The Mechanics of Texture

Encaustic collages by Shelly Gerrish and kinetic sculpture by Benjamin Cowden

Opening party Friday December 17^th 6 to 9pm,
With music by the Michael LaMaccia group

Show runs Dec 13^th through Jan 29th

About the Artists:
Shelly Gerrish:
Shelly's love of photography took off when she began to travel 17 years ago, realizing that it's the little details of a place that make it so special.  In her latest work, she brings together these soulful details in encaustic collages that translate into intriguing, textured compositions.  Adding the elements of wax and quirky adornments to her images, they ultimately melt together to create one single, multi-dimensional story that viewers are invited to interact with and interpret through their own perspective.  Each piece is left with a one-of-a-kind stamp of personality that pulls it together, and binds it as one.  Intertwined with her encaustic creations are photographs from her many travels, displayed using alternative framing experimentations that she unearthed from local, Bay Area resources such as Urban Ore and S.C.R.A.P.
You can find more of her photography work at capturaphoto.com , where her passion is to bring adventure to portraiture, merging personality with landscape.
Benjamin Cowden:

Benjamin Cowden began working with metal during an undergraduate anthropology project in Cameroon in 1997, where he studied how Baka Pygmies turned worn machetes into utility knives. He later worked with street-jewelers in Costa Rica, learning small metals techniques, before taking a more formal route to education by attending

blacksmithing workshops at the John C. Campbell Folkschool in North Carolina. Benjamin was an Artist-in-Residence at the Appalachian Center for Crafts in Tennessee from 2001 to 2003, during which time he focused on utilitarian forged ironwork, including furniture and kitchenware.

Cowden began earnestly making sculptures in 2004 when he entered the Master of Fine Arts in Metals program at Southern Illinois University Carbondale. Focused on creating touchable, interactive objects, Benjamin began working with mechanical devices and small, playful machines which address human experience. He now lives in Oakland California, where he continues exploring diverse themes through mechanical metaphor.  To see more of Cowden’s art visit: twentysevengears.com

About the opening night music:

Special musical guest Michael LaMaccia on guitar, featuring Niels Myrner on drums and Doug Miller on Bass.

A gifted guitarist and prolific composer there is always a buzz in Michael's music with a feeling of freshness and passion.  Bridging musical worlds together Michael creates a sound that is personal and unique drawing from experiences of Jazz, Brazilian, African, Latin, Classical, and Pop.  Follow his music at michaellamacchia.com