Los Gatos Weekly-Times Photograph by George Sakkestad Valeria Mravyan-Mendelsson, a native of Russia, is exhibiting her work at the Los Gatos Museum of Fine Art and Natural History. Tait Museum offers two-for-one exhibit By Shari Kaplan As it often does, the Los Gatos Museum of Fine Art and Natural History offers the eclectic experience of a double exhibit--in this case, Self-Impression Through Colors by Valeria Mravyan-Mendelsson, and Books and Artifacts from a Fouled Nest by M.J. Orcutt. Los Gatan Orcutt has participated in several Los Gatos Museum exhibitions. Her present show offers her trademark mixed-media "Pod Books," which provide a hands-on look at a natural world gone awry from pollution and carelessness. Papery, sticklike kites from her "Refuse to Fly" series are also on display. All of her works, including some highly intriguing sculptures, are crafted from mediums as diverse as plaster, plastic, polymer, paint, sawdust, dirt, wood, paper, plant life, seeds, bones, computer chips, string and debris. Her theme is refuse: "that which has been discarded, abandoned, refused." Most artifacts defy description; they are best viewed--and when appropriate, touched--in person. Mravyan-Mendelsson is a native of Moscow who spent several years in Israel before settling in Toronto, Canada, where she lives with her husband and two children. Self-Impression Through Color, she says, represents the transformation her artistic style has undergone over the years. During her Russian Period, as she calls it, she often painted in dark colors, matched with serious themes and expressionistic elements. "End of the World" is one example. During three years in Israel, she was inspired by her surroundings to paint many light and airy watercolor landscapes, including "Afternoon in Tel-Aviv" and "Sunset." During her five years in Toronto, Mravyan-Mendelsson's themes included flowers, still-lifes and Biblical imagery. The exhibit's "Creation" series has very personal meaning. "My discovery of the Bible happened after I left the Soviet Union, where religion was not encouraged. The Bible became a true revelation for me and later inspired me for a series of six paintings," she recalls. These include "Day and Night," "The Fire" and "The Sea." In her floral paintings, Mravyan-Mendelsson uses vibrant hues, showy brushstrokes and color sprays that evoke an upbeat mood in the viewer. This, she says, is no accident. "Painting, like music, can change a person's mood. I like to do that with colors," she says. In her still-lifes, the mood is subdued, with pastel shades replacing the brights, creating a soft-focus effect. The name still-life notwithstanding, these paintings seem to give a sense of movement, thanks to subtle, horizontal brushstrokes. "I drew all my life. My father was a writer and painter, and my mother was a professional translator of literature. I was inspired by the atmosphere in my house; there was always music, and my parents took me to a lot of museums and art galleries," Mravyan-Mendelsson recalls of her early influences. By the time she was 12 or 13, she says she knew this was her calling: "All my friends were always complaining that I didn't have time for them because I was always painting," she adds with a chuckle. After painting her way through a bachelor's and master's degree, she continued down the road that would take her though several countries and hundreds of canvases before arriving where she is today. And she hasn't stopped yet. The Los Gatos Museum of Fine Art and Natural History is at 4 Tait Ave. Hours are noon to 4 p.m., Wednesday through Sunday. The exhibits run through Dec. 6. [ Back to Contents Page | Los Gatos Weekly-Times Home Page | Archives ] This article appeared in the Los Gatos Weekly-Times, November 18, 1998. ©1998 Metro Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved.