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“Royals,” an art show featuring works by artists Lisa Green, Tawny Morgan and Gina Tuzzi, is on view through Nov. 5 at the Canvas + Clay Gallery, 233 F St., Eureka.
The exhibit features paintings and ceramic sculptures portraying U.S. “royals,” including celebrities, musicians and popular television and movie characters — from Mr. Rogers and Pamela Anderson to Prince, the Jackson 5 and more.
“The idea for ‘Royals’ came from Lisa Green and Tawny Morgan’s tremendous passion for creating art about all the celebrities, musicians and TV show characters that they love,” said Jen McLaurin, Canvas + Clay Gallery manager.
“‘Royals’ seemed a fitting name,” McLaurin said, “because of both how America treats celebrities and figures of the entertainment industry and also how Lisa and Tawny feel about their beloved music and television heroes.
“Prince is depicted both in painting and ceramic form by Lisa Green,” said McLaurin. “She also has multiple paintings and a ceramic bust of ‘The King of Pop,’ Michael Jackson. Tawny Morgan made ‘The King of Rock ‘n’ Roll,’ Elvis, as a cookie Jar. Tawny even made a ceramic bust of ‘The King of Flavortown,’ Guy Fieri.”
Green said, “I paint characters and famous people. I like to do that because it’s pretty fun to do. I love that.”
According to its website, canvasandclaystudio.org, Canvas + Clay “provides an inclusive studio environment and gallery for artists of varying abilities to foster an authentic art practice and professional growth within an inviting art community.”
Green started going to the Canvas + Clay Studio in 2012 after graduating from Glen Paul School in Eureka.
“I like to make art a lot. It makes me happy,” she said. “… I draw, paint and sculpt. I also make videos. I like to listen to music all the time. I like to watch movies a lot.”
Morgan has been creating art since she was in kindergarten, and has attended South Bay Elementary, Zane Middle and Glen Paul schools. She first came to the Canvas + Clay Studio in 2014.
“Art is so much fun,” said Morgan, who also enjoys making art at home. “I paint at my kitchen table. What I like to do on the weekend is paint and watch movies … and go shopping with my sister-in-law.”
Canvas + Clay’s guest artist for this exhibit is Cal Poly Humboldt Department of Art lecturer Gina Tuzzi of Blue Lake.
“Gina’s work is a part of the group show we agreed to title ‘Royals.’ However,” McLaurin said, “her body of work is a different theme than what the two artists from Canvas + Clay chose to focus on. Alone her body of work is called ‘Pennyroyal,’ and it is more personal to Gina and her sacred experiences with Mother Nature.”
Tuzzi has a bachelor’s degree in painting and printmaking from Humboldt State University (now Cal Poly Humboldt) and an MFA in painting from Mills College in Oakland.
“The origins of my recent work emerged from a deep and urgent desire to find sanctuary,” Tuzzi said. “… The visual elements of the work have been primarily harvested from memory. The palette is inspired by the endemic colorscapes of the feral environment that surrounds me. The abstract gestures mimic my corporeal remembrance of navigating this wild landscape.”
McLaurin says Canvas + Clay is “grateful and delighted” to have Tuzzi exhibit her work in the “Royals” show.
“It’s always very inspiring for Canvas + Clay’s artists to have guest artists show their work here,” McLaurin said. “We get to see different techniques and styles of art up close and personal. The artists that work on their art during the week at the gallery can even study the guest artist’s work daily for the duration of the exhibition.
She added, “Gina was scheduled to have a show here two years ago in October of 2020. However, our program was temporarily closed and we were all working remotely because of COVID-19. Her show, ‘All Lit Up//Midnight Choir,’ with Deanna Dutra, was an online only show. We feel very lucky that she was willing to come back and have an in-person show now that we have reopened.”
The Canvas + Clay Gallery is open Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. and by appointment. Current COVID-19 safety guidelines are in place. For more information, call 707-273-1026, ext. 823.
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