Visuals 05.04.23

MARINA ORLOVA

The MPC Printmakers Club consists of 40 artists from Monterey and Santa Cruz counties. Soul & Spirit – MPC Printmakers is an exhibition of approximately 53 unique prints by over 38 members on display in the Pacific Grover Art Center from Friday, May 5 (with an opening reception at 7pm) through June 29. The presented techniques include: etchings, relief prints, monotypes, collagraphs, screen prints and mixed media prints. “The title/topic of the exhibition speaks to an existential creativity with us all being in a ‘critical moment’ on our planet today,” wrote Leonard Han, club chairperson, in the statement for this exhibit. “As much as we need the expertise of scientists and environmentalists today to guide us toward a sustainable future, there is great need for the insight and imagination of artists to break through a collective denial and complacency.” [AP]

MARIA POROY

Always experimental and known for her use of color, Maria Poroy shows new work in a square format with color that is “extra” at Venture Gallery (260 Alvarado St., Monterey). Poroy is the Venture Gallery’s featured artist for May with her show ART2, or “Art Squared.” This exhibit includes larger works, as well as Poroy’s dramatic 12-by-12-inch paintings on wood panels that include mixed media and extreme texture. The centerpiece is a collection of eight canvases with an interlocking design that can be grouped and displayed in various ways. On display through May (10am-6pm; closed Tuesdays). “People call me an abstract expressionist,” Poroy writes. “Color is my language and I am drawn to subjects that resonate with me whether it be a barn or a flower.” You can meet the artist 10am-2pm Friday, May 5 and Saturday, May 20. [AP]