Geralyn Inokuchi and Rebecca Arthur

November 5-28, 2020

We welcome fresh talent to Gallery 110 this November through the delicate abstract mixed media collage and paintings of Geralyn Inokuchi, and the striking Raku pottery of Rebecca Arthur.

Dynamic Conversation – Geralyn Inokuchi and Rebecca Arthur

While working on a piece for a show one day in her studio, Geralyn noticed the similarities between Raku pottery and abstract painting. The more she thought about it the more intrigued she became with the idea of exhibiting her paintings along with those of a ceramics artist. She began searching for a ceramicist whose work fit with hers and that is when she discovered the work of Rebecca Arthur.
Rebecca was also open to the idea of showing how the two art forms informed and invigorated each other. The randomness in Raku and abstract paintings proved to be in harmony. They have since shown their work together in Oregon over the last 2 years, just as they will at Gallery 110 Seattle WA USA November 5-28 2020.

Geralyn, as a painter, starts a canvas with gestural marks of charcoal or paint. She then places paper to obscure or highlight the marks she used to begin with, responding intuitively to what is on the surface. The painting builds from there in order to produce a clear focal point. She adds (and subtracts) many layers thus creating depth and movement. Many of the effects in the painting come from layers of transparent colors. She does not generally mix paint to produce the colors of the work but relies on glazing techniques to produce the color saturation, depth and clarity seen in the works. She listens to what the painting wants to be, always relying on intuition but also being influenced by intention.
As you will be able to see, this randomness matches that of Raku style of ceramics.

Raku was developed in Japan in the mid 16th century. Raku is the family name of the people who developed a certain way of making low fired pottery which has been passed down through many generations. There are different ways American ceramicists use to create their own type of low fired Raku ceramics. Because they are fired at a lower temperature the smoke and chemical reactions in the kiln cause certain patterns that are unpredictable or random. More interesting patterns can also occur when horse hair is applied to a hot piece when it is removed from the kiln, or when copper is wrapped around a piece when it is fired. Rebecca explores these techniques in her work. The resulting movement, texture, patterning and color combinations create a unique and dynamic conversation when paired with Geralyn’s paintings.