Newsprint art show

One of the many cruel realities of sheltering in place during the coronavirus
pandemic is the fact that, while many artists have had more time at home and in studios, the galleries and cafes that normally host them are not open for in-person viewings of the work they’ve created.

Local venues—such as the 1078 Gallery, Museum of Northern California Art and Chico Art Center—are making do with online-only exhibits that are a great lifeline, if not quite as satisfying of an experience.

Newsprint isn’t a proper substitute either, but it is something physical. So with the intention of getting more works in front of the eyes of the community, the Chico News & Review has put together this small group exhibit to rescue some lockdown art from quarantine and get it into your hands. Pick up a print edition today, or just enjoy the online slideshow below.

Christian Garcia, “New World Order” (spray paint, watercolor, acrylics on mural paper)
Christian Garcia
Christian Garcia: "This piece was created during shelter in place. It clearly depicts the way we are all currently living, with the utmost uncertainty. Mysterious happenings and events leading and occurring still." (Garcia is a Northern California based mural artist heavily influenced by Bay Area graffiti/street art. Instagram: @594evah)
Dolores Mitchell, “Chico Mythology: North Star” (oil painting, July of 2020)
Dolores Mitchell
Dolores Mitchell: "I finished an extensive reworking of my “Chico Mythology: Northern Star,” a 12-by-24-inch oil painting from 2018. I heightened color contrasts and added rhythmic patterns to give the painting a more supernatural look." (Mitchell worked as an art history professor at Chico State for 30 years. In retirement, she’s recommitted herself to painting and supporting local arts, co-founding the Avenue 9 Gallery and publishing a monthly Art Talk email newsletter. dolores mitchellart.com )
Erin Wade, Death Count Flyer Project (photocopy)
Erin Wade
Erin Wade: "I began this project in April because I felt the need to respond somehow to the steadily rising death toll. After some thought, I decided that documentation was an important function of art, and could provide a structure to respond. I consider this project to be more design activism than “art”—but that’s where it started." (Wade is an artist, designer, Butte College instructor and President of the Board of Directors of 1078 Gallery. erinwade.com)
Jacob Troester, “untitled” (clay sculptures)
Jacob Troester
Jacob Troester: "During lockdown I have been working alongside my partner, Mattie Hinkley, in preparation for an exhibition of our work, which is scheduled to be on display Oct. 15-Nov. 1 at the 1078 Gallery. The show, titled We Live Here Now, will be a contemporary craft exhibition … and will explore how and why the cultivation of sculptural and utilitarian objects can inspire universal feelings of home: comfort, safety, familiarity and love." (Troester currently works as a Ceramics Lab technician in the Butte College Arts department and devotes much of his free time to an artistic practice centered around traditional craft materials including clay, textiles and wood. Instagram: @goodgodamn)
James Woronow, “2020 #5” (enamel on steel sculpture; 10 1/2 feet by 4 feet)
James Woronow
James Woronow: "Art is a vain attempt to justify the life I lead." (Woronow has been making art for 47 years—the first 35 in wood, the last 12 in metals. neutralgray gallery.com)
Kandis Horton-Jorth, “Writer’s Block” (assemblage )
Kandis Horton-Jorth
Kandis Horton-Jorth: "During these trying times … I stopped thinking about what the thing is or represents, and started focusing on form and texture. Juxtapositions. Painting the entirety in black, while initially to provide cohesion, ultimately came to express my mood since COVID entered our lives." (Horton-Jorth is a Chico-based mixed-media artist who incorporates her love of travel, found objects, paper and photography into multiple incarnations. Instagram: @kkhorton)
Leslie Mahon-Russo, “As Seen From Space” (cold wax, oil paint and oil bars)
Leslie Mahon-Russo
Leslie Mahon-Russo: “This piece is many layers of cold wax tinted with oil paint, lines drawn with oil bars and carving into the wax on a deep canvas." (Mahon-Russo is a registered nurse who upon retirement began taking art classes from Sal Casa, Ruben Herredia and James Kuiper.)
Michael Bone, “Dog Portrait” (oil on canvas)
Michael Bone
Michael Bone: "I have been painting a lot of dogs lately; here’s my most recent one. I tried to keep it windy and light." (Bone is a Chico musician, founder of the 1Day Song Club songwriting group, a co-founder of the Uncle Dad’s Art Collective and a newly prolific painter. bone-made.com)
Michelle Ott, “The Bookstore” (ink on Bristol board)
Michelle Ott
Michelle Ott: "My primary project since the pandemic began is called Current Occupant. … I’ve drawn my memory of each of my past residences, and sent the current occupant of each a copy of the drawing and a brief story about the time I lived there. The project is a meditation, an autobiography, a mail art project, and an offering to a stranger. ... The next stage is to draw my memory of each of my workplaces." (Ott makes illustrations and hand-cut photographs focusing on observations of our physical and social world. michelleott.com)
Tatiana Allen, “Sunnyside Up” (mixed-media)
Tatiana Allen
Tatiana Allen: "[This piece was] created as a reminder to look for the sunny side when trying to navigate through life’s storms." (Tatiana is a self taught artist and owner of Chico Art Studio. She transplanted to Chico in 2001 to complete her bachelor’s degree in Health Administration. During her time at Chico State, she suffered a severe trauma, which led her to art as the first step in her healing process and her career as an artist. facebook.com/chicoartstudio)
Seamonster, Sexy hot dog postcards (watercolor)
Seamonster
Seamonster: "[I’m] continuing to hone my figurative sexy hot dog rendering skills via any surface possible, and mailing out donation-based original custom love letter wiener paintings postcard style ... basically regressing into dick/poop/sex/weed jokes thru my 'art' like a 12-year-old kid. It’s been relaxing." (Find Christine “Seamonster” Fulton on Instagram: @sea_monstie)