COS Art Gallery Proudly Presents Nurture / Nature

Nov 3, 2012 | 2012 Articles, Arts & Entertainment

by Amie Rangel

COS ART GALLERY proudly presents Nurture / Nature featuring prints and drawings by Terry Arena and Megan Moore
November 6 – December 7.

As the season begins to change from the summer heat to the fall brisk and chilly mornings, I begin to look forward to exploring the shorter days among the valley oaks that line many of our city streets and creeks instead of escaping to the high county of the Sierra, to avoid the high summer temperatures at every opportunity. And in this changing season, I can also finally attend to the neglected vegetable garden in my backyard and decide which vegetables to plant before the holiday season gets underway.

The next exhibition Nurture/Nature at the COS Art Gallery brings this desire to connect back to nature through the prints and drawings of Terry Arena and Megan Moore. The two artists we are featuring are inspired by this connection to nature – whether it is through the foods we eat or the repetition and laborious process we dedicate to home gardening. The exhibition will run from November 6 – December 7. The opening reception is on Thursday, November 8 from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m.

TArena's String Beans

Terry Arena’s delicately rendered graphite drawings of various vegetables call to mind historic botanical illustrations, as well as recent topics in the media about our current food culture. She is engaged in becoming a participant in the shift to understand the complexity of contemporary food processing. Arena states, “Time and presence are integral aspects of the drawing process akin to preparing a meal from ‘scratch,’ which requires attentiveness to coordinate temperatures, timing, and serving… These renderings refer to unadulterated food devoid of fancy packaging or excessive processing. In contrast to processed foods, the elemental and reductive nature of the drawings reflects foods and methods that are closer to the earth.”

Terry Arena, originally from Georgia, received her MA in Painting at California State University, Northridge in 2009. Arena has had two solo shows of her graphite still life renderings at Ventura College and Moorpark College. In addition, her work has been included in various group exhibitions at the Long Beach Museum of Art, CA; Wayne Gallery in Santa Monica, CA; and Orange County Center for Contemporary Art, Santa Ana, CA. Arena currently lives and works in Ventura, CA.

Megan Moore’s approach to nurturing one’s connection to nature comes through her subtle tones and colors of ambiguous organic-like forms that appear to float on the surface of the paper. Moore’s collages combine drawing and printmaking. She states, “They contain representational elements of plants found in the ‘natural world,’ specifically, from my father’s garden, and that through a process of sampling, deconstruction and reconstruction, [the work] comes together to form something new.”

Clusters by Megan Moore

Megan Moore grew up in Northern California among the almond orchards and the Sacramento River, which heavily influenced her interest in nature. In 2011, she received a Master’s in Fine Art in printmaking at California State University, Chico. Moore has exhibited nationally including in New Haven, Connecticut; Atlanta, Georgia; New Orleans, Louisiana; and throughout California. She is currently an instructor and foundations coordinator at the University of South Alabama.

This exhibition has been planned in cooperation with the Kaweah Land and Arts Festival, a collaboration of separate events during the first week of November intended to strengthen the connection to nature within our distinct landscape. To find more information on the Kaweah Land and Arts Festival go to www.kaweahlandandarts.com.

The COS Art Gallery is located on the ground floor, Room 214, of the Kaweah Building. Free parking is available on the night of the reception in lots 3 and 7. If coming to the gallery during the day, 20 minute parking is available in lot 3 at the corner of Meadow Lane and Mooney Blvd. or in the half circle off Mooney Blvd.

Our hours are Tuesday, Wednesday, & Friday 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Thursday from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. For further information call the COS Art Gallery at 737-4861 or visit the COS website at www.cos.edu. Don’t forget to ‘like’ us on Facebook to receive news on upcoming events.

Amie Rangel is originally from Dinuba. She attended COS in Visalia, and received a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Drawing/Painting & Printmaking from Cal State University in Long Beach, & a Master of Fine Arts degree in Drawing and Intermedia from the University of Alberta. She is currently teaching Drawing and Color and Design at COS, Co-Gallery Director of the COS Art Gallery, and is involved in several art events throughout the community.