Mardi Wood and Allison Evans: Two Friends / Two Visions

August 1 - October 25

in Gallery Commonweal

Artist Reception: August 10 | 3:00 pm - 5:00 pm
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Allison and Mardi both grew up in the Northwest. Their families knew each other, though Allison and Mardi did not. Their vision, though unique to each of them, is framed through their northwest experience. Mardi and Allison met in the early eighties, both having just moved to Bolinas. They became good friends, each admiring the other’s art work. They found a shared aesthetic sensibility in their love of nature and the ethnic arts of the world, specifically prehistoric cave art and the traditional art of Japan. They have cross pollinated aesthetically and encouraged one another’s artistic vision for years—and are very excited to be able to show together here at Commonweal.

From Mardi: "As I work, I look more at the animal than at the paper, and only occasionally look down to see if my lines are lining up close to the right place. I like to use my left hand at times. It slows me down and I am more attentive to the sensitivity of the line both in what I am looking at and to the lines I am making on the paper. My right hand moves too fast and I can miss a lot of information. If the animal is moving, and they usually are, I try to go with the flow and often end up with more legs or more heads than there are. I do feel this gives my work more aliveness and truth. As my friend Russell Chatham said, “These are fast spontaneous sketches, on the spot, in-the-moment drawings.”

From Allison: "Composing flowers on a large scale is much like painting into three dimensional space, guided by color, form, and the animate expression of each flower. A lifelong student of art, and the artistry of nature, I spent my childhood walking the beaches and forests of the Pacific Northwest. Painting and walking through the wilds of nature are my path of meditation and retreat. The two merge in my studio in an intuitive, creative process. Non-representational, my imagery are collected memories of nature’s rhythm, motion, and changes. I paint in thin washes of acrylic to capture the luminescence and ephemeral beauty that infuses the world as I see it. I invite the participation of the viewer’s imagination. My process is equal parts technique and surrender to what emerges. My intent is to return to the ineffable and mysterious connection that I feel among nature and the web of energy that animates and connects us all."

Mardi Wood grew up in Portland Oregon and spent her summers in a cottage on the banks of the Columbia River. She had an artistic mother and an out of doors type father. Mardi absorbed both these qualities. After college with a BA in art she studied painting at the School of Vision in Salzburg, Austria under Oskar Kokoschka. There she met her teacher Kortokraks, who later invited her to set up a ceramics course in his painting school in Italy. Mardi had  become a potter. But her time in Italy at the painting school re-awoke her passion for drawing and painting. And as well she had discovered the long horned Maremma cattle descended from the aurochs seen in the cave painting in France. She had always loved those cave paintings! She was mesmerized by these cattle and there began her odessy, to draw and paint them. As well she continues her work in clay in her Bolinas studio.

‍Allison Evans was born in San Francisco. When she was five years old, her family moved to the Seattle area. After earning her Bachelor of Arts in Anthropology and Art History from the University of Washington, she moved back to San Francisco in the 1970s and spent the next 20 years arranging flowers at the Robert Mondavi and Opus One wineries. In 2005 she bought an etching press to pursue her interest in Monotypes. Later that year, she held her first solo exhibition at the Robert Mondavi Winery. Her monotypes and paintings have been shown at the Coastal Marin Artist’s Gallery, the Bolinas Museum, and the Hardly Strictly Mini Show. Her paintings have been on exhibition at the Bolinas Gallery twice in recent years. Having lived in Bolinas for thirty years, she is honored to share her work at Gallery Commonweal.

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Gallery Commonweal is a 1,500-square-foot gallery with 30-foot ceilings, large north- and south-facing windows, and unique historic detail. For 25 years, we've featured arts that heal our bodies, minds, and souls. Our gallery is open from 10:00-4:00 pm Monday through Friday. We recommend that you call our main line at 415-868-0970 to make an appointment anyway, just to be sure the space is open (we sometimes use the gallery space for retreats and group meetings). For directions, read this document (PDF).