Borrego Sun - Since 1949

LUMINOUS – GRADIENT PRINTS – ARTHUR GOLDING

House Of Borrego Springs, West Gallery

February 3 thru 24

The purest and most thoughtful minds are those which love color the most. John Ruskin, The Stones of Venice, 1851.

Architect Arthur Golding, has an exploring, intense, epic, relationship with color which has been apart of his distinguished architectural and design career. Golding continues his creative relationship with color by creating a collection of digital color gradients prints on paper. Luminous, at House Of Borrego Springs, West Gallery features artist Arthur Golding's first showing of his gradient color prints collection.

Golding graduated from Yale School of Art and Architecture and headed west to Los Angles where he worked with Cesar Pelli at Gruen Associates. Golding assisted in the selection of the iconographical blue color for the Pacific Design Center, West Hollywood, building, commonly known as, The Blue Whale. Golding became the Principle In Charge of Design at William L. Pereira Associates where he designed the American Airlines headquarters outside Dallas, Hilton hotel, Universal City, Los Angeles, Citicorp tower in San Francisco. Golding went on to open his own firm. Other significant projects include involvement for 25 years in efforts to revitalize the Los Angeles River and its watersheds. Serving as president of the nonprofit Watershed Council. Golding also taught Architectural Design at the University of Southern California (USC).

Arthur Golding, the artist, embraces his lifelong fascination with color in the form of creating fine art digital gradient color prints on paper.

Different things are different colors because they absorb some wavelengths of the visible light spectrum, while others bounce off. Gradients are described as incremental changes in hue – combined with optical mixing to create a range of effects. Each of Golding's gradient print images are sized 16"X16" image size printed on archival paper, using archival ink, in a signed and numbered editions of 20 prints.

Golding's complex digital process is created in photoshop. 288 pixels per inch, combined into hundreds of thousands of small blocks of flat, color. No black or white is used in any image.

For the technical minded amongst us pixels and color blocks maybe intriguing. For others their interest might settle on the mesmerizing effect the gradients colors and pixels produce. A peaceful color language unto itself.

I asked Golding if there was were any emotional elements in his gradients? 'No,' he replied.

Personally I found a Zen like simplicity to Golding's gradients. Gradients ask the viewer for little other than observation.

This show is exquisitely curated by gallerist Elizabeth Rodriguez.

The Art Of Photography

Borrego Art Institute

February 3 thru 25

'Scorpio,' a powerful work by Dany Tomas printed on metal anchors the front entrance of The Art Of Photography show. Argentinian born Tomas's photography has been featured all over the world. His cinematic night scene compositions reveal Tomas's combination of fantasy and illusion along with his technical mastery of night photography.

A master at manipulating light. Dany actually physically places lights around his subjects and waits for the embrace of our incredible Borrego night skies to complete the picture.

My heart stopped when I saw the exquisite photography of Omar Barcena, 'Fleur du Marquis.' Simple said it is a perfect photograph. Omar's romantic, beautiful, dreamy, composition is stunning. Elegant 'Seeking Enlightenment,' and 'Soft Curves,' by Tom Hogan stand out for simplicity.

No photography show at BAI would be complete without works by the masterful Garett Wood. 'Borrego Afternoon,' captures one of those spectacular Borrego days that take one's breath away. A vibrant symphony of storm clouds, light and landscape. "Showtime,' an epic landscape of Fonts Point at sunset is spectacular. Garrett's works are highly collected locally and nationally.

"Watermark Of The Devine," by, Thresa Young, on the back wall of the gallery captures one could say a divine rainbow.

A tongue in cheek work by Nicole Caldwell, Dude Where Is My Bat Mobile, is off-beat creative and conversational.

Lots of interesting photography to explore in this show.

Congratulations to BAI volunteer Diane Sigueiros for her heartfelt appreciation of the art at BAI and her welcoming interaction with gallery visitors. Always a pleasure to visit with Diane.

BAI North Gallery

Anza Borrego Foundation Annual Show

February 3 thru 25

A favorite event every year with over 1,300 entries submitted and 280 entries selected for judges to select winners from for the various categories. A show for everyone young and old to enjoy the talents of so many photographer's.

Our park is the largest state park in CA. ABF asks us to take a closer look at this amazing Californian resource through the lens of the photographer. Hopefully, the photographs educate and inspire future advocates for the largely unknown parkland.

There is never a shortage of awe and inspiration to be found outdoors. Of all the great works that we can experience, nature arguable is the most absolute and enduring. This show embraces photographically the many aspects of the park experience.

Judges Kay Levie, Alicia Wszelaki, Garett Wood, Sandy Zelasko, Tom Hogan, and Roger Guzman, had a daunting task to selected the winners with so many entries with such high quality of photography. This year's "Best In Show" selection is a black and white work, 'Ripples In The Sand,' by Denise Zuranski. A very unusual, stark, composition. Possible selected for it's uniqueness. I was told this was a unanimous selection by the judges.

Almost every entry this year is commendable. Several works stood out, 'A First Time For Everything,' by Chris Maust, 1st Place, People's Enjoying The Park section and 'Perseid Showers Over Fonts Point,' by Chris Olivas, Nightscapes Of Anza-Borrego section, are two excellent works. 'God's Light,' Meredith Tischer, Honorable Mention, Cell Phone category, captures a celestial looking shaft of light piercing through a cloudscape towards the desert.

A shoutout for the ABF volunteers that work tirelessly with a devoted enthusiasm to curate this show.

Enjoy the gallery experience and consider taking home a photographic remembrance from the ABF show to support the park.