Silk, paper and feathers: 3 artists to show work

Redwood Times
Eureka, California
May 27, 2014

SAMOA – Silk, paper and feathers are the mediums of choice for three artists who are showing their work together for the first weekend of North Coast Open Studios.

Silk painter Tina Gleave, Japanese ink painter Annette Makino, and feather jewelry artist Marianne Odisio will share their art and demonstrate their techniques at the Samoa Women’s Club on Saturday, May 31 and Sunday, June 1 from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.

“I love experimenting with my art, asking questions and expressing the peaceful beauty of nature,” says Rio Dell artist Tina Gleave. “Silk just lets me be me!”

Gleave was selected as the artist-in-residence at Yosemite National Park for the week of June 16, where she will teach a silk painting workshop. She is also traveling to Durfort, France to lead a week-long silk painting retreat starting September 29.

Her painting of wilting white roses, “Swan Song,” just won an award in the national Art Comes Alive contest and will be exhibited at a show in Cincinnati, Ohio

At the Samoa Women’s Club, Gleave will offer large-scale silk paintings of flowers and other natural imagery, along with hand-painted silk scarves, leather purses featuring painted silk panels, and greeting cards. For a preview of her art, see www.silksquirrel.com.

Arcata-based artist Annette Makino says, “After writing and painting alone in my studio, it is really fun and exciting to share new work with the public. Open Studios is one of my favorite venues for connecting with Humboldt folks from all walks of life who enjoy and appreciate art.”

Makino is a haiku poet who combines Japanese ink paintings with her haiku and other words. Often expressing a gentle Zen humor, her poems have won several awards and been selected for a number of anthologies, including the prestigious Red Moon anthology of the best haiku of 2013.

Greeting cards of her Makino Studios design can be found in two dozen California stores as well as retailers in Oregon, Washington, DC, and New York.

At Open Studios, she will have new paintings, prints, and cards for sale and will demonstrate how she paints with sumi ink on rice paper using bamboo brushes. A gallery of her art is online at makinostudios.com.

“Feathers fascinate me,” says Marianne Odisio. “It is a joy to work with the wide spectrum of colors and textures these natural fractals produce.”

Based in Redway, Odisio works with a variety of feathers, pairing them with dentalium and cowrie shells, sea urchin spines, beads made from wood, ceramics, glass, precious stones and other materials. She creates colorful original jewelry, hairpieces and masks.

She says, “Acquiring a new piece of jewelry is often an intensely personal decision. It’s a great feeling to see my work resonate with the person choosing it.”

The historic Samoa Women’s Club, which looks out onto the dunes, is rarely open to the public. The house is located between Arcata and Eureka at 115 Rideout Ave. in Samoa, a four-minute drive from the Samoa Bridge.

Directions are as follows: From Samoa Boulevard, turn left onto Cookhouse Road. Turn right onto Vance Avenue, and then take the first right onto Rideout Avenue.

Free refreshments will be served at this family-friendly event.

Now in its 16th year, North Coast Open Studios is a showcase of Humboldt County artists and their work. This year, there are more than one hundred artist listings from Miranda to Trinidad. The event is free and open to the public.

For more information about the Samoa Women’s Club event, call 834-6460.