By Zirrus VanDevere, for the Redoubt Reporter
Painting by Celia Anderson.
An exciting exhibit is opening this Friday at the Kenai Visitors and Cultural Center that involves 20 local artists displaying multiple pieces. It’s exciting for me, especially, because it’s the largest multiple-artist show I’ve curated, but it should be exciting to everyone because the quality is so good.
It’s called “Quintessential Kenai.” I chose a piece from each invited participant that I felt was quintessential to his or her work. They were then asked to choose one of their own that they felt was quintessential, and were also offered a chance to create a piece specifically for the show. They were not given a lot of time, so many of the artists went with the two chosen works from their archives. Some of the new work that has come in is quite exceptional, however, and the show is hanging together magically well.
Natasha Ala, executive director at the KVCC, liked the idea of really honoring these
Pastel by Chris Jenness.
important artists in our area, and decided we would exhibit their artist bios along with portraits we would take specifically for the exhibit.
We asked Bill Heath, one of the participating artists as well as the president of the Patrons of the Kenai Visitors and Cultural Center board and go-to guy for anything photographic or technical at the center, if he would do the honors and take black-and-white shots of the artists.
His first response was that he wasn’t necessarily a portrait artist, but he agreed regardless. Shortly after, he woke in the middle of the night knowing just how he would shoot these. He wanted to use the soft northern light coming in through the high windows in the museum, and utilized a white “shield” to bounce the light back onto the
Painting by James Adcox.
opposing side of the subject’s face. He shot it with the lens wide open and in full zoom, thereby capturing soft and expressive portraits of each of the artists. The results were so striking and artsy, I had to tell him that he was in fact now a portrait artist.
Many of the pieces are paintings and photography, which is pretty representational for this area, but there also is drawing, stone sculpture, pottery, found object and fiber work.
The artist reception will be a catered event, with live jazz and plenty of energetic company to rub elbows with.
The exhibit will be up until Feb. 29, when the center will host a multifaceted display on the history of work in combination with students from the Kenai Peninsula College. Next on the docket will be pulling together the largest all-original wildlife art exhibit to be displayed in Alaska yet. Dr. David Wartinbee has curated two of these wildlife exhibits for the center in the past, and they always attract a lot of visitors and interest. He has a personal interest in wildlife art, and as a collector has made a sort of museum out of his own home, and along the way has befriended numerous big players in the national wildlife painting scene.
The theme is Alaska wildlife, so look for a power-packed exhibit opening at the center
Painting by Pat Lytle.
April 22, and running throughout the summer until the end of September.
Participating artists in the “Quintessential Kenai” exhibit are James Adcox, Celia Anderson, Rick Cupp, James Evenson, Thor Evenson, Joy Falls, Anne Louise Gillilan, Ken Green, William Heath, Andy Hehnlin, Chris Jenness, Joe Kashi, Tammy Kraxberger, Ron Levy, Pat Lytle, Theresa Napolitano, Marion Nelson, Sherri Sather, Connie Tarbox and myself.
Zirrus VanDevere is a local mixed-media artist and owns Art Works. She has bachelor’s degrees in fine arts and education.
The Mouth of The Kenai 