Saturday, November 28, 2020

"Wild Things" The Animal Art & Plein Air Landscapes of Kathleen Dumphy

 

~Wild Things~

The Animal Art & Plein Air Landscapes of Kathleen Dunphy

A Facebook Live Virtual Event

Friday, December 11 @ 4pm PST

https://www.facebook.com/KathleenDunphyFineArt

Turbulent 2020 Inspires 'Wild' Virtual Gallery and Facebook Live Show Dec. 11 

 




Nov. 20, 2020 Murphys, CA -- In the midst of a still surging pandemic that has caused nearly every business to pivot and shift to innovative, flexible ways of connecting and conducting business, nationally acclaimed artist Kathleen Dunphy has created a COVID-19 free way to share her works -- and the backstories of what inspired them -- directly with the public.

 

Timed just ahead of the winter holidays, her 2020 solo show is entitled "Wild Things: The Animal Art and Landscapes of Kathleen Dunphy." The virtual gallery show opening and an interactive Q and A with the artist will be live-streamed to the public on Facebook Live Friday, Dec. 11 at 4 p.m. PST at https://www.facebook.com/KathleenDunphyFineArt, where it will remain available, post-event for folks to view at their leisure.

 

Although the Northern California-based painter is represented by several galleries across the country, due to Covid cases on the rise and protocol restrictions, Dunphy chose to create and stage her 2020 show near her home in the picturesque Sierra Foothills. The event will feature animal art, including several of her much sought-after bird paintings along with soulful, light-filled plein air landscapes of northern California scenes, many from the artist's favorite off-trail hiking spots she visited over the past months.

 

Among her larger works in oils (see attached) is "Scram!" in which a gaggle of life-sized, frenzied Canada geese are erupting in all directions across a 48 by 72-inch canvas, seemingly attempting to escape the frame; their movements a flurry of necks, beaks, wings and feet. 

 

"'Scram!’ evolved into a symbol of my feelings about the COVID-19 pandemic,” Dunphy says. "As the virus spread, it felt to me as though all the color had been leached from the world and we were all teaming up to fight the enemy. These Canada geese hissing and flapping and chasing the badness away to me summed up our universal struggle against the virus.”

 

The gallery event is being hosted by Ironstone Vineyards, located near historic downtown Murphys. The Calaveras County ranch on which it sits, owned by the Kautz Family for four generations, houses a winery and Gold Rush museum built in the shape of a gold stamp mill. Dunphy's show will be hung in the beautiful Heritage Room, adjacent to the museum and tasting room.  

 

The show will kick-off with the Facebook Live interview featuring Dunphy and local journalist Tori James during which viewers will have the chance to ask the artist questions about her paintings through Chat and see the framed paintings from various angles.

 

This new way of viewing art can be even more convenient than pre-pandemic trips to galleries, according to Dunphy. “I feel like what’s missing from the art world right now is the opportunity to speak directly with artists and to put your nose right up to paintings in a gallery. But fortunately, technology has allowed us to bring the art to the collector in a new and different way. You can see my work from any place in the world and interact much like being there in person.”


If Covid protocols permit, interested collectors and other members of the public may be able to view the show and meet the artist in the Heritage Room Friday, Dec. 11 through Saturday, Dec. 12. Those interested may call ahead to request a specific personal time-slot. For more details, please call (805) 459-8723 and leave a message with your name, requested time and best phone number for a call back.  

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