“Wanderlust / A Group Show” Opens November 4th at Sparks Gallery

13 Local Artists Celebrate the Beauty of Travel in a New Group Exhibition

Sparks Gallery is pleased to announce the opening of “Wanderlust: / A Group Show” on November 4 from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. Thirteen local artists will exhibit artworks featuring places and cities across the globe.  

Exhibited Artists:

Jon Barnes, Eric Blau, Doug Dolde, David Fokos, Li Huai, Andrew C. Ko, Irina Negulescu, Minghua Nie, Joe A. Oakes, Amanda St Claire, Lee Sie, Paul Strahm, Bruce Swart

A selection of the exhibited artists were asked to describe how they felt about capturing the “perfect moment” and the essence of traveling to bring that final image and/or representation of the experience home with them. Their answers are below:

“In photography, I often play a passive role: I let the subject reveal itself, wait until it wishes to ‘speak’. Perhaps, on occasion, there are ‘gifts that come in a moment as fleeting as the touch of an angel’s wing’, as they did for Sally Mann. And, on rarer occasions, they come when I have my camera fully ready. Sometimes, the process even takes in the form of a serious courtship, with me dancing around: from time to time my head close to the ground; camera and my gripping hands twisted into an odd tangle; sweat dripping down to soil, praying for the process to be over soon – announced with a gentle tap of the angel’s wing.” –Minghua Nie

 “Traveling has many enticements to recommend it.  Chief among those for me is the ability to reinvent myself in an unfamiliar milieu, and to see that environment with fresh, unjaundiced eyes.  Using those transient attributes photographing, I can occasionally, happily, surprise myself.” –Eric Blau

“Perfection is a nebulous concept that one may strive for but is always somewhat out of reach.  What I do strive for is to freeze a moment in time that somehow strikes a chord with me, in terms of the internal rhythm and harmony that are part of myself everywhere I travel.  In such endeavors, capturing a moment in time and space is analogous to self-discovery and becomes an expression of my internal thought process.” -Andrew C. Ko

“As a landscape painter I am constantly on the lookout for the perfect moment. Sometimes I see one just a mile from my home and other times it can be 500 miles or even a thousand. What’s important for me is to take the photo and my memory and merge them into an emotional response to that perfect moment. I create something to share, so that others can enjoy some of the same perfect moments and therefore connect us all.”  –Joe A. Oakes

Exhibition Dates: November 4, 2017 through December 30, 2017

Opening Reception: November 4, 2017, 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. (RSVP Required)

Opening reception wine sales to benefit California Veterans Legal Task Force.  

RSVP required for opening night via this webpage: http://sparksgallery.com/exhibitions/exhibition-wanderlust-group-show

About the Gallery:

Located in the Gaslamp Quarter of downtown San Diego, the Sparks Gallery (Est 2013) is housed in the historic Sterling Hardware Building between Island and Market on Sixth Avenue. Sparks Gallery represents contemporary artwork by artists living in San Diego and Southern California.

The Gallery was awarded the 2015 People in Preservation Award for Adaptive Reuse by Save Our Heritage Organization (SOHO). The Gallery serves as a premier San Diego event venue offering art exhibitions, art workshops, seminars and private events.

Gallery hours are Monday through Friday: 12pm-7pm, Saturday 11am-7pm, and Sunday 11am-5pm. Private appointments also available by calling (619) 696-1416. For more information, visit sparksgallery.com