LAMORINDA WEEKLY | Moraga Art Gallery exhibit ignited by 'Light and Fire'


Ceramicis by Donna Arganbright Photos provided

The Moraga Art Gallery announces its initial exhibit of 2023, opening on Jan. 18. Entitled "Light and Fire," it features the work of two celebrated member artists from Lafayette: Lucy Beck, an award-winning photographer who uses light to capture the astonishing color, beauty and structure of small, everyday flowers, and ceramicist Donna Arganbright, hailed for her functional bowls, mugs, trays, pitchers and plates, as well as "attitude figures" - vases disguised as posturing humans, hands on hips, and clothed in fresh, bright-hued glazes.

John Hopper of Walnut Creek is the featured guest artist. Acclaimed by both the American Watercolor Society (AWS) and the California Watercolor Association (CWA), he combines realistic and impressionistic styles in spirited paintings that render a world awash with color.

The exhibit, which runs until March 26, also includes paintings in numerous media, sculptures, jewelry, woodcraft, ceramics, photographs, etchings, silk scarves, and more by a score of member and guest artists, including Wenda Pyman, K. deGroot, Judy Miller, Kath Balamuth, Margaret Dorfman, and Rick Nelson.

The public is cordially invited to a free reception from 5 to 7 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 4. Come to view the art, meet the artists, mingle with other art lovers, enjoy a glass of wine and light snacks accompanied by live music befitting the gallery's gracious ambiance. The gallery, in the Rheem Shopping Center at 432 Center Street, Moraga, is open Wednesday to Sunday from noon to 5 p.m. For more information visit http://www.moragaartgallery.com or call (925) 376-5407.