Standouts at O’Hanlon's Blage Exhibit

Whether you consider collage to be one of the riverheads of modernism or a simple, playful pastime, the current exhibit at the O’Hanlon Center for the Arts, Blage, has something for everyone. The collages in this exhibit represent such a wide range of styles and a variety of compositional elements the impact is visually overwhelming when first entering the gallery. But soon the eye acclimates and is able to focus on individual pieces like those of Nicollette Smith.

Nicollette Smith’s Japan Airline Maps attracts the viewer with the face of the geisha, but Smith’s mastery in assembling the background of map pieces into an outline of blue and white is what brings form to the backdrop and a third dimension to the piece. It appears as if the geisha is afloat over her city. This dramatic diptych (each panel is 24 ½” X 30 ½”) has an entertaining yet thoughtful quality.

Another prominent collagist, Napa artist, Maash Pascal shows her firm footing in the traditions of painting and drawing, and expands on those skills with two expertly composed collages on display here.

Her Temblor piece (16” X 20”, pen & ink, oil, rice paper collage) balances a soulful exploration with visually stimulating colors. Rather than manufacturing cleverness, Pascal’s works show artistic poise that invite the viewer’s gaze as in the piece Four Square (8 ¼ X 8 ¼, pencil, rice paper, pen & ink collage), which uses minimal colors and pieces to find an equilibrium that relaxes the eyes and the mind.

The O’Hanlon Gallery is perched on a woodsy hillside of Mill Valley with plenty of windows providing natural light and a charming, natural setting for the exhibit.  

Catch the Blage exhibit before it closes on Thursday, February 25th.