[Pictured: All That Was Good, All That Was Fair, Stephanie Thwaites (detail)]

Theatre Gallery

Stephanie Thwaites:  The Path Emerges

Stephanie Thwaites Artist Statement

I find inspiration in nature — the freedom of its organic shapes, the endless variation of colors, the ever-changing light. But I am also drawn to architectural and geometric forms — their order, structure, and alignment. My work is often about seeking balance and harmony between these two influences.

From representational to abstract, I strive to create dynamic space that is intricate and layered, but also grounded. I hope the viewer will look, and then look again more closely, exploring the depth of the work. But I do not want to overwhelm. I still want the painting to offer a resting place.

I enjoy working intuitively and responsively, exploring different techniques and materials to uncover something unseen or unexpected. I paint with oil and cold wax because they complement my love of rich texture while also imparting a lovely translucent quality and matte finish.

Stephanie Thwaites is a graduate of the Yale University Fine Arts program. After a 20-year career as a creative director and brand manager, she returned to her fine arts background in 2009. Stephanie works out of her studio at Marin MOCA (Museum of Contemporary Art) in Novato, and has shown her work through solo shows as well as in many national and local juried shows and galleries.

Crescendo Gallery

Cindy Shih:  In Search For

Cindy Shih Artist Statement

“In Search For” is an ongoing exploration of the promise of new beginnings, while seeking to maintain  the illusion of permanence. In using materials and methods rooted in time-honored traditions like Italian fresco and Chinese landscape painting, I use the language of brushwork, line, and texture to express the turbulence, fragility, and resilience in human migration. My early interest in Chinese calligraphy, western philosophy, and present discourses on immigration has led me to explore these concepts in a visual form.

My process informs the narrative as it starts with many thin, burnished layers of Venetian plaster, constructing a textured, abstracted terrain. Sumi ink and various media are then mixed in, settling into the crevices and cracks as the imagery is formed. In the process, both traditions of western-style fresco and Chinese landscape painting work in tandem to guide the narrative of each piece.

This series uses materials as metaphor while evoking the raw energy, passion, and power of forces of nature. In contemplating human migration as a natural force, these pieces are a quiet, passionate reflection of the contentious discussions around race and human migration today.

Cindy Shih was born in Taiwan and immigrated to Los Angeles with her family at the age of three. She moved to the Bay Area in 2005, and currently lives and works in San Francisco.  Drawing heavily from her early training in Chinese calligraphy, she uses techniques inspired by tradition to speak to current issues of gender, race, and power.