Thursday, August 20, 2009

Art is in the Eye of the Beholder

Last night I attended the PONCHO Invitational Fine Art Exhibition preview for the upcoming PONCHO Art Auction at Western Bridge, the gallery usually devoted to exhibiting items from the collection of Bill and Ruthie True. Their sister-in-law, Janet True, serves as the PONCHO President and is currently overseeing the transition of the PONCHO Art Auction date moving to this fall (October 3rd) and the PONCHO Wine Auction date moving to next spring. As a past president of PONCHO myself (1997-1998), I know that Janet is working extremely hard to keep all the fundraising balls in the air. Great job, Janet!

The exhibition of the art to be auctioned off on October 3rd is impressive with many famous and not-quite-yet famous artists represented. The thing that is special about these art pieces is that each artist has been “invited” to participate by the PONCHO Invitational Fine Arts committee comprised of knowledgeable arts patrons, artists and gallery owners. Some of my personal favorites that I saw last evening were glass pieces by Anna Skibska, Dale Chihuly, Benjamin Moore, Nancy Mee, and Sonja Blomdahl. Anna’s was a spider web of fused glass rods as airy and light as a real spider web. Dale’s piece was a large colorful basket series bowl from the collection of the late Keith Grinstein and his wife, Clare. Nancy’s piece was one of her perfect assemblages of circular sandblasted glass with cut and cast metal and stone. Benjamin’s piece was a dark cobalt blue bowl in the same color as an earlier glass bowl of his we have in our collection and Sonja’s piece was a shimmering orange color. One of my other favorites located on the wall just as you walk into the exhibition was a haunting mixed media photo-inspired, encaustic and oil portrait by Judith Kindler. If you want to see any of the art for yourself, the exhibition runs at Western Bridge through August 22nd or you can attend the PONCHO Art Auction on October 3rd at the Seattle Sheraton. Let me know what you think.

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