ORIGINAL ENTRY 6:30 a.m. 11/5: In Thursday's Life section I have a story about the November ArtHop, including a couple of picks for new and different venues to check out:

• DeRouchey Creative Design Studio, at 1803 S. Van Ness Ave., for the third year opens its doors for a group show by local artists. In "Variations of Flight," the emphasis is on the process by which objects move either through the air within or beyond our atmosphere. The show includes digital photography, works in acrylic and mixed media on canvas, granite and stone.
• Fulton's Folly Antique Collective, at 920 E. Olive Ave., features a reception for Brazil native Christina Motta, whose professional career began in 1969 with drawings and oil paintings. She has shown her works in variouscollective exhibitions and more than 25 individual exhibitions in Brazil and other south American countries.

On the jump: more info and images from these and some of the other ArtHop venues I mention.

"Bee," by Samuel J. Tekunoff, Digital Illustration

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"Flightless," by Tommy Cardoza, Acrylic/Pencil

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"Love Grub," by Justin Yando, Mixed Media

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"Conception," by Uriel J. Tekunoff, Paint

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JULIANA HARRIS' "14 WATERFALLS" AT THE WARNORS THEATER

From the press release:

Artist Juliana Harris presents 14 Waterfalls in the windows of Warnors Theatre, 1400 Fulton St., Fresno, on ArtHop, Thursday, Nov. 5th, from 5 - 8 p.m.

Harris, who is well known for her semi-abstracted oil paintings of water, has created 14 mixed-media images of waterfalls visible from the sidewalk, in 9-foot tall windows: eight on Tuolumne St. and six on Fulton St.

Harris says the challenges presented by the windows project were daunting. "My palette tends to be subdued and my work is detailed and subtle. None of these qualities are appropriate for large windows that demand high-contrast imagery viewable from a distance.

"At first, I was definitely out of my comfort zone," she says. "I asked myself if I could create something that met all the demands of the space and remain true to my own aesthetic. The parameters of this project are so far from my world in the studio."

Her first hurdle was to comprehend the theatre's massive physical dimensions, the proportions of the windows, their rhythmic placement in the architecture, and the wealth of decorative elements surrounding them. "The building's façade is so extravagant, what could I put in those windows that would stand out in such surroundings?" she asked.

Beyond the physical considerations lay the intangibles. How would the sun's strong southwestern exposure affect the artwork? Would sunlight and radiant heat fade, warp or shrink the materials touching the glass? To what degree would reflections distort or enhance the images behind the glass?

Next, Harris focused on the aesthetic questions: would her images be united thematically or standalone? How would the windows' tall narrow dimensions influence her choice of subject? Would one giant image be segmented throughout all the windows, or would each window frame a distinctly different scene?

After months of mulling over her topic, Harris chose waterfalls because the subject works well with the windows' proportions, and she could continue her interest in conveying the aesthetic shapes and feelings of water¬.

"As a public art project, I like the idea of focusing on the most hotly debated topic in this Valley. For growers, water is the difference between life and death. Waterfalls not only represent power; they are power. Their uncontrollable force is dependent upon a lasting source. There are many metaphors one can draw; suffice it to say, waterfalls are icons worthy of contemplation, and they are large, bold, vertical shapes-perfect for the windows."

Once she established her subject, she realized she could not take her usual approach of applying paint to canvas. The cost of materials would have been prohibitive. "I experimented with everything," she claims, "tree branches, plastic tarps, fabric, foil, anything I could get my hands on that was large, plentiful and either free or cheap."

Finally, she settled on using plain paper and entered the mindset of large shapes, simple forms, high contrast and exaggerated detail to ensure the images would be visible from a distance. The specific mixed-media methods she employed are explained, for the public, in two window boxes to the immediate left and right of the theatre marquee.

Because the sun sets at 5:07 p.m. on Nov. 5,th art hoppers are encouraged to bring flashlights, headlamps, lanterns, light sabers and other forms of portable light to illuminate the windows from the sidewalk. As the winter season of lights begins, Harris's ArtHop installation promises to be a fun event for the whole family

Warnors Windows is a public art project of the California Contemporary Art Collective, of which Harris is a founding member.

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GALLERY 25

For the month of November, Gallery 25 will exhibit the work of member Robert Weibel, a figurative artist and printmaker, who will exhibit gunpowder prints from a unique process of contemporary artistic expression. Weibel has explored igniting gunpowder on
paper and other surfaces to create images after Cai Guo-Qiang. Above: Weibel's "Smelt Up."

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FIG TREE GALLERY

Mary Maughelli's exhibit, titled, "Looking Inward", deals with images of figures and faces in an interwoven form integrating the autobiographical with art historical references as well as xeroxes and photos from current news media expressing a personal visual journey. These works are
12 x 9" in size and use collage, oil bars, and mixed media on Twinrocker hand made
paper. Many of these pieces were exhibited at ARC Gallery in Chicago in July and August
of 2009.

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CHRIS SORENSEN STUDIO

Annual "Nudes in November" exhibition opens Nov. 5.

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DOWNTOWN COMMUNITY ARTS COLLECTIVE

DCAC organizers write:

Ashleigh Sumner is excited to make her gallery show debut with the painting series, "Abstract Expression Through Urban Inspiration" on Thursday, November 5th at the Downtown Community Arts Collective (DCAC) in Fresno, CA.

Sumner, a self - taught artist living in Los Angeles, received her B.A. in Theatre Arts from Western Carolina University before moving West to pursue an acting career in stage, film, and television. Sumner most recently starred in the indie film, "And Then Came Lola" featured at Fresno's 20thAnnual Reel Pride Film Festival.

In her paintings, Sumner attempts to incorporate the implied visual of densely populated urban landscapes with the raw, gritty texture of industrial areas. With a palette knife, she applies several layers of bold color by scraping paint across wood panels or canvas. Sumner then incorporates strong accents of black through out the piece. Finally, resin is introduced into the process to render added depth and to convey a modern, veneer surface o the artwork.

With the help of the DCAC, Ashleigh Sumner is happily expanding her creative pursuits beyond the stage and to the canvas. Please join us for an evening of food, drink, music, art and celebration at the DCAC (754 P Street, Fresno CA 93721) on November 5th @ 5:00pm to 8:00 pm with an Artist's After Party from 8:00pm to 10:00 pm.

There is no cost to attend. Please bring a friend and support Fresno's thriving art scene.

Portions of proceeds generated from the sale of Ashleigh Sumner paintings will benefit the DCAC and Fresno's Marjaree Mason Center.