Do opposites attract? Or do they more complement each other? Think yin and yang, to and fro, dots and stripes, peanut butter and chocolate. In the case of David Brown and Teri Sanders-Brown, dreams and reality make up the magical combination.
This month, Brown takes his reality and pairs it with Sanders-Brown’s dream for their latest exhibition, “Dreams and Reality,” on display through June 2 at the Foxworthy Gallery on the Allan Hancock College Santa Maria campus.
The show features dream-inspired sculpture by Teri and life paintings by David in a mix of 2-D and 3-D artwork.
Both have been artists all their lives and have worked together since their days at Claremont Graduate School, where they each earned MFAs. David has taught art and design at five community colleges, including Hancock, where he’s worked since 1995. Teri has taught ceramics at Cuesta College since 1997.
David, who said he’s enamored with the act of drawing and painting, puts that passion to work creating pieces from real life. He paints the human form as quickly as possible and doesn’t think too much about what the work means, he said.
Teri, on the other hand, has been inspired by her dreams for many years now. She noted that dreams have guided many people throughout history.
“Dreams are both fascinating and frightening,” she said in a statement. “The unknown, as well as the dream imagery itself, keeps me engaged and excited about my work.”
Arts Editor Shelly Cone knows it’s time to lay off the caffeine when her dreams turn from fascinating to frightening. She’ll be drinking decaf at scone@santamariasun.com.
This article appears in May 13-20, 2010.