Artist Linda Hunsaker (photo by Shannen Hayes)
BY SHANNEN HAYES, Santiva Chronicle
January 6, 2016
Watson MacRae Gallery opened “Sacred Creatures Sacred Spaces: From Santa Fe with Love” Tuesday, Jan. 5 – marking the gallery's 50th exhibit. This special exhibit was created from gallery owner Maureen Watson's summer pop-up gallery in Santa Fe, N.M.
“I am thrilled to begin the New Year with this exhibit,” said Watson, who is in her eighth season. “The six artists in this show all care deeply about the environment and its creatures. Wonderfully, Sanibel's commitment to preservation and conservation was one reason these highly regarded artists were excited to show here.”
Linda Hunsaker's work is driven by her wanderlust. Capturing images and feelings of places she has never been before is the inspiration for her quietly moving multi-layered prints. Her work has been exhibited from coast to coast for the past three decades and appears in four public collections in Florida and New Mexico.
Hunsaker made a personal appearance Tuesday, along with jewelry maker Jeff Lewis who uses exotic materials and unique designs for each of his creations.
“It was wonderful to have Linda and Jeff visit the gallery and the island,” said Watson. “Jeff was a world traveler and collected the most natural domestic turquoise and Mediterranean coral which he uses in his jewelry pieces.”
Ron Allen's tribal sculptures wear memory skirts made of 100 objects encountered every day. Britt Freda's paintings express her lifelong fascination and reverence for the natural world, and now her concern. Her Endangered Species series is a testament to her art and her commitment to preservation.
Geoffrey Gorman's work straddles the territory between reality and legend, imagination and science. Gorman is fascinated with discarded artifacts which he uses to create creatures for his Animology Series.
Many of the animal images Rebecca Haines paints come from dreams where the creatures visit her. Through her color-filled paintings she communicates the messages and lessons they have to teach.
Teresa Neptune's painterly black-and-white photographs provide an elegant simplicity where one can reflect and relax – a space for the spirit to breathe.
Sacred Creatures Sacred Spaces, open through Jan. 30, is a touch of Santa Fe on Sanibel. Don't miss this special exhibition. Watson MacRae Gallery, in The Village Shops, is open from 10:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday.
