FIELD SPOILS
Abiam Alvarez is a Mexico-born artist, who has been working with ceramics since 2005. He says clay is a material that fulfills his nostalgic feeling for dirt from when he used to work various agriculturally related jobs in the Central Valley. Alvarez attended CSU Fresno, where he earned his bachelor’s degree in art and design with an emphasis in ceramics and sculpture. His work is currently being presented by Sylvan Gallery (613 Ortiz Ave. #A, Sand City) in a show called “Field Spoils.” It’s a tiny gallery that prides itself on showing contemporary, emerging artists whose work is pushing the artistic boundaries of concept and physicality. Viewable 7am-10pm daily until Sept. 25. 393-1990, sylvan.gallery [AP]
KINDRED SPIRITS
An exhibit featuring portraits of birds by Jennifer Anderson and Christine Crozier is being shown at the Carmel Art Association. Anderson and Crozier are kindred spirits in a shared love of nature’s beauty and wonder. Anderson creates intimate portraits of birds in watercolor and ink, while Crozier uses oil on panel. “I have been enchanted by birds my whole life,” Crozier said in a statement about the show. “Growing up at the edge of San Francisco Bay, I spent hours on my own, locating, drawing, and watching migratory and shore birds. Rendering their forms and gestures in oil gifts me with an intimate connection to nature and the avian world that only increases my fascination.” Viewable 10am-5pm Thursdays through Mondays, at the Carmel Art Association (on Dolores Street between Fifth and Sixth, Carmel). 250-3347, carmelart.org [AP]