FragBots

PARADISE — “Two for the show,” a multimedia, two-artist exhibit featuring miniature teapots to FabergeÐstyle eggs is on display at the Paradise Art Center’s Wheeler Gallery through Aug. 29

The show is a local debut for Jann Jones, a ceramist who moved to Paradise from the Bay Area several years ago following his retirement.

Jones, a fine arts graduate of California State University, San Jose, spent many years in the Middle East, primarily in Saudi Arabia, working as an interior designer for a variety of high-profile clients including the Royal Family and teaching interior design at the American University in Beirut. on his return to the United States, Jones made a major career change working as a drug rehabilitation counselor in Redwood City, a job he did for 10 years before retiring to Paradise.

“I always worked in clay, sandwiching in whenever I could. Clay is a very plastic medium. It lends itself to so many things — painting, printing, laying out slabs, throwing — that it becomes a kind of addiction. I have really gotten back into it in the past year now that I really have time to devote to it. It energizes me and hope people who see my work get as energized by it as I do,” he said.

Jones has nearly 30 pieces in the show of both standard high-fire and raku works including bowels, casserole dishes, platters and miniature teapots that he calls “pig tail tea pots” because each has a pig tail on its top.

In his artist’s statement Jones writes, “Having not worked in clay for several years, my focus at this period of time is to re-establish my relationship with a creative medium that speaks to me direct from Mother Earth. This dialogue often manifests itself in the form of a dream state that tantalizes the imagination and all its possibilities. as an artist I have never considered clay a hobby but rather a lifestyle and catalyst from nature that awakens the intellect and challenges the artist and the spirit that guides him.”

Mary Pickler is a “Renaissance woman” when it comes to art. Working equally well in a vast range of mediums, Pickler, a member of the third graduating class of Paradise High School (1959), is showcasing the full spectrum of her work in “Two for the show.”

More than 80 of Pickler’s works are on display and range from her wire-wrapped jewelry to her oil landscapes; from her china painting and pottery to her Faberge-style eggs.

“I am interested in all mediums and just can’t get settled on one. if it’s artsy-craftsy, I do it. My favorite one? Well, it depends on what I’m working on at the time,” said Pickler, who returned to school after raising her three children to earn her degree in art from Chico State in 1974.

Perhaps the most unique of Pickler’s creations are her Faberge-style eggs made from the shells of pigeon and ostrich eggs, among others. Pickler transforms these delicate vessels into painted, jeweled and filigreed music boxes, dioramas and carousels.

“It was my niece who got me started when she brought me an egg. I bought books on heirloom eggs, did some other research and thought, ‘This is something I could do,’” she said. “There really is no limit to the different ways you can go with the eggs — carve, paint, jewel, decoupage, hinge, etc. They offer an endless opportunity for creating.”

The Wheeler Gallery, located in the Paradise Art Center, 5564 Almond St., is open Saturday and Sunday 1 p.m. Ð 4 p.m. and while classes are being held through August. For more information call 877-7402.