Vista Lights 2007 Reviewed in The State by Jeffrey Day

Review: Stroll through the Vista again — for art’s sake

By JEFFREY DAY - jday@thestate.com

You could be like everyone else and spend today shopping for clothing, appliances and toys. But wouldn’t you rather look at, and buy, art?

Last week’s Vista Lights festival was mostly about music and holidays and business. Still, some galleries in the Vista opened new shows. And they’re still up.

For the best one-stop looking and shopping, go to Gallery 80808/Vista Studios. Its annual late-fall show includes works by each of the 13 artists who have studios. It’s quite a group, with David Yaghjian, Heidi-Darr Hope, Steve Chesley and others. You’d be hard pressed to find a more diverse group of highly accomplished artists.

Some of the most exciting works in the show are by sculptors Pat Gilmartin and Sharon Licata.

Gilmartin offers up small bronze figurative works, but she also has been doing more unusual pieces. Check out the clay female figure covered with a dress pattern.

Licata often makes smaller- scale, abstract sculptures. In the middle of the main gallery, she has stacked a batch of stones that look not-quite-finished, but just right.

Ethel Brody, one of the more mature artists in the studios, has a whole batch of new paintings that walk a line between high design and pure abstraction. (She’ll have a solo show at the gallery in the spring.)

Don Zurlo’s abstract paintings in this show are not as heavily painted as his earlier ones, but still are richly textured with an inner glow.

The exhibition is well displayed as are most at the gallery, whether put together by the resident artists or outside curators.

The only drawback is that the art doesn’t have dates; although all the pieces are supposed to be new, anyone who has kept up with what these artists have been doing will know not all of them are.

Through Nov. 27 at Gallery 80808/Vista Studios, 808 Lady St.; (803) 252-6134

(The article goes on....but this is the IMPORTANT PART!) It appeared on November 23, 2007 with a nice image of Pat Gilmartin's sculpture which was not available on the State newspaper's website...pity! To visit the Vista Studios/Gallery 80808 website, click here.