Ponds and Waterfalls by Barbara Morris. Finding points of reference, the ripples in a pond, the roughness of bark, the simple geometry of a bench, I alternate between looking and making specific references to my source material, and a dialogue that emerges within the structure of the painting itself. How one shape, color, or line relates to another. This conversation continues until there seems to be a balance, a point where the painting is saying something. At times I intentionally leave these works very loose, retaining a lot of open areas, areas for the eye and mind to wander.

Tiny Creatures: Our Invisible Sustainers by Salma Arastu

The Tiny Creatures series visualizes microbes as integral to our ecosystem. In my search to find hope and the possibility to regenerate and rejuvenate our planet and plant life I have discovered the invisible tiny benefactors Microbes who are an integral and essential part of the web of life. They carry out a variety of important ecological functions, from recycling organic matter to aiding in the carbon and nitrogen cycles, help animals ingest food by being part of the gut microbiome. Microbes in oceans and soils across the globe are evolving to eat plastic, according to a study. They are currently being explored for construction, bioremediation, energy security and generation, and much more. If we disrupt the ecology of microbes that live in our gut, our health will suffer. If we disrupt the rich ecology of microbes that live in the soil-the guts of the planet-and the health of plants, too, will suffer. These tiny creatures, microbes, are sustainers in the ecosystem. I feel Intrigued and inspired by their story and have created a body of work to draw attention to them.

AlieNation by Alexandru Salceanu AlieNation is a research-based photographic installation inspired by the legal term “alien.” It explores immigration law and citizenship throughout US history. Symbolizing the allure of the United States as a land of promise, the viewer is drawn in by a large San Francisco nightscape that portrays patterns of movement on land, air, and sea. Flanking the nightscape are thin, vertical photographs that capture the motion of star trails across sections of the sky. They are moving in different directions to suggest the diversity of migration patterns and experiences.

Marie Krajan – I’m thrilled for the opportunity to exhibit my collection of paintings, created since the start of the Covid lockdown in 2020. Like most creative people during this period, I turned to art to ease the isolation. Creativity has always helped us cope with heaviness and adversity and I was no different. I believe that when you can look outside of yourself and begin to see that life is a shared experience — that empathy and common understanding makes us all better.

Featuring the photography of Asual Aswad, Duane Conliffe, Jim Dennis, Zhané GayByrd. Art of the African Diaspora is the longest running event of its kind in the Bay Area. For 26 years it has supported hundreds of artists of African descent through representation, professional development and building a creative community.

Cornucopia, Art Works Downtown Members' Exhibit 2023. Warm your soul with a cornucopia of creativity while discovering unique holiday gifts throughout two levels of galleries featuring over 60 artworks.

Guillermo H. Kelly, a native of Mazatlán, Sinaloa, Mexico, has an extensive background in art. He began drawing at the age of six and a year later received his first set of oils and painting lessons from a neighborhood artist who took an interest in young Guillermo’s artistic abilities. By age eleven Guillermo had won an art school scholarship to the renown Instituto Nacional de Bellas Artes (I.N.B.A.) in Mazatlán, from which he graduated in 1978.

As an artist, I yearn for a deeper connection with art that transcends the visual realm. Handwoven pottery has become my chosen medium, offering a tactile experience that engages the senses and evokes emotional responses. Working with porcelain, I am captivated by its delicate sensitivity and its ability to respond to the human touch.

When people ask me why I paint I immediately respond, it’s about connection. It’s a bridge to the common ground I share with others and a direct connection to myself. My work is narrative, about moments. The familiar bits and pieces that combine in different ways and make up a life.

Knowing as a young child that I would become an artist when I grew up, I have been creating artwork for 76 years. Color is very important to me as can be seen in this exhibit which consists of whimsical still lifes in acrylic which are musically inspired. And for variety are several abstract pieces in oil, five of which look vaguely like something recognizable.

Not With A Bang But A Whimper is an exhibition of photographs focusing on the potential end of the world’s glaciers. It is a photographic story about a Fall 2022 voyage to the South Sawyer Glacier in the Tracy Arm of the Inside Passage.

Steep yourself in a cornucopia of creativity by perusing three galleries inside Art Works Downtown.

In Ground Work, Arielle Rebek examines physical materials and patterns within the landscape as a method of more deeply understanding human-maintained and altered natural spaces. The lens-based and cameraless photographic works in this exhibition are the result of routine visits and observations in local regional parks. Specifically, the Wildcat Canyon eucalyptus grove in Richmond, CA was one of the primary sites and sources for Ground Work. Arielle is interested in how these spaces are maintained and how they evolve over time through use and changes to the climate.

It all begins with an idea."I am fascinated by human nature. It is so mysterious and makes me infinitely curious. I see the figure as the outside of our human world, and our inside world is created by the human mind. When my mind & body connect with my tools they start dancing: on the surface of a blank canvas, or with the clay in my hands finding shapes on their own. I often begin with quick sketches or start working quickly hoping to spark the unconscious and move on from there.” - Sunila Bajracharya

Marsha Balian, Katie McCann (aka beetleblossom) and Mirto Golino are artists who incorporate vintage and discarded objects and ephemera into their artwork.

Story telling weaves its way through each of these artist’s work like a magical thread. Fragments of memories are transformed into mixed media, assemblage and collage with elements of humor, wonder andcuriosity.

Since the first hominids began to depict their visions on cave walls, their fellow beings have undoubtably asked: ‘What does it mean?’. Many millennia later those questions are still being asked.

There are infinite possibilities of intimate, sequential worlds that can be contained between two covers. A small studio space with little storage inspired me to use the accordion book form to create larger pieces, both traditional and wall-hung.

Steep yourself in a cornucopia of creativity by perusing two galleries in the sub-terranian level of AWD. Visitors and holiday shoppers will surely discover unexpected inspiration amongst the variety of mediums, compositions, and expressions.

These two bodies of recent work, Planet Earth Screwed and Take Shelter (from the News) continue Thelen’s artistic response to political and ecological events and issues.