Artists with WNC ties fill galleries with landscapes, dragons and more
Submitted by Jeff Munson on Tue, 02/16/2021 - 10:04am
Event Date:
Repeats every week until Wed Mar 03 2021 .
February 16, 2021 - 9:00am
February 23, 2021 - 9:00am
March 2, 2021 - 9:00am
A Western Nevada College instructor; University of Nevada, Reno assistant professor; and WNC student are sharing their artwork this winter as part of the latest exhibits in the Bristlecone galleries on the Carson City campus.
In the main gallery, WNC and the Capital City Arts Initiative are presenting “In Search of" by photographer Tracy Fish, an assistant professor of photography, as well as area head of photography and videography, at the University of Nevada, Reno.
Fish’s photography for “In Search of...” shows the influence that her gender and Jewish heritage have had on her.
“Throughout the canon of landscape photography (and similar to other genres), we bear witness to how it’s been dominated and held by the white male gaze, not much different to how those same individuals have held claim and ownership of the lands and groups of peoples in which they occupy,” she said.
Fish’s photographs from the “Wildish Woman” series reveal “reflection and metaphor with her ever-evolving relationship to place as a woman. Life and death, beauty and grotesque, vast and seemly empty spaces, fractured lands all exist in nature — each with their own cracks and flaws, fissures and jagged edges. These instances collectively act as a mirror for her experiences. In her work, “After Equivalents,” clouds are a metaphor for escapism and self-empowerment. As she continues to engage with place as a device of allegory in her work, the more she strives to cultivate her own sense of empowerment and wilderness.”
WNC and Truckee Meadows Community College watercolor painting instructor Colleen Reynolds fills the Atrium Gallery of Bristlecone with colorful subjects that speak to her soul. Her artwork usually focuses on people, pets, plants and places. Reynolds was raised in Nevada, spending time in Ely, Baker, Ruth, Tonopah and Las Vegas. Following her graduation from high school, Reynolds spent multiple decades in the U.S. Navy, becoming an officer before retiring and settling with her family in Carson City. She earned bachelor degrees in Fine Art in Painting and Drawing and Applied Mathematics, as well as a master’s degree in Education.
Serpentine folklore breathes life into the College Gallery with Bretta Guzzetta’s exhibition “Dragon’s Reach.” For those who know the WNC student, Guzzetta has a fondness for fire-breathing creatures.
"I am a dragon lover and am well known for my sci-fi beasts. My whole bedroom is decorated by dragons!” Guzzetta said.
She described how she painted “The Dragon’s Soul”: “For this painting I used one of my smallest dragon figurines as a reference. I focused up close on his muzzle and wanted to capture the eye. It took me 6 hours to paint the value layer and 3 hours for color... And another 5 hours to add the highlight and detail.”
Much of Guzzetta’s painting experience has been with acrylic and watercolor so transitioning into oil painting taught her to appreciate the process and, of course, patience.
"Acrylic is forgiving, watercolor is hard to control, and oil takes forever to dry!” she said. “I work in stages with my paintings. Oil taught me to take a step back, do a value layer, wait, add color, wait, add highlights and detail. The medium of oil painting makes my work feel more realistic while keeping my style intact. It's important to slow down and appreciate the bud before the flower or the caterpillar before the butterfly."
All shows run through March 3. The Bristlecone galleries are located at 2201 W. College Parkway and are open to the public from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday. Because of public health concerns created by the COVID pandemic, there won’t be a reception for the artists.
