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June 18, 2020

Four female artists join forces in 'Reweaving Our Social Fabric,' a new show at Paso's Studios on the Park

San Luis Obispo New Times

Four female artists join forces in 'Reweaving Our Social Fabric,' a new show at Paso's Studios on the Park

Art can be an inspiration, a distraction, and an interaction. Studios on the Park's first show since being closed for nearly three months due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Reweaving Our Social Fabric, will offer all three.

'CITY LIGHTS' This acrylic and ink piece by Peg Grady is "a snapshot of life in the city, often alone yet not lonely." - IMAGE COURTESY OF PEG GRADY

  • Image Courtesy Of Peg Grady
  • 'CITY LIGHTS' This acrylic and ink piece by Peg Grady is "a snapshot of life in the city, often alone yet not lonely."

Featuring four diverse female artists, the show aims to provide "a ready backdrop for reflection, reckoning, and recalibration in the midst of the continuing global health crisis," Artistic Director and Chief Curator Henry A. J. Ramos explained in press materials.

He added added via email in the aftermath of the June 10 murder of James Harding Watson and shooting of Sheriff's Deputy Nicholas Dreyfus, "Given yesterday's disturbing events in Paso Robles, the show content takes on still new meaning. Our local community is badly in need of opportunities and spaces to reflect on the disturbing events of recent days and months in ways that help us heal and do better in the future to come."

'CELLIST' Judy Johnson-Williams' frenetic piece consists of "scratched acrylic on mylar." - IMAGE COURTESY OF JUDY JOHNSON-WILLIAMS

  • Image Courtesy Of Judy Johnson-Williams
  • 'CELLIST' Judy Johnson-Williams' frenetic piece consists of "scratched acrylic on mylar."

Santa Margarita-based stitch and mixed-media artist Peg Grady often infuses her art with humor. My wife and I have a piece of hers called "I can see by your outfit that you are a cowboy," which depicts a full-frontal naked man wearing nothing but a cowboy hat. She operates under the sage advice to "paint as if it were your last gig."

Atascadero-based multi-media artist Judy Johnson-Williams uses "fantasy characters to explore women's issues and the ordinariness of otherness." Her work can be figurative or abstract, but always expressive.

'STRANGE FRUIT' Fabric artist Corinne Lightweaver said, "Making art provides the opportunity for me to process and understand my experiences." - IMAGE COURTESY OF CORINNE LIGHTWEAVER

  • Image Courtesy Of Corinne Lightweaver
  • 'STRANGE FRUIT' Fabric artist Corinne Lightweaver said, "Making art provides the opportunity for me to process and understand my experiences."

"The subject of my work is our roles and how we fill them, our roles as parents, as women, as partners," Johnson-Williams notes on her webpage. "All of us fill multiple roles, and I like to explore the slippage between them."

Los Angeles-based collage and fabric artist Corinne Lightweaver explained, "Making art provides the opportunity for me to process and understand my experiences, often leading to unexpected imagery or unexpected conclusions when I finish the piece. I've learned that beauty can arise from chaos, and that is what I hope visitors to Studios on the Park will take away from viewing my art."

'COVID 6' Marsha Shaw runs a printmaking studio and uses paper discarded by other artists to repurpose into work focused on "childhood memories, gender construction, and ideas related to the experiences of women." - IMAGE COURTESY OF MARSHA SHAW

  • Image Courtesy Of Marsha Shaw
  • 'COVID 6' Marsha Shaw runs a printmaking studio and uses paper discarded by other artists to repurpose into work focused on "childhood memories, gender construction, and ideas related to the experiences of women."

Marsha Shaw, a talented San Francisco-based printmaker, collage artist, and book binder, said in her artist's statement, "This work focuses on repurposing discarded printmaking and drawing paper and became very important as I was sheltering in place. For the last 10 years, I have been managing a printmaking studio. I was shocked how much paper waste was occurring due to students and artists throwing away or abandoning their prints, drawings, or end cuts. These collages reference quilts that were made out of discarded or used clothing."

The show will hang through July.
Senior Staff Writer Glen Starkey

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