February 20, 2002
For Immediate Release
Contact Julie Baker 530-273-0910 julie@juliebakerfineart.com
or Annice Jacoby 415 648 6980 annicej@aol.com

ART TALK AT JULIE BAKER FINE ART - MARY STREET

Julie Baker Fine Art will host an Artist’s Talk by Mary Street, entitled Evolution of a Line. The slide presentation and lecture will take place at the gallery, 120 N. Auburn Street in Grass Valley from 6 to 7:30 pm.

Mary Street’s art has been exhibited nationwide and is in corporate and private collections such as Nokia Corporation, Bank of America, and New Mexico State UIniversity.

Her presentation will focus on the elements of composition which recur throughout her work: in fiber designs, sculptural artist books, woodcut prints on her own handmade paper, monoprints and paintings on canvas.

“Over time, an artist develops a personal vocabulary of composition which is like handwriting. It’s that mark-making which evolves and appears in surprising ways which keeps the fascination fresh for me when I’m creating,” Street explains.

A graduate of the California College of Arts & Crafts with High Distinction, Street has lived in Nevada County for 15 years. Her paintings are featured in Baker’s Dozen, the inaugural exhibition at Julie Baker Fine Art, along with 12 other artists from around the U.S. and Nevada County.

After art school, she focused on creating artist books, pushing the boundaries of our usual concepts of the book structure. One of her books, Uncertain/Tea, was reviewed in The New York Times as part of an exhibition in New Haven, CT. Other books were featured in Cover to Cover, the Art of Bookmaking, by Shereen LaPlantz.

“Constructing books is very similar to making one-of-a-kind vests and jackets, which I created in the ‘80s. But the books were difficult to display and very time-consuming to create, so I decided to switch gears and explore printmaking,” she said.

This change led to prints on paper she made herself, beating the pulp and forming sheets for woodcut prints. “Handmade paper absorbs the ink beautifully, and I love the richness of black ink on white deckled paper.”

This series of prints were in many exhibitions, including the Pacific Rim International at the University of Hawai’i, the University of Pittsburgh, University of California at Santa Cruz, and New Mexico State University,
which bestowed a Purchase Award for her work in their Art Department Collection.

The series was also featured in a competition sponsored by Bolinas Art Museum and juried by San Francisco gallery owner, John Berggruen. Four pieces received the Juror’s Award at the show.

“The prints were composed of everyday objects which I think of as metaphysical symbols. They continue to evolve over time, showing up as riddles about my life’s experiences.”

Concurrent with the design of these prints, Street was studying the Japanese tea ceremony. “There are dozens of ceremonies,” she explains, “each one with different choreographed movements. Every gesture defines the moment, and each object in the ceremony takes on a highly revered role. The experience becomes a distillation of Zen meditation. I am exploring the possibilities of transferring this kind of experience to art-making. I try to make every mark count, nothing superficial, just the essentials to capture a feeling of time and space.”

For six years, Street has been developing her personal signature with acrylic paintings on canvas. The most recent works are the result of the September 11th tragedy, a series of house forms on a background of flag-like stripes.

“These came up from my subconscious as a series of personal flags, all about how I see myself inside my community and within myself,” she explained.

For reservations, phone 530 273-0910 There is a $5 donation, with proceeds to the artist.