Summer Shows in Santa Rosa & Berkeley

I'm pleased to announce that I have plans to travel to the San Francisco Bay Area in June with two shows of my recent mosaic work.

The first event will be in Santa Rosa on June 17, at the home of my friend and long-time supporter, Maggie Schmidt. I first got to know Maggie when we both exhibited at trade shows in San Francisco in the early 90s. I was showing mosaics, and she was showing handprinted Hungarian ceramics. Maggie helped me make a trip to Hungary, to do some ceramic designs in the factory she worked with, and the rest is, well, history. She's been a steadfast fan of mine for many years, and though our lives have since taken many twists and turns, we've managed to stay in touch. Maggie has a deep appreciation for craft, handmade art, artisans, and fun, creative people. I'm looking forward to showing a collection of "Mosaic Light Paintings & Vessels", a collection inspired by the outdoors, for the indoor gallery--or the garden, and to meeting Maggie's friends and community in Santa Rosa.

Then, on June 24, I'll present my work in Berkeley at the home of my very good friends, Dan Woodland and Nick Cihak. Like Maggie, Nick and Dan's friendship, and support for my work, goes back to the early 90s when I first got my start making mosaics in San Francisco. Dan has been a moral supporter, cheerleader, student, co-creator, and patron of numerous mosaic projects, many of which I've probably forgotten (and should remember to catalog while I'm there). Nick was the first to really support my idea for creating the 20 Nawals in the Mayan Sacred Calendar in mosaic, and commissioned me to create the first series outside of Guatemala. I really looking forward to showing some new work in the garden of their home in Berkeley. And Nick and Dan's location, right next to the Ashby BART Station (and weekend flea market), makes it possible to arrive by public transport.

For both shows, I'm working on a series of what I call "Mosaic Light Paintings", and "Mosaic Vessels", that incorporate reverse-glass painting with glass mosaic. With this work, I am painting the glass first, using very gestural brushwork, then following that with a layer of mosaic, so that the piece has a painting on one side, and a mosaic on the other, resulting in some fantastic light effects. I've included a sampling of recent studio work to give you an idea of what I'm working on.

If you're in the Bay Area in June, I hope to see you:

Mosaic Light Paintings & Vessels

by Blake Sherlock

Saturday, June 17, 11 am to 5 pm

6392 Pine Valley Dr. (The Meadows) Oakmont Drive & Pine Valley Drive.

Santa Rosa, CA

Saturday June 24, 11 am to 5 pm

2933 Martin Luther King Jr Way

Berkeley, CA