trying to capture the innocence of those young years,” she said. “But somehow I ended up painting dogs, too!” Carpenter teaches at Laytonville High, and every few years she and her students do paintings of the dogs available for adoption at the Humane Society for Inland Mendocino County, which they donate to the HSIMC for fund raisers. “I always do the assignment with my students. I think it is important for them to see an artist at work, see the process from start to finish. It lets them know they can do it, too, if they just keep at it. And we encourage our students to be community contributors, so giving away the artwork is a good lesson, too.”

The other artists participating are Devi Chase, Margaret Pirrouette, Dorea Hankin, Alissa Mittl, and quilter Charlotte Tefft. Tefft based her quilt on Carpenter’s painting, “Paradise.”

Willits Center for the Arts is located at 71 East Commercial St. (Next to the Noyo Theater) in Willits, CA. 707-459-1726