Mix of art, poetry

"The Poetic Line" exhibit runs through March 24, showcasing the works of Rae Turnbull in her first solo show at the gallery.

It combines all three types of work into a unique blend that reflects on family, youth and private thoughts.

Her prismacolor pencil drawings feature women and men in contemplative poses and a variety of settings as 32 pieces of original art line the walls.

Turnbull said there are 20 calligraphic prints displayed as well and about 80 unframed drawings in the bins that will be for sale.

She also has a couple of drawings of baseball players in tribute to her love of the game.

The calligraphy pieces are done from 20 years of columns on family life Turnbull syndicated in newspapers in the West and Midwest, she said.

They were poetic essays on everyday events and the richness of family, her show biography said.

One example focuses on a young child running through tall grass, playing with a parent, and then suddenly disappearing as he or she had grown up.

The drawings were taken directly from working with a model, Turnbull said.

"Sometimes they were from drawing sessions with a group," she said. Others were done individually.

Turnbull explained Wednesday she went back and took another look at the drawings in the show and "took them to another dimension" to capture the mood and attitude of the model.

"It was a story waiting to be told," she added. "I take great joy in doing that. It is challenging but very rewarding."

Turnbull stated both her drawings and poetic essays are highly stylized, and her approach is to take her personal observations and distill them into a particular point of view.

"I prefer to convey that point of view with an economy of line and words," she wrote, "often in combination."

The point is to allow the viewer or reader to enjoy a direct and clear message, Turnbull said, while allowing individual viewers to introduce their own experiences into what they see or read.

Turnbull is a member of the Orland Arts Commission and has included some of her work with that of other artists in past Orland art shows.

She also teaches freehand drawing and calligraphy workshops at the art center.

Contact Rick Longley at 934-6800 or rlongley@tcnpress.com.