“You Did WHAT To My Comics?!?” comprises works in paper made from cut-up comic books, in which local artist Isaac Brynjegard-Bialik explores the dreams, prophecies, and visions of traditional cultural narratives. He positions Superman as an American immigrant dreamer, the Invisible Woman as a protective whirlwind of cloud and fire, and wraps the Sandman up with the Oak of the Golden Dream. “Brynjegard-Bialik brings these different types of stories together in the complex but clean layers of his papercuts,” wrote Shana Dambrot for KCET Artbound, “creating new meanings for the world’s oldest stories as he engineers these combinations with the architectural presence of stained glass, the whimsy of gilded-age fairy tales, and the meditative aura of illuminated manuscripts.”

Says Brynjegard-Bialik, “My work explores the role of narrative in the development and expression of identity. I work in paper because I like its fragility and its place as our primary medium for telling and sharing stories across generations. It is both ephemeral and constant. I work with stories, legends and mythologies, filtered through the twin lenses of papercutting and contemporary pop culture storytelling techniques. I layer cut-up comic books into my work, drawing parallels between comic book mythologies and religious traditions to delve into the stories that make us human. Comic superheroes exist outside of the “natural” world, be they visitors from other planets or people whose powers stem from strange scientific accidents; they have weaknesses and flaws, and their struggles are often a metaphor for the human experience. I bring these different types of stories together in the layers of my papercuts, searching for new meanings in these combinations.”

“More Than Meets the Eye” is an art exhibition showcasing portraits, figures and life studies by California artist Lorelle Miller.

Miller expresses a lifetime of developed technique and personal investigation in her works that comprises of oils, pastel, marble sculpture, and other mediums. Evidenced in her artwork is a unique sensitivity for mood and emotion, which offer a glance into the deeper wells of her experience. Miller has worked with master artists such as Morgan Weistling and Mian Situ. She has studied stone sculpture at the Marble Symposium in Colorado and has over 20 years of experience as a madonnara (street painter) featuring her work in countless festivals throughout the United States, Canada, Mexico and Norway. To view Lorelle Miller’s portfolio, read her blog and learn about the awards and honors she’s received, please visit LorelleMiller.com.

The public is invited to view the gallery, enjoy light refreshments and meet the artist at an art reception on Thursday, August 16, 2018 from 7:00 to 10:00 p.m. at The MAIN.

Santa Clarita Artists’ Association’s new show, Autumn Wonders, will open on September 7, 2018, with a free reception from 6 to 9 p.m. The exhibit will run from September 7 to October 28. The public is invited to meet the artists, sample hors d’oeuvres, wines and dessert, and view fabulous new art, including designer craft items.

Howard Marcovitch’s underwater photography will be displayed at this exhibit. “I was hooked by the very first dive lesson. 1968 proved to be a very good year that changed my life,” Marcovitch said about his wonderful diving photography. “Learning to dive, and eventually teaching scuba, has made exploring the oceans a dream come true. My wife, Cheri, says I am safer in the water than on land. She never worries about me if I am in water. I am always ready for the next adventure.”

Pearl C. Hsiung’s painting and video works explore states of physical, psychical and metaphysical metamorphosis. Often these transformations play out in anthropomorphizing landscapes that verge on portraiture, where the geological and biological collide and collapse, raising questions about the nature of nature. Hsiung’s video works bring these ideas out beyond the pictorial plane, to further investigate nature and constructed images in an endlessly transforming universe.

This exhibition will examine “A Moment in Time” as expressed through the ancient medium of encaustic.  Unlike other painting media, encaustic begins its journey to solid from a molten phase.  There are typically only a few seconds for the artist to move the brush from palette to panel before the wax becomes unworkable.  The artist uses heat to manipulate the paint, and the wax when in its solid state has unusual qualities of reflecting light through the layers of paint.

The works exhibited may explore the concept of Time through their process or through their subject matter.  This exhibition will showcase the work of contemporary artists working in distinctly different styles that incorporate encaustic into their work.  The artwork exhibited will be of varied styles and genres: conceptual art, abstract painting, mixed media, and photography, providing a diverse artistic experience for the viewer.

By exploring the intersection between the found and fabricated, Kramer seeks a deeper understanding of the transcendent nature of ordinary objects. He works primarily in recycled materials; reclaimed hardwoods, coffee stirrers, strapping material, buttons, or even tin can lids. One favorite material, street sweeper bristles, are acquired as scrap from a company that re-bristles used brooms. These are woven over welded armatures of thin wire. At the core of his work is the belief that “trash is the failure of imagination.”