Gearbox Gallery
Contemporary Art
DRAWN TO COLOR
Sonia Gill & Francesca Saveri
September 14 - October 14, 2023
Artists’ reception: Saturday, September 16, 1-4 pm
Artist talk: During First Friday, October 6, 6:30-7:30 pm
First Friday Hours: October 6, 5-8pm
Sonia Gill, Closed for Business, paper, 12”x12”, 2020
Francesca Saveri, Amazonia, encaustic, 48”x48”, 2019
GearBox Gallery presents Drawn to Color, artwork by Sonia Gill and Francesca Saveri. Attracted by the strong light and dark shadows of the northern California mornings Sonia Gill creates a visually bold world using oils, watercolors, collage and papier-mâché. Although her subjects are often very simple cups and bowls, preoccupations with interpersonal relationships and world events are revealed by the titles.
Encaustic painting, a time-honored technique that utilizes heated beeswax infused with pigments, embodies the heart of Francesca Saveri’s artistic expression. Her large encaustic paintings reveal a harmonious interplay of vivid colors, daring shapes, and evocative organic mark-making, reflecting her profound understanding of the medium.
About Sonia Gill’s work: “The reflections in the foreground blue cup feel like you’re warping space and time, as if it contains a gateway to another world..” R. Charlton, SF Filmmaker and Art Commentator, 12/8/2021
About Sonia Gill
Sonia Gill is an award-winning Berkeley artist who takes the mundane into the marvelous by painting still lifes of her collection of vintage dishes. Exhibiting continually since receiving a BFA from CCA Oakland in 1980, Gill has been in numerous juried shows and exhibited at several California Museums including The Triton Museum, Marin Museum of Contemporary Art and the Museum of Northern California art. In addition to her BFA she also holds a BA and MA from Michigan State University. Born in Milwaukee in 1945, Sonia Gill lives in Berkeley with her husband, son, and their yellow lab. She also maintains a home and studio in Yorkville in Mendocino County and is a member of GearBox Gallery.
About Francesca Saveri
Francesca Saveri, a California-based abstract artist, specializes in working with the medium of encaustic. Drawing inspiration from her yearly visits to Salvador, Brazil, her artwork showcases a profound connection with color, shape, and emotion. Saveri’s work has been exhibited in prestigious galleries, museums, and major art fairs throughout California. She holds a BFA from UC Berkeley and a MA in Environmental Education with a Teaching Credential from Hayward State College. With seventeen years of experience as a Master Teacher in the Oakland Public Schools, Francesca has a strong passion for sharing her artistic knowledge through workshops and personalized art acquisition guidance.