Though hidden away, Capitol ArtWorks Gallery ranks as one of Sacramento’s premiere art galleries and studios.  Located at 1215 21^st Street, between L and Capital Streets, – behind the nondescript façade of Bode & Bode Lock Company – this gem displays recognized and emerging artists from Nevada and California making it eminently qualified for ranking with “The Best of the Best” in Sacramento.

Former Monterey, California, resident, architect, and talented painter Emma Auriemma-McKay, now residing in Reno, Nevada, has recently started exhibiting at Capitol ArtWorks Gallery. Her finely executed works reflect unique and always pleasing vistas inspired by the majesty and grandeur of the Sierra Nevada under the kaleidoscopic skies of western Nevada. Emma’s clear perception, fine attention to detail, rendered always in exacting original brush strokes are definitely worth viewing and contemplating. The exceptional originality and masterly interpretation of Emma’s works further enhance her own artistic reputation and bring added prestige to Capitol Art-Works Gallery.

Owner and operator Debbie Gualco, an architect and artist in her own right, located her architectural practice in this location. With an artistic prescience informed by sophistication and recognition of refined talent Ms. Gualco wisely dedicated wall space for exhibiting fine artistic works. She has also incorporated space for the purpose of instruction in figure and portraiture painting.

Capitol ArtWorks Gallery enthusiastically participates in Sacramento’s monthly art walks, held the second Saturday of every month. The Gallery will be hosting a reception during the Saturday, September 13 art walk between 6:00 – 9:00 pm.  Additionally in the studio that evening,  you will have the unique occasion to witness artists painting a model in session and watch as their images on their canvases emerge.

Do mark your calendars for an aesthetically pleasing and worthy evening viewing the works of Emma Auriemma-McKay.  For information on the artist visit www.emmaauriemmafinrart.com.   For information concerning studio sessions and up-coming events and exhibits visit www.capital-artworks.com. To verify hours and, or, to make an appointment to view the exhibit call 916-207-3787.

Giants in the Landscape

Emerging Face of Mt Rose

Mt Rose Spring Photo

The Hudson Valley School of writers of the turn of the century talked about Giants in the Landscape which always intrigued me.  They meant this term more ideologically in a literary reference to the personality of nature, wind and weather.  It reminds me of being in my single digit age of life and lying in the grass on a summer’s day and watching the clouds float by.  As they whisked by you could see faces or animals as if the clouds were presenting you with a Rorschach Test.

To me landscapes are like large human figures in various poses.   I travelled along a mountain range in rural northern California a few times in the late afternoon.  The sunset shadows stretched long across the hills made dramatic shapes and colors.  The quiet softness it provoked reminded me of sleeping puppy dogs.

In Reno a prominent geographic landmark is Mount Rose.  Legend has it that a crusty Trapper guy named her since it reminded him of a woman lying down, looking up from her feet.  The two mounds being breasts and for the rest I need not say more.  Well she’s not quite as pronounced as the Tetons of the Wyoming range that the French explorers coined.   The view of Mt. Rose from my window is more of her face.  I see Rose’s forehead, eye, nose and chin.  In the winter she is a cameo of a white blanket of snow.  In the spring she lies under the surface of the melting snow, white patches are left appearing to be her summer garb to protect her delicate features from the intense sun of the summer; an eye patch for sunglasses and a bandana around her neck.  The underlying ground is exposed as her sun tanned skin,  Week by week the snow recedes exposing more and more.   I can hear the snow over her sighing, as did the wicked “Witch of the North” at the time of her demise in the wizard of Oz, “I’m melting, I’m melting”!

EMMA AURIEMMA

www.emmaauriemmafineart.com     emmaauriemma@msn.com

This is a Drawing I donated to  the Reno Bike Project for their Fundraiser April 19th, 6pm at the Holland Project 140 Vesta St.  6pm  Admission is free.

They provide Beer and music fun bike related art pieces to own- all the making for a great party.

They are a non profit dedicated  to making cycling more accessible by recycling used bikes into the community at affordable prices and complementing other groups to encourage youth safety and cycling-related arts and culture.

Heading to St. Mary’s for our Spring Retreat.  Something I look forward to, leaving the world behind and emerging in my own art zone. This time my intention was to paint on larger canvasses.  I brought 18″ x 24″, 24″ x 30″  and  36″ x 48″ size canvasses.  Typically I have painted on 8″ x 10″ and 11″ x 14″.  Painting Plein air, outside on site, has restricted me to these sizes which seemed manageable to contend with wind and painting time, how much area can be painted in a few hours.

The other intent was to  be more free, entering into a more abstract or impressionistic arena and using acrylic paint.  I experimented with acrylics last time and the textures, layers and fast drying qualities were intriguing.

So we shall see what happens.

Being here is liberating.  Some how this environment gives you permission to mess around and just play and experiment.  Some how at home that doesn’t happen.  I get into the “produce ” mode. In retrospect allowing myself this freedom I learned a lot and

have had great break-throughs!

First day I stayed in a safe and familiar place.  Getting familiar with the acrylics recreating some smaller figure things I did last time. I learned trying to recreate doesn’t always work.  One can’t always get the same “moment”  when magic happened.

Then I played with painting cardboard.   Some thing I’ve thought about doing for some time.  Cutting it into pieces tearing it up, exposing the inner structure and textures and then and painting it.  The results were fun pieces that looked as if they were metal or wood. This exercise spurred more ideas I will soon do and hope to place a few of these pieces in the UNR exhibit this summer of “Sustainable Art”- art made from repurposed materials.

OK.  This is the day, here I am standing in front of a  a big canvass.  My stomach feels like an empty pit, yes a pit of fear.  Silly, no?  Since it’s just a canvass and paint!

So I jump of the cliff… and my stomach slides up to my throat as it does in a roller coaster as I put on the first few stokes.  But wait. This is FUN! The movement, the freedom just the feel of the thick canvas frame, I am empowered!!  What courage this takes!!!

Golf Pond
18″ x24″
Acrylic

HOPE VALLEY WINTER

Hope Valley area being a little higher in elevation had a little more snow than  our local area.  I  selected a spot on the north side of the bridge over the Carson River from where I had previously painted. Despite the wonderful weather we enjoyed this winter this day was a little dicey because of an approaching snow storm due the next day.  I was lucky while I painted this the sun did shine making me feel as if it were a warm summer day.

Because there was still snow on the ground snow hardened snow surface that wouldn’t allow my umbrella spike to pierce, I took shelter in the shadow of a tall pine.  That was the good part because being on the sloping river bank my easel and I had feet planted about 2 feet below the other.  It proved somewhat unstable since when I needed to move as I painted  I took a few big slides almost into the water.  Luckily the easel stayed in place during these events.  Over all I felt like I had a successful day.

Winter Shadows
11″ x14″
Oil

The Sierras had a very mild winter this year un like the east coast.  Loving

Plein Air painting it is great to embrace the season and capture it.  It was

a challenge finding very snowy areas this season so retreating to the Galena

forrest area provided lasting snow in the shadows of the forest.

Went to Sky tavern to paint today. It was almost a Spring Day temperature wise despite the

snow.