Your account does not include highlighter on images.
Searches Highlighted on Image
National Sponsors
| July 13, 2011 Indian Valley Record |  |
|
©
Indian Valley Record. All rights reserved. Upgrade to access Premium Tools
PAGE 13 (13 of 34 available) PREVIOUS NEXT Jumbo Image Save To Scrapbook Set Notifiers PDF JPG
July 13, 2011 |
|
|
Website © 2025. All content copyrighted. Copyright Information Terms Of Use | Privacy Policy | Request Content Removal | About / FAQ | Get Acrobat Reader 
|
LIIIIJIILJIIIIIJIIIII . , AIKUUl IlL ,
Bulletin, Progressive, Record, Reporter
Wednesday, July 13, 2011 1B
REGIONAL
Hawaiian petroglyphs insi ire 'Birth Marks'
4
Meadow Valley artist Phil Gallagher has opened a new show,
called "Birth Marks," at the Main Street Artists gallery in down-
town Quincy. It hangs through July.
oughly 700 years ago when the Hawaiian
Islands were beginning to be settled
by the ancient Polynesians, these
indigenous peoples of the region began a unique
project.
Located on the big island of Hawaii, two miles
from what is now called Chain of Craters Road
below the aCtive volcano, Kilauea, and in an area
completely barren and devoid of human life,
archeologists have discovered a petroglyph field
named Pu'uloa.
Here, the original Polynesiansbegan recording --
the births of their children signified by circles
and dots. Families would chisel a hole in the
lava (puka) to hold a child's umbilical cord (piko)
hoping that the spiritual energy of Pu'uloa would
bless it with a long and prosperous life.
A dot in a circle signified a firstborn; a dot with
two circles was the firstborn of a chief (ali'i);
a jagged line was a lizard; a plain circle was a
calabash (a tropical tree bearing gourds).
This petroglyph field stretches over three acres
of flat lava (poipoi) on gently rolling mounds. It is
the largest petroglyph field in Hawaii over
23,000 births are chiseled into these mounds,
effectively recording the birth of a nation.
Local artist Phil Gallagher was drawn to this
area because of its historical significance and its
remoteness but most importantly by the abstract
quality of the petroglyph designs. Ranging in
earth tones from straw to terra cotta to burnt
orange to black/brown, these markings became
inspiration for a series of luminous watercolors,
which will be on display at the Main Street Artists
gallery in downtown Quincy during the month of
July
In addition, this show will feature several of
Gallagher's earlier pieces thematically connected
through primitive design, among them a rendering
of a Hawaiian Madonna in all her fecund splendor.
Also on display is a giant sculpture, sure to
surprise and delight.
Gallagher's" latest series of paintings, begun in January, draw
their symbolism from a petroglyph field on the big island of
Hawaii, where a dot in a circle signifies a firstborn child. A
jagged line represents a lizard and a plain circle a calabash.
Attracted by the abstract quality of the Hawaiian petroglyphs,
Gallagher uses a palette that ranges from straw to black/brown
for his watercolors.
A view of Gallagher's studio gives a sense of scale of his canvases. Photo courtesy Phil Gallagher
Plumas Arts Tour
September 17 & 18, 2011
A Plumas County Arts, Tourism and
Economic Development grant will help
Plumas Arts to work with the local chambers
of commerce to coordinate a countywide
Plumas Arts tour Sept. 17 - 18. The event
concept combines a modified artist studio
tour based on the model of the Feather
River Fine Arts Guild's Art Around the Lake
-- with the painted barn quilt effort that was
spearheaded by the Quincy Crazy Quilters.
The event has been excitedly embraced by the
Indian Valley Chamber of Commerce and
Quincy Merchants Group and has the poten-
tial to become one of the best new cultural
happenings Plumas County has to offer.
The tour is designed both to showcase our
many impressive, diverse local artists
and give visitors a feel for our communities.
Promotion will combine this tour with adja-
cent events and encourage overnight stays
throughout Plumas County during what
has traditionally been one of the slowest
occupancy times for tourism. Plumas Arts
will market the event outside of the county
through a variety of media and contacts as
well as within the local media.
Plumas Arts will create a printed color
catalog of participating artists, studios and
galleries with a map showing all of the art
stops as well as .locations of the painted quilt
blocks mounted on barns, businesses and
residences. There will be opportunities for
artists, galleries and businesses to purchase
ads in the catalog, which will be overprinted
beyond anticipated attendees so that it will be
available to visitors beyond the confines of.
this single weekend.
This is a formidable undertaking, both in
the attempt to blend the separate quilt and art
participants as well as to tie all the county
together for this single event. Plumas Arts
must also consider the fact that funding cuts
have limited its staffing capacity during what
is already one of the busiest times of the year.
As is the nature of a first-year event, this
is very much a work-in-progress as the
particulars of the event evolve to encompass
the expanding collection of participants.
Plumas County artists, galleries, restau-
rants, businesses, quilters and quilt groups
are invited to participate.
Plumas Arts has just completed a par-
ticipant form to collect information about
participants, sites and supporters. The form
is available for download at plumasarts.org
and has an Aug. 10 deadline. However,
Plumas Arts requests that participants turn
in forms as soon as possible.
For more information, email info@
plumasarts.org or call 283-3402.
II|]IIll|lllliWll]ili, lm]llllllIl/Illll/I]IlIl| II llllmliilTI 1[ ]IiI]; Ill II'tl*]i n II!t] FTIqlR,IImI