Woodturner Lynne Yamaguchi of Tucson will be showing her sculptural vessels at the JCC exhibit. Yamaguchi says that the “Beyond Containment” theme applies on several levels. “Though the vessels that I make are literally containers, I approach them as sculptural objects, beyond their traditional function. I also treat them as metaphors, primarily for aspects of the human condition. And much of my new work directly explores the idea of refusing to be contained; for example, a new series, titled ‘Becoming,’ includes works that play with shedding or breaking out of or emerging from an old form to embody a new one.”

Yamaguchi exhibits locally and nationally. She most recently exhibited her elegant wooden vessels at the Shemer Art Center in Phoenix. You can see more of her work at www.lynneyamaguchi.com.

C. J. Shane is best known for her oil paintings and monotypes. Her color- and texture-intense abstracted landscapes are deeply informed by the Sonoran desert landscape. To Shane, “Beyond Containment” refers to her experience of the natural world. “My hope is that the viewer of my art will be reminded of the serenity and depth to be found in the natural world.” Shane exhibits locally and nationally. Her work can be seen at www.cjshane.com.

“Beyond Containment” will be up through March 13, 2012. Gallery hours are Monday to Thursday, 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., and Sunday and Friday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. The center is closed on Saturdays. The Tucson Jewish Community Center is located at 3800 E. River Road, Tucson, AZ.

"Beyond Containment" at the JCC Fine Art Gallery: "Starry Night on the Prairie" by C J Shane and "Pirouette" by Lynne Yamaguchi

Here”s what the Shemer says:

If you are looking for unique, one of a kind, hand-crafted gifts to send to your family and special friends this holiday season look no more! The Shemer Art Center presents its 1st Annual Invitational Home For The Holidays Show & Sale, December 2–31, 2011.
The exhibit features high-quality work from 35 talented Arizona artists working in metal, clay, glass, beadwork, wood, paper, textiles, print and other diverse disciplines that will be for sale during the month of December.

AND … if you would like to be one of the first 100 VIPs (Very Interested Patrons) to get a sneak preview (1st chance to buy), a Holiday Party is scheduled for Thursday evening, December 1, 2011, from 6 to 9 p.m. Artists will be in attendance!

Celebrate with holiday music, wine, appetizers, desserts, and good friends! Enjoy the camaraderie of friends new and old. Area resorts have also donated silent auction items including their signature gift items, a one-night stay, and spa privileges. Cost is $50/person ($35 membership included with the purchase of two tickets). Please help us celebrate our first successful year of managing the operations of the Center without City support. We’re on our own! Your continued support is vital to helping us sustain and grow this beautiful and vital community asset.

Starting December 2, items will be available on-line for purchase at
www.shemerartcenterandmuseum.org.

The Shemer will be open to the public Tuesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., Sunday afternoons from 12 noon to 3 p.m., and Thursday evenings from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Stop by if you can!

You can view a list of all the artists participating in the tour, with maps to each location, at the Tucson Pima Arts Council web site. My fellow Flux artists will also be participating, with Lee Roy Beach, Mary Vaneecke, and Sheryl Holland setting up shop at Flux Gallery, and C. J. Shane, Dragana Skrepnik, and Peter Eisner hosting visitors at their own studios.

Following that are my fall shows:

• the St. Philip’s Outdoor Art Show, October 22 and 23 (my first time here);
• the Tucson Artists’ Open Studio Tour, November 12 and 13;
• and the Tucson Museum of Art Holiday Artisans’ Market, November 18 to 20.

I will post details for the shows and events as I get them. Please note that one of my usual fall shows, the Big Brothers Big Sisters Southwest Flair A-Fair, scheduled for October 28 to 30, has been canceled this year by the organizers.

And looking further forward, come next year, from February 2 to March 13, I will be showing my work at the Tucson Jewish Community Center, in a two-person show with fellow Flux artist C. J. Shane.

Three rules he thinks
have helped
Make small cuts

In this way

you may be able to stop before
what was to be an arm
has to be something else

Always whittle away from yourself

and toward something.
For God’s sake
and your own
know when to stop

—John Stone, “Whittling: The Last Class”

Thanks to my friend Suzanne for sharing this with me. By the way, the Writer’s Almanac site is a great one to browse.