There has been much talk of the need for public arts in the city of Santa Maria this year. Thankfully, no matter what a bunch of city lawmakers decide, at least residents can count on the Santa Maria Public Library as a resource for viewing compelling and unique work from local artists.
The library’s Shepard Hall features a monthly rotation of paintings from local artists, hung on the wall and free to view at any time to visitors. In December, the venue featured work from a diverse group of local artists.
The immediate observation about the library’s work is that it is utterly eclectic and delightfully undefinable. There is no one style or discipline that dominates the walls. Artists of a wide range of point of views mesh together in the Shepard Hall, creating a vibrant collage of local voices.
One of the first and most stunning works that greets visitors is She Who Is Milk White by Ryan Mack, a jagged textured black and white painting that is at times hauntingly chilling. The painting features a sculptor creating a beautiful woman who is seemingly delighted and enraptured by his very existence. In muted and understated terms, Mack has managed to capture the savage nature of helpless desire and the beauty of innocent captivation.
Another artistin the show, Marilyn Dover Benson, takes a different approach to the obsession with beauty. Across the room hang three oversized depictions of the same type of flower in a near-monochromatic scheme of chocolate brown. (All three are for sale, unlike some of the work on display.)
Susan Buchanan’s work—abstract acrylic and watercolors painted on uniform sized square canvases—is another bold standout. Buchanan packs a lot of emotion and introspection into her compact canvases, raising curious questions for the viewer.
In A River Seems Like Magic, a watercolor on 6-inch-by-6-inch canvas, Buchanan uses deft restraint by limiting colors and the busyness of shapes to convey a calm and collected mood. But with Can You Stay With Me Awhile, she executes a frenzied canvas packed with the innate fear derived from lust and longing, as shaky lines hide an almost neon red shape reminiscent of a desperately beating heart.
In all, there are about a dozen works from artists on view now until Dec. 31 (when they will rotate out with a new group of visual artists). So amid the ongoing battle to ensure art is available for all in the community, the library continues to be a home for some of the most vital voices in the local arts community.
You can stay awhile with Arts and Lifestyle Writer Rebecca Rose. Contact her at rrose@santamariasun.com.
This article appears in Dec 21-28, 2017.