Pomona Art Walk

I went to the Art Walk in Pomona not knowing what to expect. I have seen art gallery openings portrayed on television as either this refined chic event where people are dressed to the nines an standing around talking in snooty voices about how smart and refined they are for attending a gallery opening or with interpretive art pieces that are scary.

I did enjoy going to the Art Walk. All the people I talked to were very friendly and no one was snooty or rude. The atmosphere was very relaxed when going into the different galleries. The first gallery I went into, and by far the largest, was The dA Center for the Arts. It was the setting for the New Traditions showing. The piece that struck me the most was Intertwined by Marcella Swett.

I’m not sure what it is really that drew me into this painting, but I really like it. The way the white shades makes the black really pop from the sand colored background. All the lines are really interconnected and move throughout the piece rather than just a part of it.

The next gallery I went to was my favorite. The Pomona Frame House was two levels. The first level was where all the actual framing goes on and the second level was a loft area where all the artwork was displayed. Although it was not as big of a space as dA, I enjoyed it much more. The first piece that I saw was Desert Twilight by Arlene Moreno.

I love the colors and the shading. This watercolor painting makes me feel as if I am in the desert at twilight, watching that setting sun paint the desert these vibrant colors. The colors that the sky changes into at sunset are my favorite.

The next piece that I liked was a collage titled Morning Awakes by Kathy Spears.

The main thing that stood out to me was how much the girl in the piece looked similar to the woman in La Scapigliata by Da Vinci. The poses are the same down to the closed eyes and the downcast head. This could be a good example of an argument for the generalist use of criteria.

The last piece that I want to talk about is Poltergeist by Tom Oliver.

What attracted me to this painting was the contrast of colors. The vibrancy of the reds, greens, blues and yellows caught my eye immediately and drew me in. It makes me want to know more about this painting and what the artist was trying to say with it.

All in all, the experience of the Pomona Art Walk was a beneficial one. I enjoyed walking around the galleries and looking at the different expressions of art from the different artists. Although dA was the “hottest” gallery with the most people and a lot of art from many different artists, I enjoyed the Pomona Frame House the most. It was small, but felt intimate.