JoAnn Biagini
Catherine Perillo  
New Work
 
Mercury 20 Gallery
25 Grand Ave. (at Broadway)
Oakland, CA 94612
 
October 3 – November 1, 2008
 
Opening Reception: Friday, October 3 from 6:00– 9:00pm (in conjunction with Oakland Art Murmur).
 
JoAnn Biagini and Cathy Perillo open an exhibition of new work at Mercury 20 Gallery on October 3rd with a reception for the artists from 6:00 - 9:00pm.
 
JoAnn Biagini combines image transfer, drawing and collage to create works on paper that merge multi-layered images with nuanced surfaces. Biagini uses found book material in a variety of ways -- for drawing reference, as an actual surface to draw on and collage with, and as part of a technique where ink from book pages or xeroxes is transferred to another surface using an acrylic medium. Working intuitively, Biagini builds up imagery in transparent layers and uses sanding to subtract and blend. Recent work has grown in scale and complexity. Biagini's mixed media pieces create a visual poetry uncovering connections and relationships among juxtaposed elements.

Born in Oakland, CA, Jo Ann Biagini received a BA from UC Santa Cruz and an MFA in Ceramics from CCA. She has worked as a teacher at Creative Growth Art Center in Oakland, CA since 1987.

Catherine Perillo is a plein air painter working from direct observation of nature, concentrating on color and light through the study of tone and value. The artist's latest seascapes focus on the turbulent waves of the ever-changing Pacific Northwest ocean. Perillo will exhibit some stunning sunsets, rock formations and "The Needles", but most of her seascapes are gray and capture the moodiness of the ocean and sky at the coast in Cannon Beach, Oregon.

Catherine Perillo grew up in Connecticut on Long Island Sound. As a painter she worked from the landscape in Provincetown, Massachusetts and studied with the Dutch/American painter Roger VanDamme, a former student of Edwin Dickenson. Cathy Perillo received her BFA from Boston University and her MFA from the University of California at Berkeley. 
 
Mercury 20 also presents a group exhibition in its back gallery. The artwork changes monthly and features new work from gallery artists. Mercury 20 Gallery is an artist-run gallery in the heart of downtown Oakland; part of the emerging arts district in the Broadway/Telegraph corridor. Gallery hours are Friday, 4:00pm – 7:00pm and Saturday, 12:00 noon - 3:00 pm, and by appointment. 
 
For more information or images, please contact Kathleen at 510-701-4620, mercurytwenty@gmail.com, or you can visit our website: www.mercurytwenty.com