A Thousand Shades of Green

A new exhibit opens at Sebastopol Center for the Arts

At the “A Thousand Shades of Green” exhibition at Sebastopol Center for the Arts. (Photos by Laura Hagar Rush)

There’s a new exhibition at Sebastopol Center for the Arts. “A Thousand Shades of Green”—which, as you might guess, is dedicated to the celebration of olive, emerald, forest, celadon, jade, mint, artichoke, citron, malachite, lime, viridian, chartreuse—and all the other shades of green in between.

The opening reception for the show was Saturday, Oct. 25, and SebArts’ Exhibition Programs Manager Damian Estrella said the event was bustling.

“We debated for a while what color to do,” Estrella said about the planning of the exhibition. “And we thought it was just a good time for green—like we need green right now. We need some lively energy.”

He said they got 400 submissions from all over the United States, and the exhibition’s jurist, Petaluma-based painter Wendy Brayton, chose 80 for the exhibition.

There were several awards given out on Saturday. Maureen Kringen won first place for her acrylic piece, Convergence #2. (“She’s never exhibited before ever,” Estrella said enthusiastically, “and she’s from Sebastopol!”) Well-known Sebastopol still-life painter Sally Baker won Second Place, and Derek Bigard of Novato won Third.

FIRST PLACE: Maureen Kringen, Convergence #2

SECOND PLACE: Tranquility by Sally Baker

THIRD PLACE: Green by Derek Bigard

Honorable Mention went to L Anderson of Santa Rosa for this jigsaw linocut called “Great Basin Rattlesnake.”

Estrella said they were pleased with the variety of pieces that were submitted. “So many different mediums and different styles,” he said—from painting to fiber art, glass, ceramic and even mosaic. Unusually, for a SebArts show, the majority of the artists seemed to hail from close to home: the North Bay or the Bay Area, with many from west county.

San Francisco’s Mariana Schwartz created this quilted cotton piece, “Over Easy.”

Los Angeles’ Barbara Danzi’s quilted cotton piece, “Green Pastures”

“La Primavera,” a mosaic by Michael Kruzich of Forestville

Fused glass bowl by Sebastopol’s Branka Harris in the foreground.

Despite Estrella’s interpretation of green as “energetic,” I found the exhibition tranquil and tremendously soothing—a bit like walking into a forest—the way that unwinds you and causes you to expel a long, slow breath you didn’t even know you were holding.

“Metamorphosis,” a collage by Dominique Pfahl of Graton.

Sebastopol’s Maureen Kringen’s “Girl with the Green Eye.” Kringen won first place for another piece. This piece was used for the flyer for the exhibition.

“leave the trees alone,” by Sebastopol’s Karin Lease

“Green,” by Sebastopol’s Gary Wilson

“A Thousand Shades of Green” runs through Nov. 30 at Sebastopol Center for the Arts, 282 S. High St., Sebastopol. Gallery hours are Tuesday through Sunday, 10 am-4 pm.

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