Richard Gabriele: Inward Visions of Man

Tom Knight Gallery, April 3 through May 26

The unique style Gabriele developed reflects a deeply personal vision of the figure shrouded by ethereal and moody atmospheres of color. The figures, some purely figments of the artist’s imagination and others such as “Head of Buddha,” “Crowned with Thorns” and “Our Lady of Sorrows” influenced by an interest in the world’s traditions, appear like dreams embodying symbols that indicate the artist is evolving a personal iconography, and yet, the images awaken sentiments that are common to us all.

“The visions I paint are imagined like waking dreams,” Gabriele said.“They are my way of bringing meaning and passion into my life.I paint the figure because it allows me to communicate with a form that we, as humans, can strongly identify with.”

Richard Gabriele is from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Receiving numerous awards, his paintings have been shown in museums such as the Woodmere Art Museum, the Delaware Art Museum and the State Museum of Pennsylvania. Previously, in October 2012, Phillips de Pury & Company in New York City included a selection from Gabriele's new series in the curated exhibition Watercolors.

Melvin Schuler & Edward Oliver African Collection

Anderson Gallery, May 29 through June 30

View a portion of the private collection of African Art & Artifacts from the many travels of Melvin Schuler & Edward Oliver.

Rita’s Excellent Adventure

Youth Gallery, April 3 through May 26

Rita’s Excellent Adventure is a whimsical tale of a sand crab named Rita that loves purple plankton. Her adventures in search of the best plankton in Santa Monica Bay are told in verse and illustrated with 20 tapestries. The six tapestry artists were encouraged to maintain their own style while trying different techniques to convey their portion of the story.

Helmi Juvonen: From the HAC Permanent Collection

Annex Gallery, April 3 through May 26

View a selection of works from the HAC Permanent Collection by Northwest artist Helmi Juvonen (1903-1985). She was considered to be an artist of considerable talent during a time when women artists in the Northwest were not taken seriously and few made art their vocation. Her work focused on primitive art at a time when there was very little interest in it.