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Sedona City Hall Unveils New Exhibits

This article submitted by the City of Sedona

This City of Sedona article written by Nancy Lattanzi

Sedona AZ (October 1, 2014)Wendy Bialek-Kling’s weavings and Julie Ronning Talbot’s paintings are now being exhibited in the Vultee Conference Room and the Council Chamber at Sedona City Hall through the end of December 2014.

Wendy Bialek-Kling, a born textile artist is widely known as Wendy the Weaver. As a young child, she watched her Russian Jewish grandmothers doing all kinds of handwork including knitting, sewing, and crocheting. She grew up in downtown Washington, D.C., where she spent every possible waking hour at the Smithsonian and other cosmopolitan museums immersing herself in the fascinating world of international textile art.

Wendy Bialek-Kling Kimono

Wendy Bialek-Kling Kimono

Wendy taught herself how to weave at the age of sixteen, and then pursued cross-cultural studies at Guilford College in Greensboro, N.C., where she earned her BA. She then went on to deepen her weaving skills at Haywood Technical College near Asheville, N.C., and then earned an MA in Special Education at Ohio University.

As a result, Wendy’s one-of-a-kind woven and felted art is eclectic in inspiration and meticulously executed with an amazing variety of materials, colors, textures, and patterns. She loves to co-create art pieces with her clients, customizing every detail. Not only that, she constantly explores new textile techniques to add to her creative mix.

Julie Ronning Talbot’s transparent watercolors focus on the beauty around us, finding as much pleasure in a rusty truck, as in an unfolding rose. She grew up on a North Dakota farm, where as a young child, her sister and she would ride with her father’s friends in their old pickups. That explains her love of trucks from the 30’s and 40’s.

Julie Ronning Talbot Ol' Red

Julie Ronning Talbot Ol’ Red

Julie enjoys studying the structure of the subject, doing a careful drawing and then applying color in color to bring out weathered barn wood, rust, or delicate flower petals so the texture springs to life. “I want the flowers to be fresh enough to smell and the rust to make you want to brush off your fingers. The fun is dropping color into a wet area and watching the colors change and blend on the paper, sometimes aided by gravity or teased along by my brush.”

A frequent question from those who view Julie’s work is wondering if it is watercolor. She often works on watercolor paper wrapped on stretcher bars and then gives her work an archival finish so that no glass is needed, thus avoiding glare.

Julie began as a watercolorist at the California College of Arts and Crafts in Oakland, California, while taking a required painting class. The teacher had the class explore everything from oil to egg tempera and told Julie, “You are going to be a watercolorist.” She didn’t believe that, yet here she is 50+ years later!

The public is welcome to view these exhibits during regular City Hall hours from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., when the City Council Chamber or Conference Room are not in use. For more information, or to schedule an exclusive viewing, contact Nancy Lattanzi, Arts and Culture Coordinator, at 928-203-5078.

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For the best Arizona news and views, read www.SedonaEye.com daily!

1 Comment

  1. Gina Vinci says:

    what I believe Sedona should be about and promoting art for the good of others and when I think of Sedona this is what I used to think about and find a heart chakra connection with it and Namaste everyone enjoy the vortex of life there

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