Elverhøj Museum of History and Art in Solvang is pleased to present “Essential Landscapes,” an exhibition of new works by Santa Barbara artists Phoebe Brunner and Pamela Kendall Schiffer.
Both artists explore the expansive landscapes of California’s Central Coast. In addition, Schiffer presents images of Montana and Wyoming, as well as of secluded Hollister Ranch on the Gaviota Coast north of Santa Barbara.
ESSENTIAL LANDSCAPES:
January 30 through April 18
Phoebe Brunner and Pamela Kendall Schiffer
A reception for the artists will be held on
Saturday, January 30, 2010 from 4 to 6 PM
Both artists seek to capture quintessential aspects of landscape, but their finished work differs markedly. Schiffer favors intimate, detailed compositions, often of simple subjects defined by light, whether soft and atmospheric or sharply bright. She works primarily in oils, watercolors, and pastels, although her Montana and Wyoming pieces are multi-layered original prints. Brunner, on the other hand, favors large canvasses and bold colors and contrasts in order to re-imagine a specific locale. Her vistas, painted in glowing oils, are both realistic and surrealistic.
A native Californian, Pamela Schiffer has lived in Santa Barbara for over 25 years. She earned a B.A. from UCSB in 1982, majoring in Fine Art and studying painting and ceramics.
In 2008-2009 she collaborated on a series of original lithographs with master printer Geoffrey Harvey at Sunlight Graphics in Livingston, Montana. In 2008 Schiffer was Artist-in-Residence at the Ucross Foundation, in Clearmont, Wyoming.“My paintings continue to study the landscape and ocean areas of Santa Barbara as defined by light. Some are subtle, reflective and atmospheric studies, while others are very direct, focusing on the effects of full sunlight or moonlight on something as stark as an agave stalk.
I am moved by the power of simple things in my observations of nature, be it a lone drifting cloud, birds soaring, a stand of trees in the distance, backlit and glowing, or the sublime blue of the sky. My paintings reflect my sense of things beautiful and profound, joyful and optimistic, quiet, still and timeless.”
Phoebe Brunner was educated at the California Institute of the Arts (Chouinard); Universidad de Guadalajara; Otis Art Institute; and UCSB, earning a Bachelor of Fine Arts there in 1972.
“By creating an alternative view to traditional landscape painting, my re-conceived landscapes of the American West, simultaneously real and surreal, become an offering to the viewer to experience our surroundings with a new perspective. In addition to tapping into a huge visual reservoir of memories, I utilize photographs, field notes, and thumbnail sketches, but primarily my imagination…. My imagery is comprised of the indigenous topography, botany, geology, and light. However, the work is not a documentation of an actual place, but rather a re-imagining of a unique site. The viewer is led to wonder where these landscapes exist, with a longing to visit, and at the same time search in their own subconscious to find the location.”
Both artists have exhibited in numerous shows and won awards for their art.
“Essential Landscapes” runs from January 30 through April 18, 2010.
ELVERHØJ MUSEUM OF HISTORY & ART
Phone: (805) 686-1211
FAX: (805) 686-1822
Street Address: 1624 Elverhoy Way, Solvang, CA 93463
Mailing Address: P.O. Box 769, Solvang, CA 93464
Visit Phoebe Brunner’s website at:
