Around Town Art Scene
March Art Happenings n Jean Purnell
Still Friends After All these Years Locals and visitors to Benicia will enjoy a vibrant art scene this month with new exhibitions opening in several venues. Long-time Benicia artists Nikki Basch Davis and Jerrold Turner are featured at Gallery 621, in an exhibition titled “Still Friends.” Basch Davis and Turner share a love of plein air (outdoor) painting which grew into a deep friendship and mutual admiration over several decades. The exhibition features artworks that span the years of their painting together and show an evolution in both artists’ work over the years. Formally trained at the Bezalel Art Institute in Jerusalem and the Royal College of Art in London, Basch Davis’ work includes landscapes and story-telling figurative paintings, ceramic sculpture, and prints. Turner pursued a career in structural engineering, with degrees from UC Berkeley. He is primarily self-taught in art and painted with Lundy Siegriest and Terry St. John. He turned his focus from abstract works to plein air after viewing the work of Seldon Gile, a member of the Society of Six. His works include landscapes, urban scenes, and whimsical, fantasy-like depictions of invented characters and places. Basch Davis recalls meeting Jerry over forty years ago as a student in a painting class at the Walnut Creek recreation center. “He strolled into class and gave the ladies present the once over. I could see that his pursuit was not limited only to art,” she laughs. “It was the seventies, an exciting time for emerging artists. A new group was introduced to us, ‘The Society of Six.’ It was the first time we learned about plein air.” Basch Davis studied with Lundy Siegriest, son of Society of Six member Louis Siegriest. “The idea of painting outdoors in all seasons and every weather was a new concept. We took to it quickly.” Often painting with a group that varied in membership, Jerry and Nikki were regulars. Their long days of driving around, exploring scenes and immortalizing them on canvas quickly evolved into a close friendship. Turner fondly recalls those early years painting with a group of artists every Saturday, with Basch Davis a constant among the group. “When I first met Nikki she was mostly a watercolor painter, very accomplished. She started exploring with oils. We painted all over. Some of our favorite places included Crockett, the Berkeley Hills, and China Camp. She’s very versatile, and fearless. She doesn’t work her art over in her mind too much, she just goes for it.” “Still Friends” can be viewed from March 4 to 27, from 12 to 6 pm, Thursday through Sunday. Visit gallery621.com for a reception date to be announced. 3
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Tap Roots
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Arts Benicia opens “Tap Roots, Ceramic Artist Educators of Northern California,” on March 12; the exhibition runs through April 10, concurrent with the 2022 conference of the National Council on Education for the Ceramic Arts (NCECA). “Tap Roots” is a joint exhibition produced by Arts Benicia and the Epperson Gallery, in Crockett. The exhibition includes works by 28 ceramic artist-educators, including Richard Shaw, Wanxin Zhang, Peter Vandenberge, Lisa Reinertson, John Roloff and Mark Messenger. Works are displayed at both galleries. Opening receptions are planned for March 12, at Arts Benicia from 2 to 4 pm, and at the Epperson Gallery from 4 to 6 pm. Visit artsbenicia. org/taproots/ for more information.
