Exhibit Commentary- Life As Myth- Women Artists Convenings

         Life As Myth - The Personal Reveals the Universal

Beginning the first day of spring, March 21 until April fools weekend, our convenings group had a wonderful exhibit at the Alley Gallery in downtown Sonoma. This Exhibit was the culmination of a very full process, that began in August, when this soulful vision came to me, of what our Artist Convenings could be. My idea for these Convenings was inspired by the tradition of native tribal elders gathering in circles in the morning, to share their dreams that they dream for the tribe. Artists are dreamers, dreaming for their community. As Community Elders, who are women artists, we are connected through place, as well as through our art and our stories.

I was delighted when my proposal received the grant from Yerba Buena Center for the Arts. Then I was completely taken over by the seven months of work involved in carrying it out. Although we have known each other for years, we haven’t worked together as a group, especially not in this way before. I was truly amazed during our convenings, at the depth of the stories behind the art and the many diverse streams of connection that we have.

I feel that particularly as women artists, our art is rooted in personal experience that touches on something universal. This has been a stimulating and heartwarming experience of sharing, and creating community, especially in the wake of Covid.

Convening Artists: Leta Davis, Marsha Klein, Lori Goldman, Lin Marie DeVincent, Nora Russo, Kaeti Bailie, Margaret Hatcher, Barbara Jacobsen, Brigitta McReynolds, Mia Lobel, Christine MacDonald, Selma Aslin, Susan Heeringa-Pieper

Marsha Klein-painter, ceramic sculptor, LinMarie deVincent- shamanic drummer, poet, Mia Lobel-ceramic sculptor, poet presenting at the exhibit closing.

AWARDED GRANT- YERBA BUENA CENTER for the ARTS

For my proposal to hold a series of Artist Convenings, here in my Grove Street Art Farm studio. I am bringing together twelve Women Artists, community elders, who have culturally enriched our valley, sharing their vision and strong creative work, over the years, some through teaching, others through performances and exhibitions.

These “Artist Power Convenings” are part of a new program that the YBCA has created for each SF Bay Area County, to benefit and bring artists together, especially after the pandemic isolation. This is a way to give back and to honor the often unseen work of women creatives, who have lived and worked here, in our valley, for decades. My idea for our Convenings was inspired by the tradition of native tribal elders gathering in circles in the morning, to share their dreams, that the dreamers dream for the tribe. Artists are dreamers, dreaming for their community. As Twelve Elder women artists, we are connected through place, as well as through our art and our stories, making visual, musical and poetic art that is narrative, figurative and metaphoric. Our four monthly Convenings, began October 29 through January 29. We gather, each bringing a piece to share that relates to the theme of the month and a short written page of the story that is behind the piece. I chose themes that run through my work, as a starting point, to give our work some cohesion. The themes are: Life as Myth, Something Ancient Remains, Response to Wildfires and Covid, the Personal Speaks to the Universal,

This series will culminate in a local exhibit of some of the work that we shared in each convening. In addition,Yerba Buena Center will be hosting an event when they reopen, for the awardees to share what we have done.

Storytelling Through Images- pt.3 Painting my Way: Inside/Out

My art as it has developed over these five decades is: Raw Vision, Dream, Symbol, Mystery and Soul Food. Art contains me as a sanctuary and a vehicle, providing me with the opportunity to develop a unique, visual language of my life's experience. I create bold, expressive oil paintings and organic ceramic sculpture. Using the body as metaphor to address the human psyche, my work is rich in content with strong archetypal and biomorphic images.

Usually working in series, each piece captures a still moment in an unfolding progression. Recording a waking dream, I proceed intuitively. My raw approach often presents an unexpected, sometimes visionary result. As I explore seeming dualities: containment/expansion, hidden/visible, rooted/ transcendent, an internal plan reveals itself. Although my initiating impetus is often rooted in the personal, the completed works speak to the universal, reflecting larger concerns with the soul of humanity and our severely impacted natural environment.

My art is a spiritual pursuit, transformative, in the making and in the viewing. It is a portal into a more connected, sensually and spiritually empowered self, offering viewers healing from the loss of connection to soul and to deeper meaning in our lives. These artworks definitely come through me. My art practice and my spiritual practice are interrelated.

Photo: CM Illgen Wailing Pelvis #2. 60 x 48”. oils/canvas 1997

Photo: CM Illgen Trampoline. 60 x 48”. oils/canvas 1995