The new exhibit at the renovated Dayton Valley Community Center, “Sky and Splendor,” generated excitement and drew more than 200 visitors during its opening on March 10, 2012. The large crowd of art lovers lingered late, analyzing the works of Andrea Delfin, Malaynia Wick, Alex Knudson and Heather Knudson.
Curated by Quest Lakes, the unconventional exhibit includes trees like Austrian pines and Asian Pears as integral elements of the show and boasts a broad range of mediums – oil paintings, photographs and mixed media watercolors, along with pottery and whimsical paintings on snowboards- all by artists with ties to Dayton. A dozen trees, ranging from a 3 foot blue spruce to a 12 foot Photinia, were carefully chosen to complement the landscapes and flowers in the works displayed. The exhibit environment is illuminated by large skylights in the historic Dayton Valley Community Center, which was built in 1918.
Those attending the opening were attracted by the fact that the 30 pieces in the show are different not only in medium but in styles as well. Alex Knudson’s nightscapes and landscapes of the Dayton Valley were crowd grabbers, and admirers had many questions about his technique and locations of the photographs. Andrea Delfin’s large, vibrant oil paintings of flowers in bold colors were a hot topic. The collection of Malaynia Wick’s pottery, mixed media watercolors, and oil paintings demonstrated her considerable range as an artist, and she was in constant demand throughout the evening. Heather Knudson’s painted snowboards were a unique addition to the exhibit. Knudson, who also creates digital art, said she finds the “long and oddly shaped canvas to be an intriguing challenge because not many art subjects will easily fit the scale of 4 to 1, or even 5 to 1.”
The Artists: Andrea Delphin, who has a degree in art from Alfred University in New York, has shown her oil paintings in juried shows and galleries in Las Vegas. Alex Knudson is a self-taught photographer specializing in landscape and nature photography that demonstrate his intuitive understanding of light and the art of photography. Some of his award -winning photos are also being displayed at the Holland Project Gallery in Reno in March 2012. Artist Malaynia Wick has a Masters of Education in Creative Arts in Learning from Lesley University, and works in a number of mediums including watercolor, pottery, paper sculpture and photography. Heather Knudson designed and painted her first snowboard just one year ago, and has already had a one woman show of her work at a gallery in Carson City.
Collaboration: Dayton Task Force funded the event, and members say they plan to continue offering attention-getting exhibitions like this one throughout the year. The group also hopes to bring additional attention to the historic Dayton Valley Community Center, which is an integral part of the fabric of the community. The exhibit is the result of a collaboration including the nonprofits Healthy Communities Coalition of Lyon and Storey, the Dayton Task Force, and Community Roots, and the designer Kathleen E. Johnson. Music for the opening was provided by the versatile performer Antonn Smith, and catering was provided by Freida Carbery.
