Whale Watch Room Gallery Exhibits
The Point Arena Light Station is pleased and excited to introduce its Whale Watch Room Gallery Exhibit program. The Point Arena Light Station’s 1896 Fog Signal Building houses the Light Station Store, Indoor Museum and Whale Watch Room (WWR). The WWR has been configured as a gallery exhibit space that is intended to host art installations that will periodically change throughout the year. Point Arena Lighthouse Keepers, Inc. (PALKI) has reached out to both local artists and artists throughout the country to design art installations for the WWR. These installations/exhibits do not need to be Lighthouse themed or related, it is up to the artist to decide on the theme or inspiration that they wish to convey.
30% of the sales of the exhibiting artists’ works will be donated to the Light Station. An opening reception hosted by PALKI and the exhibiting artist will usually be held on the first Saturday of the exhibit (check this page and our Calendar of Events for details) and will include hors d’oeuvres and refreshments. Admission to the opening reception is free. Artists interested in presenting a Whale Watch Room Gallery Exhibit can find out all the information and an exhibit proposal form at our Whale Watch Room Gallery Exhibits page.
Whale Watch Room Gallery Exhibit
Ling-Yen Jones, Chris Grassano & Barbara Fast
Opening Reception Friday, March 10, 2023 from 5 p.m. to 6 p.m.
Exhibit on display from March 10 through June 4, 2023
Coast Highway Artists Collective (CHAC) artists Ling-Yen Jones, Chris Grassano & Barbara Fast
The Point Arena Light Station’s Whale Watch Room Gallery exhibit for Spring 2023 will feature the jewelry of Ling-Yen Jones, oil paintings of Chris Grassano and a special basket by Barbara Fast. They are all members of Point Arena’s Coast Highway Artists Collective (CHAC) and the Point Arena Lighthouse Keepers, Inc. is thrilled to feature their works.
Artist Statement – Ling-Yen Jones
I am a jeweler working mainly in silver, semi-precious stone, and pearls. My style ranges from the traditional to the modern and is completely unique. All of my pieces are individually handmade and are therefore one-of-a-kind or in small series with repeating motifs.
My training is with David Laplantz at Humboldt State University, at Monterey Peninsula College, and various Mendocino Art Center Workshops and assistantships.
I am presently working with my company Ling-Yen designs and my website ling-yendesigns.com.
I have curated and exhibited in several shows in the past. I also have shown in Point Arena-CityArt, the Pacific Grove Art Center, Gualala Art Center, and the Mendocino Art Center. I am featured in the winter 2000 issue of Metalsmith, and the Monterey Herald “Life & Times” 2001. Currently manager of a gallery in Point Arena called The Coast Highway Art Collective.
I define jewelry as creations which are useful, artistic, symbolic, identifying, and an expression of personal ideas. In my earring line some of the motifs I use are leaves, birds, and windows. When these elements and other s are integrated into a piece, they can represent new beginnings, changes, hope, and further growth in oneself. The materials that I enjoy using most are sterling silver, copper, gold, and pearls, and semiprecious stones. My intentions for each one-of-a-kind pieces are that it is clean looking, distinctive, and artistically rendered.
The pieces with the Asian-like faces are inspired by the feminine, graceful, and romantic scenes of the Ukiyo-E period of the Japanese art. The piece “Unmentionables” has different faces, all expressions of surprise, serenity, wonder, and ecstasy. On the back of the pieces there are hidden hand cut flowers, roller printed leaf patterns, and scenes of paired lovers. Ukiyo-E or images of the floating world were representations of the everyday life of Japan in the 16th through the 19th centuries. This piece brings together my own interest in the expressive power of faces, while exploring the serenity and grace of the everyday in my own time.
Biography
I continue to pursue my career as a successful jewelry designer and metalworking company, Ling-Yen designs. I am continuing my education and participating in Art festivals. I am a founding member of two metalsmith groups called Out of Hand, in Humboldt County and The Monterey Bay Metal Arts Guild, in Monterey, California. I am a current member of the North Coast Artists Guild and Gualala Arts. Currently, a manager of the Coast Highway Art Collective in Point Arena.
Bachelor of Fine Arts, studio Arts major with metalsmithing/jewelry and photography emphases and dance minor. I have continued my education at the Monterey Peninsula College and Mendocino Art Center.
Artist Statement – Chris Grassano
It is with gratitude and joy that I exhibit my oil paintings celebrating the diverse nature of our beautiful North Coast. I have enjoyed staying at the Point Arena Lighthouse lodgings and visiting the grounds many times. The paintings I am showing have been inspired by these visits. I hope you enjoy them.
I have always loved drawing and exploring nature. My earliest subject matter was my dog and the flowers in my backyard. The beauty of the physical world in all its diversity inspires me, whether it is the texture of a feather, the richness and harmony of the color of a flower petal or the rhythm of a waving branch in the wind.
I hope my paintings translate my deep love of the natural world so that you who view them get the same wondrous feelings as I in creating them. Enjoy!
Biography
I was born in New Jersey and attended Montclair State College where I majored in fine art. After school, I worked in a variety of mediums including acrylics, oils, glass mosaics, copper relief and pen and ink.
When I lived in San Francisco, I earned my BFA in Illustration. A wildlife painting class introduced me to the work of Robert Bateman. For the last 30 + years I have been inspired to create oil paintings that celebrate the nature of Northern California and other natural environments.
I now live in the small town of Cazadero, which is part of the Russian River area and take my inspiration from the majestic coast redwoods. It is here that I find my daily life made more human through interaction with the plants, birds and animals of this place.
I strive to capture the unique expressions of the birds and animals I encounter near my home. My goal is to blend realism, imagination, emotion, and design to communicate a personal vision that touches the universal.
Artist Statement – Barbara Fast
I am not a professional artist. I enjoy working with many different materials to satisfy my need for creativity. I particularly like to work with materials that reflect the world around us. In my ribbed basket I used reed, coiled sea grass and an antler shed by one of our local deer. These materials seem most appropriate for an exhibit at the Point Arena Light Station which is a Mendonoma treasure.
A traditional ribbed basket starts with a hoop to which ribs are added. The middle and strongest rib is attached to the hoop by a God’s Eye of woven reed. Additional ribs of smaller round reed are inserted into the God’s Eye. The hardest part of making the basket is keeping the ribs in place until enough weaving has been done to hold them in place. They tend to “pop out” and have to be re-inserted over and over again. The contour of the basket is created by adjusting the length of additional ribs until a rounded bottom has been achieved. Many different materials can be used to weave around the ribs. In this basket the weavers are coiled sea grass. A handle can be added to a finished basket. Driftwood is often used; but in this case an antler is used. Antlers make perfect handles, but they can be challenging because antlers weigh so much more than the basket that they must be balanced perfectly so they don’t tip the basket over. Antlers by themselves are beautiful but they can be embellished by wrapping them with leather or yarn and adding shells or stones.
Biography
I am a retired Pediatric Surgeon. When I graduated from high school and San Diego State University I planned to be an English teacher. I did obtain certification and I taught for a year but for personal reasons I was inspired to apply to go to medical school even though by that time I was married and had three children. To apply I had to take additional pre-med college courses but I was accepted at the California College of Medicine which later became the University of California, Irvine, School of Medicine. During my student years I found that I particularly enjoyed the surgical disciplines, so I embarked on post-graduate training in general surgery and then pediatric surgery. I worked for thirty years as a Pediatric Surgeon before retiring in 2007. I then envisioned becoming a gourd artist. After moving to Point Arena I observed that there was a cute building in downtown Point Arena that would be perfect for an art gallery. With the help of Ling-Yen Jones I founded the Coast Highway Artists’ Collective in 2012. Since then I have enjoyed working in a variety of artistic mediums including embellished hard shell gourds, felting and basket making. I find that creating ribbed baskets using natural materials is particularly challenging.
