PAST EXHIBIT

© Marion Mettler. Ancestral Palimpsest No. 11. Mixed Water Media. 32"H x 26"W

Spa Velia Art Gallery is pleased to present Marion Mettler: Ancestral Palimpsests. The solo exhibit will feature a series of nonobjective works from La Jolla artist Marion Mettler.

"Ancestral Palimpsests" reflects a convergence of several ideas about past and present, history, ancestors, and the genetic code that links all human beings. The series makes use of the DNA letters "A", "C", "G" and "T" to represent language and inheritance. The distressed linear markings and collage layers on the pieces are part of their reflection of the ancient palimpsests of time and history that precede all of us.

Marion has been drawing and painting most of her life and has taken numerous art classes and workshops from various teachers in the last two decades. She received a B.A. degree in English (Writing, Art Minor) and a M.A. degree in English Literature. She is a member of several art associations in San Diego.

Exhibition Dates: September 28 - January 7, 2011

Artist Spotlight: Kelly Fitzgerald

© Kelly Fitzgerald. Bank and Saloon. Gelatin Silver Print.

Kelly Fitzgerald is one of six talented artists featured in the current exhibit. Her black and white infrared landscapes of Bodie, California will be on display through September 25, 2010.

Kelly Fitzgerald discovered her love for art and photography at an early age. In 1985, Kelly moved to San Diego, California to pursue her passion of the arts. She enrolled in the photography/art program at San Diego City College. She also studied oil painting and charcoal drawing at the San Diego Art Plex.

Fitzgerald specializes in black and white landscapes. The tools she uses to create her limited edition works are ... manual film cameras and black-and-white film.

Her photographs have been in numerous exhibits throughout the United States and Europe. Fitzgerald's work has also won several awards including The Golden Light Award and the IPA Lucie Award. She was honored at The Hubbard Museum in Association with The Smithsonian Institution in 2003, and was the first photographer to receive the Gene Harrison Memorial Award in November of 2003.

July of 2009, she wrapped up a 5 year project called "A New Discovery" ~ Black & White Infrared Film Landscapes of the Hawaiian Islands. This past year, she was chosen to be a part of the Calumet Ansel Adams Tribute Video. Her image "Shipwreck Beach - III, Lanai" was featured in the video.

Her work can be found in many corporate and private collections across the United States.

Artist Spotlight: Michelle Robinson

Michelle Robinson is one of six talented artists featured in the current exhibit. Her charcoal & pencil drawings from the Cityscape body of work will be on display through September 25, 2010.

Michelle Robinson is a native of Atlanta, Georgia who came to the west coast after falling in live with California. She loves to travel and learn about new places. As most artists would agree, she has been studying art all her life, but most formally at the University of Georgia, where she graduated with a B.S. in Education.

Her medium of choice is drawing with the familiar Bic pen, charcoal, markers and pencils. She sometimes paints and works with ink. Much of her work has depended upon the influences of a nomadic lifestyle.

The materials and methods she uses to create her works vary as she feels that the "pieces and parts" make for the most interesting aspect of her art. She reckons that makes her a folk artist of sorts, and not surprisingly ... she likes that idea.

Artist Spotlight: Mia DelCasino

© Mia DelCasino. Untitled Two. Photography

Mia DelCasino is one of six talented artists featured in the current exhibit. Her fine art photography will be on display through September 25, 2010.

Mia DelCasino a San Diego based artist was born in New York and raised in Bucks County Pennsylvania. Upon finishing her degree in Media Communications, she moved to Southern California to pursue a career as a professional artist.

Photography is DelCasino's chosen medium for creative expression allowing her to portray reality as she sees it and to pass the experience of her vision to others. Each piece is its own gateway to inner peace, self-awareness and introspection. DelCasino finds herself searching for the peace and calm aspect of every life experience no matter how large or small. Her belief is that it exists in a mindset rather than just a physical place. Her work illustrates the mindset, and portrays the calm and beauty that she believes can exist anywhere.

Her work can be found in many corporate and private collections across the United States.