Attila Cziglenyi’s oil painting, Fall in Sycamore Grove Park, Livermore, captures a moment in time where the wind whips about the sycamore tree leaves and grasses beneath; we can almost feel a whisper of wind beneath our feet.
The Lamorinda Arts Council rings in the New Year featuring creations from members of the Bay Area Woodturning Association, paintings from Attila Cziglenyi, 3-D collages from Kimiko Kogure and sculptures from Michael Rizza. Meet the artists at a reception, while enjoying light refreshments, on Saturday, Jan. 7, from 2:30 to 4:30 p.m.
Bay Area Woodturners Association (BAWA) is a non-profit organization with 150 members. For novice turners to hobby enthusiasts, instructors to professionals, BAWA provides a place to share and learn while educating the public in the art of woodturning. Monthly meetings are held in Pleasant Hill.
Kim Wolfe, event organizer, said, “Beneath the bark, wood is a living medium. Sometimes the exterior of a tree will provide clues as to the beauty beneath the bark, but most often a tree’s secrets are unveiled while an artist is at the lathe. This collection of work celebrates the beauty and idiosyncratic nature of wood: striking figures, bark inclusions, voids and hollows.”
Expect to see 30 pieces of art from 17 members. For more information, visit bayareawoodturners.org.
Attila Cziglenyi of Hayward has been painting for 30 years in various media, emphasizing oil for the past 20 years. Most of his time is spent painting in the open air at various sites in the San Francisco Bay Area and beyond.
“I like the challenge of painting on location, plein-air, where the fast-changing lights and shadows make me capture the impressions with true colors of the site,” said Cziglenyi.
He hopes as viewers see his work, they are inspired to spend some time in nature to appreciate the diversity of our area.
Kimiko Kogure of Orinda pursues self-discovery through working with materials that are meaningful to her. For this exhibit of 3-D collages, she has thrown her innermost feelings into the pieces hoping to engage with those who come across it.
Her materials include cotton, paper, ink and acrylic polymer. This way of communicating with others through her work requires her to be her authentic self. Learn more about Kogure’s art at https://www.kimikokogure.com/.
Michael Rizza, a 96-year-old sculptor from Walnut Creek, has been legally blind since 2007. He had worked in bronze for 50 years and stone for 30 years. His transition from being a sighted sculptor to a blind sculptor was difficult at first, since he had to stop driving and couldn’t use power tools.
“So I went back to basics using a hammer, chisel and files,” he said. “I couldn’t see with these eyes, but my hands became my eyes.”
He delights in creating something beautiful and hopes the 12 sculptures he is exhibiting are enjoyed by others.
The show runs Jan. 2 – 27. Visit the gallery at 26 Orinda Way, from Mon. – Thu., 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., Fri. – Sat., 10 a.m. – 6 p.m. Closed Sundays and Jan. 15, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day. For more information, call 925.254.2184, visit ccclib.org. View and purchase artwork at lamorindaarts.org/online-galleries/, email gallery@LamorindaArts.org or call 925.359.9940.
