Photograph by Kathy De La Torre

A visitor enjoys the 'Four by Four' exhibit now on display at the Los Gatos Museum of Art and Natural History.

Four-woman show comes to Tait

By Shari Kaplan

'Variations on a Theme" would be a fitting subtitle for the latest exhibit at the Los Gatos Museum of Art and Natural History. Titled Watercolor: Four by Four, the exhibit is a collection of works by four nationally known South Bay artists: Kay Carnie of Cupertino and Karen Honaker, Ruth Morrow and Claire Schroeven, all of San Jose.

In the area of the museum that reflects the exhibit's title, each artist has painted a still-life portrait of four objects: a stocky white glazed clay pot, a slender burgundy glass carafe, a glass block vase and a whimsical orange-and-green ceramic teapot shaped like a bell pepper replete with seeds. Far from being redundant, each of the four large canvasses offers a completely different view of the four objects as seen through four very different pairs of eyes.

Not only does each artist put her own spin on the arrangement and the lighting, but each adds a variety of extra elements, including fruit, flowers, stones, boxes and even a mother's favorite scarf. The individuality in each painting speaks of its creator. Statements and diary excerpts from each artist about this project sheds even further light on her ideas.

Watercolor: Four by Four is not limited to this artistic project alone. The exhibit is filled with many other works by the four women. Multicolored pebbles and stones are a motif that runs through most of Morrow's works. They appear most beautifully in Pacific Gemstones: Cradle, in which a small sandy cove is hidden by ragged sea cliffs. The cove is worth discovery, however--its sand and rocks are blanketed with tiny gems as though some errant beach revelers sprinkled pastel-hued confetti everywhere.

Verbiest doesn't limit herself to any one theme, as evinced by her impressionist ponds and gardens, her realistic family portraits and even a larger-than-life rendition of a box of mouth-watering chocolates, appropriately named Heaven in a Box.

Realistic imagery is a hallmark of Carnie; in fact, many of her paintings are so sharply detailed that they look almost like photographs. One such example is Tile Steps on Ramona Street, in which each tile's ornate pattern is painstakingly reproduced and the interplay of light and shade create a three-dimensional effect.

Most of Honaker's paintings are uncomplicated, attractive still-lifes, such as the large red, pink, cream and yellow blooms in Mother's Roses or the fruit and cheese platter and red and white wines in the tasty Red, White or Bleu?

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The exhibit runs through Sept. 29. The Los Gatos Museum of Art and Natural History is at 4 Tait Ave. Hours are noon to 4 p.m., Wednesday through Sunday. For more information, call 408.354.2646.

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