“Five Muses” art show reception at Gallery of Hermosa

A burst of inspiration

“Five Muses” artists’ reception Friday at Gallery of Hermosa

by Bondo Wyszpolski

When we step into an art gallery we’re invited to have a quiet dialogue with each piece. The dialogue is between the work and whatever mood, thoughts, or insights we’ve brought along with us, even if we’re not fully aware of them. But there’s another dialogue that’s going on as well, and that’s the “conversation” between the works themselves.

This is more interesting when it’s a group show with multiple pieces by each artist. Then it’s as if the art is standing in for the people who made them, and we’re free to decide whether the works are complementing one another or perhaps even provoking one another.

Much of this has to do with the arrangement, which often falls to the curator. The “Five Muses” show at Gallery of Hermosa has its artists’ reception Friday, July 18, and remains on view through Aug. 3. It corrals the art of five women who are familiar with one another, and all of whom know gallery owner Kimie Joe. There’s a certain bond here, already established.

Kimie notes that “The idea of ‘Five Muses’ came from a sense of gratitude and connection. As a female gallerist, I’ve been inspired by these women — by their art, their kindness, their strength, and their individuality. This show is my way of honoring that.”

Four of the artists are painters: Fumie Coello, Debbie Giese, Anabella Rainer, and Eileen Oda Leaf. Jen Hellman is a photographer.

“We landed on the name ‘Five Muses’ together,” Kimie explains, “where the title reflects both the mythological muses and the creative, inspirational energy these five artists bring. Together, there’s a harmony of creativity and spirit.”

“I’m drawn to how our different styles speak to one another,” Jen Hellman says. “Some of the artwork resembles photography, and some of my photographs feel more like paintings or mixed media. In the end, art is art. I’ve never felt that photography exists apart from it — it’s simply another way of seeing, expressing, and connecting.”

As Fumie Coello sees it, “All five artists utilize a diverse range of styles, techniques, and messages in their work. However, a common thread is that all of the art is created through women’s perspectives, reflecting how we see, feel, and interpret the world in our own unique ways. Together, the five artists offer a variety of artistic styles centered around the common theme of women as muses.”

The spirit within

Debbie Giese is an oil painting instructor at the Palos Verdes Art Center, and she often paints soothing landscapes. I’m always needling her to throw in a pterodactyl or two, a suggestion she’s so far ignored. But here’s what gets her to the easel:

“My muses are my fellow artists, Mother Nature, and color, which inspire, influence, and guide me with creative decisions during the imaginative painting process.”

As for her pictures on view: “‘Poppy Heaven’ is a painting of a vivid orange poppy field which symbolizes remembrance, peace, and sleep. Three paintings, ‘Los Arboles,’ are of Aspen trees symbolizing courage, spiritual connection, community, and inner wisdom. The painting ‘The Hidden Path’ with Eucalyptus trees symbolizes strength, healing, purification and renewal.”

By now, half the planet has heard of Eileen Oda Leaf because she’s been in one show after another and mostly because of her “exsculpainting” style of artmaking, which is, in her words, “3-D oil on canvas where expressionism, sculpture, and painting meet.”

This is represented by “The Grand Oak,” a nine-paneled canvas that measures six feet by nine feet. “Specifically for this exhibition,” Eileen says, “I have added hundreds of lovingly hand-cut, sculpted, and painted leaves as small as a nickel.”

Wherever it’s displayed, “The Grand Oak” is always one of the highlights.

Now let’s move from landscapes to the detailed and realistic portraits by Fumie Coello, originally from Saitama, Japan, but since 2003 living in the U.S.

“I choose my subjects based on what inspires me at the moment,” she says. “This could stem from song lyrics, musicians and their messages, memorable scenes from movies, or personal experiences that resonate with me” — such as “The Message (from John and Yoko)” and “Meow-rilyn Monroe.”

“In the 1970s,” Fumie explains, “John Lennon and Yoko Ono used their music to inspire a powerful message of peace. The sky, drawn from the phrase ‘Above us only sky,’ embodies limitless possibilities. The roses, referred to as ‘Peace Roses,’ signify a world healing after the scars of war.”

Considering the current divisiveness in this country, “The Message” may be the most relevant work in “Five Muses.”

“In addition to portraits,” Fumie says, “I love creating seascapes, landscapes, and figurative pieces. Classic rock music and vintage fashion also influence my artistic expression. Through my work, I aim to celebrate the beauty of nature and to capture the universal human experience.”

Anabella Rainer, like Fumie, started life in a faraway country; in Anabella’s case Argentina, where she says that her art journey began early, at the age of eight.

“I delved into various styles, including Impressionist landscapes, Surrealism, and still life.” Eventually, as she points out, “my art became a reflection of my inner world, blending elements to create a sense of depth and complexity.”

But she doesn’t rush the process: “I let my pieces rest and evolve, revisiting them over time and making adjustments as needed.”

For the “Five Muses” show, Anabella has brought in works from a couple of different series. Those in “Faces,” with their swaths of bold rich color, such as “Ella,” remind me of Alexj von Jawlensky and other “Blue Rider” painters. But works such as “Tranquil Arms of Nature” have a softer, Marc Chagall-like feel.

For Anabella, that journey which commenced at age eight is ongoing: “As I continue to explore different mediums and technologies I embrace the uncertainty and spontaneity of the creative process, allowing my work to evolve and grow organically.”

Jen Hellman says that her father was a photography fanatic and that she was mesmerized watching him develop black and white images in their basement darkroom. Many years later, dusting off an old camera, she realized that something was lacking in her life: her creative self.

She began making what she would call “Photomosaics,” in which a single image was repurposed into a cohesive abstract design. Her latest endeavor in this vein, “Labyrinth,” she says, “is composed from a single photo of tangled kelp found along the shores of Hermosa Beach.”

It’s a compelling, mesmerizing piece, looking somewhat like a psychedelic mandela.

Over time, Jen explains, “my work evolved into three-dimensional pieces incorporating wood, metal, and fabric. I learned through trial and error — and with the help of a gas mask — how to finish the surfaces with pour-on resin for a polished, glass-like sheen.”

Then she went global, beginning with a pre-pandemic trip to Peru. Later, she joined with other photo enthusiasts and subsequently has gone to Africa, Thailand, Cambodia, and Japan, “returning with images of wildlife, culture, architecture, and landscapes. But my favorites are wildlife encounters and quirky, story-filled moments that catch the unexpected.”

She’s picked out a wide range of her work to show in “Five Muses.”

“Photography reminds me of what connects us as humans,” Jen says, “while also celebrating the richness of our differences — in tradition, dress, gesture, and place. There’s so much to see in this world, and my goal is to capture it — one frame at a time.”

And there we are, five artists, each with her own creative trajectory, now brought together and forming a rich dialogue, each work in conversation with all the others and then with us, the viewers.

Five Muses, featuring Debbie Giese, Eileen Oda Leaf, Anabella Rainer, Fumie Coello, and Jen Hellman, has its artists’ reception this Friday, July 18, and is on view through August 3 at the Gallery of Hermosa, 138 Pier Ave, Hermosa Beach. Visit galleryofhermosa.com or follow @galleryofhermosa on Instagram. ER