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.