New Members’ Exhibition

September 5 – September 29

Spectrum Art Gallery is proud to present the 2019 New Members’ Exhibition. This exhibition will show a collection of our newest members’ work. Come on down to the gallery for ArtHop and view original and refreshing photographic art by our fine members.

Rachel Clark lives in Fresno with her husband, Alex. She was born and raised in the San Joaquin Valley, just south of Fresno. At the tender age of nine, she developed a love for the study of North American birds. As she grew older, it morphed into an all-consuming passion. Rachel earned her degree in Animal Ecology from Iowa State University, and today works as a wildlife biologist, but her primary aspiration is to work as a bird guide in the Sierra Nevada Mountains and the surrounding areas. Although she has been watching birds for most of her life, she has only been photographing them for just over a year.

Larry Cusick is an amateur birder and photographer. Now retired from a career in higher education, he is finding time bird, take pictures, play music with friends, and wander in nature. He has never been busier.

Joshua Moulton enjoys being outside and taking photographs of the beauty of nature. He went to school with the intention of being a data guy and ended up getting a job being a data guy. Turns out being a data guy all day every day was driving him a little “batty.” He already liked to hike and travel so Josh figured he’d try taking pictures; it looked fun! It didn’t take long for him to fall in love with the art. Photography means so much more to Joshua than just preserving sanity now.

Bonnie Polson is a local amateur photographer who initially learned photography using black and white film. She now uses a digital camera and gets inspired to shoot when the right light appears. Landscapes, seascapes, cityscapes, as well as little details easily overlooked catch her eye and are caught by her camera. Now that her real-world title is “Retired Speech Pathologist”, she intends to spend more time traveling to catch, edit and print her images.

Art Serabian was born and raised in Fresno California. While he has used a camera most of his adult life, his experience was limited to taking an occasional snapshot or documenting events; it wasn’t until he retired that he had time to redefine his craft and truly grow as an artist-photographer. Art enjoys photographing a variety of subject matter including landscape, urban scenes, architecture, creative images, and still life. He creates both color and monochrome images with a mild bias towards monochrome images. Photography is a deeply personal and self-fulfilling proposition for him; his goal is to make images that engage the viewer, taking them along a mental journey filled with memories that trigger the imagination.

Ronald Webb embarked on his photographic journey while teaching life science and physical science classes on the Micronesian island of Kwajalein in 1977. Black and white darkroom photography seemed like a logical hobby choice for a science-oriented guy looking for a creative/expressive outlet. That spark of interest soon became a burning passion. He immersed himself in learning all he could about the art. It wasn’t long before his teaching interest shifted from the sciences to photography. By 1980, he was a full-time photography teacher at Clovis High School in Clovis, California. He continues to photograph for clients and pursue his own personal photographic experiences across the continents. Ronald has always considered his career as a passion that became a profession.

Kathy Wosika studied music and art at the University of Illinois, Champaign-Urbana from 1966-1970 and completed her B.A. and M.A. in Art with an emphasis in Craft Media at California State University, San Diego in 1974. From 1975 – 2012 she coordinated the Craft Program and taught Textile Structures, Hand Papermaking, and Ceramics, as well as 3 Dimensional Design and Art Appreciation at Fresno City College. Since 1988, she has traveled to Africa, Thailand, Mexico, and Ecuador to meet with artists and study traditional paper and textile arts as well as clay work. In 2008 she taught papermaking in Ghana and Morocco and also visited local traditional textile and craft media artists. In 2012, Kathy retired after 37 years in the Art Department at Fresno City College and currently works in her home studio. Not able to abandon music altogether, she also plays fiddle with a local Fresno band called BLIND DOG, which features an eclectic mix of traditional music from Ireland Spain and America. Having taken thousands of photos over the years as a resource and inspirational material, she has only recently begun to personally explore the creative and artistic potentials of this vast world of Photography.

Franka M. Gabler’s “Meditations”

July 2019

July will feature a one-person exhibit by Franka M. Gabler.

ArtHop reception: Thursday, July 11, 2019, 5:00-8:00pm

Franka M. Gabler – Fishing…Eastern Sierra
Franka M. Gabler – Redwood Forest in Fog #1, North Coast, CA

For several years now, Franka Gabler has been drawing her inspiration from subtle, moody, often intimate landscapes – compositions somewhere between detail/abstract – and the wider view, beyond a mere record of a particular location.  Such compositions allow for extracting unique scenes from otherwise well-known places. They often stimulate a viewer to think further, or engage in a more personal way. The light and atmosphere Franka captures in her photographs often result in sentimental impact and ethereal feeling.  Mist and fog often allow for interesting compositions and interpretations, concealing distracting elements and leaving only the essence, isolated from larger surroundings, allowing her to feel, focus, and connect with a subject.

“Meditations” is the third exhibit in a series about Franka’s intimate connection and interpretation of natural surroundings.  The previous exhibits include “Ethereal” (2015) and “In Sync” (2017).

Her compositions and choice of subjects are intuitive.  She doesn’t plan what to photograph on a particular day—instead she gets out there with open senses, waiting to see what draws her attention, hoping to recognize a simple story in a chaotic surrounding:  a beam of light, an object that breaks a pattern – or a group of objects that form an interesting pattern, exciting light and atmospheric conditions, balance of stillness and movement… Gentle morning light, tranquility, and peace of untouched nature – where only disturbance is the sound of her own footsteps and breathing, make her appreciate the gift of life, a reminder that we are all part of a larger universe, and letting everyday worries fade away.

Artist Biography:

Being a scientist and a landscape photographer, Franka M. Gabler developed a fascination, admiration, and respect for nature. Soon after moving to California in 1997, she experienced her first wilderness backpacking trip in the Sierra Nevada Mountains. Ever since that time, Franka has been photographing the magnificence of the high country mountains and the California landscape.

She lives in the Sierra foothills, in the small mountain town of Coarsegold, not far from Yosemite National Park.

Franka’s photographs are published in several books and publications.  Her work has been featured in numerous exhibits and is represented in private collections throughout the United States and abroad.  

She is affiliated with Stellar Gallery in Oakhurst, Spectrum Fine Art Gallery in Fresno, Ridgeline Gallery in Mariposa, and Circle Gallery in Madera, CA.

You can learn more about her work at: www.frankagabler.com

Franka M. Gabler – Winterscape #6, Yosemite