Here are a few featured artists from our June-July 2023 AGP exhibition, Sea and Forest.
Daniele Derenzi
Querencia, Watercolor
How does your artwork relate to the theme of the show?
My piece is called Querencia, which means a sanctuary where you feel safe, and for me, part of that feeling is being near the ocean or in the trees. I wanted to show the balance of the two in its simplicity, and I wanted to give a calm feeling when you look at it.
What is the most important artist tool that you use in your practice?
There are so many tools you can place in your hand and create amazing things with, but really, for me, it’s my instinct. I have learned to trust that first initial spark of an idea to that last finishing touch. Sometimes I may have to redo and redo a few times for it to be exactly what I saw in my mind; this piece a perfect example of that. And so far it hasn’t let me down.
What was the first artwork you created that really mattered to you?
It was probably in college. I made a collage piece that was simple shapes formed into a woman, and a short story I wrote. It was then that I realized the magic of mixing words and art together. It’s definitely something I still work with, and something I always want to explore more.
Abigail Murthy
Pacifica Beach With Hut
Pacifica Trail Overlook
How does your artwork relate to the theme of the show?
The two paintings I submitted to the Sea and Forest Show were titled Pacifica Beach With Hut and Pacifica Trail Overlook. I just love studying and painting seascapes and I painted these after walking down the shore and then hiking up the trail to get a better view of the coastline on the other side of the hill. I wanted to show that this area of Pacifica has something for everyone who loves spending time by the sea-shore! If you want to spend a fun day at the beach, grabbing lunch at the Taco Bell “hut” and just being within a crowd of families, surfers, folks fishing, etc… then this part of the beach is for you. But if you want a more relaxing atmosphere, walk up the trail, where you can enjoy wildflowers and beautiful cypress trees, and at the top you get a rewarding, endless view of the Pacific Ocean and the coast stretching towards South San Francisco and beyond.
What is the most important artist tool that you use in your practice?
The most important tool that I try to use as consistently as I can are my sketchbook and gouache paints. They’re light enough that I can bring them everywhere with me so when inspiration strikes I could quickly sketch out the scene and make color notes. Sometimes true colors don’t register when you take a picture with your phone—especially when it comes to sky colors. Oftentimes the true colors of a setting sun is not captured with your iPhone, so taking notes at that exact moment can be very helpful.
Do you have any upcoming projects that you would like to share?
I am currently painting a collection of Yosemite landscape scenes in oil, which I hope to feature at a local gallery by mid-2024. It’s been such a crazy winter for Yosemite that the waterfalls are on full-blast this summer season, the wildflowers are abundant, and the area is just so alive with wild-life! We’ve hardly seen Yosemite Valley and its surrounding trails this lush since the number of years of drought that we’ve endured, and so I wanted to capture this overflowing richness of the landscape at this present-time.
Prem Sujan
Pacifica Nature Landscapes VI
How does your artwork relate to the theme of the show?
This particular photography work nature piece currently showing at Sea and Forest themed show at Pacifica Center for the Arts is called Pacifica Nature Landscapes VI. It captures our local coastline on a perfect sunny California afternoon at Rockaway Beach in picturesque Pacifica, California. This specific photography piece relates to ‘Sea and Forest’ as we get to be with the wide expanse of the Sea along with its spectacular coastal waves and currents through our image. You also get to witness local rock formations along with the magnificent Marin headlands at a distance in this image.
What is the most important artist tool that you use in your practice?
Actually, this is an excellent question to ask any artist. This way one has the opportunity to learn of the way artists think and their method of creating their unique artworks. In my specific case, carefully selecting the right time of day, afternoon, evening and/or night with different grades of natural light available to go and photograph nature, abstract, and architectural spaces is quite an important tool. And another tool that’s of equal importance is making use of Adobe Photoshop and Adobe Illustrator to focus on the strengths, and limit any weaknesses, of your photography work—to create/print the ‘most artistic and true version’ of your unique photography piece.
Do you have any upcoming projects that you would like to share?
Yes, I’ve been working on a new project, which is my ‘New Limited Edition Product Release’ of hand designed and handmade wall clocks with my original photography works. I’m planning to submit two of these wall clocks with my original photography for the next upcoming AGP show Favorite Things, at the Sanchez Art Center. These wall clocks will also be available ‘custom’ where an individual can pick one of my original photographs from my website, and we can make a ‘custom made’ wall clock for them with the image of their choice.