PORT ANGELES — The PUB Gallery of Art at Peninsula College will present “trompe l’oeil with a twist” with “Crafty Objects,” a solo exhibition by Artist in Residence Shalene Valenzuela beginning Tuesday and continuing through May 11.
The exhibition at the PUB Gallery at the Port Angeles campus at 1502 Lauridsen Blvd. is free and open to the public.
“My work is a form of trompe l’oeil with a twist,” Valenzuela said. “In using clay to reinvent everyday objects, I play with the notion that things are not what they initially seem to be.
“The object being referenced remains recognizable while the illustrations are imperative in creating the narratives that create various dialogues and statements within and about the physical object.”
A Studium Generale presentation at 12:30 p.m. Thursday and artist reception at 1:30 p.m. May 11 in the Little Theater will round out her solo exhibition. Both the exhibition and reception are free and open to the public.
Valenzuela was born in Santa Barbara, Calif., and received a Bachelor of Arts in art practice at the University of California at Berkeley and a Master of Fine Arts in ceramics from California College of Arts and Crafts.
She has participated in artist residencies at the Clay Studio of Missoula, the Archie Bray Foundation and Watershed Center for the Ceramic Arts. She has taught at Flathead Valley Community College, University of Montana, Oregon College of Art and Craft, The Clay Studio of Missoula, Missoula Art Museum, Richmond Art Center, ASUC Studios at UC Berkeley and CCA Extended Education.
She was the recipient of the Jessie Wilber and Frances Senska Individual Artist’s Innovation Award from the Montana Arts Council in 2013, and is the executive director at the Clay Studio of Missoula.
“My ceramic sculptures reflect upon a variety of issues with a thoughtful, yet humorous and ironic tone,” she said.
“My narratives explore topics ranging from fairy tales, urban mythologies, consumer culture, societal expectations, etiquette and coming-of-age issues.”
“Exploring issues focusing on women is important to me for many reasons,” Valenzuela said. “My investigations speak to a greater issue of how women in general perceive themselves and are seen in society, historically and today.”
For more information, contact Michael Paul Miller at mpmiller@ pencol.edu.
