NAVIGATIONS OF THE FANTASTIC
Work by Jose Arenas, Betty A. Davis, Veronica Felix, and Elizabeth Gomez
June 3–August 13, 2011

Nature and the environment,  themes of dislocation, ecology, and the interaction of humans and animals in the urban landscape influence the works in this exhibition.  Jose Arena’s artwork plays on themes of dislocation and disorientation through collaged vignettes and narration.  He spent much of his childhood traveling between Northern California and Guadalajara, México.  His experiences navigating two cultures, with its complex process of integration and assimilation, are a critical component that informs his work. Betty A. Davis creates expressive pastel drawings that reference her bicultural experience as a new immigrant to the U.S. Her work reflects her own nomadic experience and her longing for stable grounds.  Veronica Felix considers her art-making a deep reverence to nature. To present a series of abstract encaustic painting, she uses eco-friendly materials including pure beeswax combined with pigments of vegetable or mineral origin. Elizabeth Gomez’s work explores the intrinsic connections between humans, animals, and plants, mixing the fantastic with the prosaic and a lighthearted whimsy with a deeply felt need for what the artist calls “spiritual ecology.”