Benicia’s HQ Gallery, the newest gallery on First Street, is holding special reception for their printmaking members. At 333 First Street, Suite D, HQ is one of three galleries in the area, next door to the 621 Gallery and Plein Air Gallery. The artists moved from the Arsenal to downtown Benicia in 2017.
HQ artist members show their work in a range of mediums, including printmaking, oil and watercolor paintings, metal sculpture, pottery, photography, mixed media, jewelry and fine needlework. The group consists of established and emerging artists.
Fine printmakers who create original monotypes, collographs, clay prints, woodblocks, etchings and mixed media graphic art will be featured April 7, in a one-day special print sale, 10am-5pm, in conjunction with an artist reception the same day, 2-5pm. The public is invited to stop by, meet the artists and see their work, learn about modern printmaking techniques, enjoy refreshments and shop to for a fine art printmaking treasure.
Since 2001, Arts Benicia has offered a printmakers workshop, started by the late, acclaimed local artist, Bill Harsh. The workshop meets every Monday, 9am-1pm, for beginners to advanced printmakers; all are welcome. Since Bill’s death in 2012, HQ Gallery member Ronna Leon has directed the program. Ronna also teaches etching, collographs, monotypes and other mixed media printmaking techniques.
HQ Gallery Printmakers
MJ Coleman runs a small business doing commissioned pet portraits. Before retiring, she worked as a graphic artist and art director for corporations like Bechtel, Chevron and Bank of America. She works in monotypes, etching and mixed media printmaking.
Jan Cook Jello Holiday Afternoon |
Jan Cook studied at the Art Institute of Chicago, and got her MFA from Cal State LA. A love of research and reading has directed her toward the implied stories within art. Recently, printmaking has been her predominant art form.
Christina Finnie graduated from UC Berkeley, where she got hooked on printmaking through an advanced monotype class. Since graduation, she has continued her printmaking education at Diablo Valley College and in a variety of workshops including the Arts Benicia Printmakers Workshop.
Ronna Leon Benicia Marsh May 2014 |
Ronna Leon runs the printmaking workshop at Arts Benicia. Being raised in a family that ran a small press and publishing company has given her a lifelong love of ink and paper. She is always eager to learn a new method she can share with her fellow printmakers.
Les Overlock has served as an art teacher at Liberty High and other programs. His experiments in clay prints, linocuts and other printmaking forms, have successfully stretched over many years.
Constructivist Elizabeth Wooley |
Elizabeth Wooley works intuitively and builds her prints layer by layer, finding relationships of shape color and size. She is inspired by the Russian Constructivists and early modernists like Miro and Paul Klee.
