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Written by Barbara Metz
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Saturday, 17 November 2007 |
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Art Expressions Gallery Presents ‘Art Talk’ on Ancient Rock Paintings Wednesday, Nov. 28 Noted photographers and authors Harry W. Crosby and Robert W. Hansen will share their personal explorations of these prehistoric art forms.
The history, beauty and spirituality of ancient North American pictographs (rock paintings) and petroglyphs (engraved rock murals) will be explored by two noted photographers and authors during an “Art Talk” and book signing at 7 p.m., Wednesday, Nov. 28, at Art Expressions Gallery, 2645 Financial Court, Suite C, San Diego. The event is open to the public at no charge; reservations may be made by calling (858) 270-7577.
La Jollan Harry W. Crosby, author of “The Cave Paintings of Baja California: Discovering the Great Murals of an Unknown People,” will discuss his dramatic personal experiences in caves in the remote mountains of Baja California. Guided by local ranchers over more than a thousand miles of trails, Crosby discovered and photographed more than 200 sites painted in the “Great Mural” style. He is considered the foremost student of these rock paintings, which have been honored with a UNESCO World Heritage Site designation, one of only six sites in the world devoted to rock art. According to the Wall Street Journal, “These Great Murals, created by an unknown people, are not only major cultural artifacts, but the most distinctive trove of rock art in North America. The scale of the paintings and their sensitive renderings of animals and people are unmatched in the New World and are comparable to the Paleolithic cave paintings of Europe.”
In addition to Crosby’s book on the Great Murals, he has written and illustrated six non-fiction books that focus on the history of Alta and Baja California and authored a novel. His photography has been showcased in two retrospective shows at the UCSD Central Library and at La Casa de la Cultura in Tijuana.
San Juan Capistrano artist Robert A. Hansen, author of Yucatán Passages, A photographer’s pilgrimage through southern Mexico, will discuss his adventures in the Four Corners area of the Southwest, where he has extensively photographed Anasazi ruins and rock paintings.
Hansen says, “My trips to these ancient lands in the U.S. and in Mexico initially focused on photography, but soon evolved into spiritual journeys that have helped to illuminate and clarify my artistic pathway,” said Hansen.
Henry Rasmussen, publisher and editor of Black & White Magazine, says of Hansen: “He has the heart of a searcher, the eyes of a poet, the hands of a craftsman – traits manifested in sensitive portraits of faces marked by time and tradition, panoramic scenes of ancient ruins with their aging stones illuminated by evening sun, intimate depictions of dark and mysterious corners of spiritual spaces.”
Hansen has had numerous solo and group exhibitions at museums, galleries and corporations. He has exhibited at the Festival of the Arts, Pageant of the Masters in Laguna Beach annually since 1978 and his work has been on view at the Brooks Institute Gallery, The Laguna Museum, and the Irvine Fine Arts Center. His fine art photography is part of many corporate and personal collections in the United States, Mexico and Germany.
The presentation and book signing is in conjunction with the exhibition, Chasing the Light: New Works by Robin Hall and Robert A. Hansen, featuring more than 40 oil paintings and fine art photographs. The exhibit runs through Dec. 31.
Art Expressions Gallery is located at 2645 Financial Court, Suite C, San Diego, just off Morena Boulevard in Rose Canyon. The gallery is open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday; 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday; and by appointment. For information, call (858) 270-7577 or visit www.artexpressionsgallery.com
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